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Big Sioux River at Fairview

Highest listed crest 1,213.14 ftFlood stage 1,202.0 ft6 crests since 2018

The Big Sioux River at Fairview crested above flood stage 4 times among the 6 crests the National Weather Service lists from 2018 to 2025. The highest, 1,213.14 ft on September 14, 2019, was moderate flooding, 11.14 feet above flood stage. 13 other gauges on the Big Sioux River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 8 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
1,213.14 ft
September 14, 2019
Flood stage
1,202.0 ft
Major flooding from 1,214.0 ft
Crests at major
0
4 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
March 30, 2020
1,202.51 ft, minor flooding
Location
Lincoln County
South Dakota
Identifiers
NWS FVWS2
No USGS station

Flood stages

The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.

Flood categories, Big Sioux River at Fairview
Action stage1,200.01Jul 14, 2018The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)1,202.01Mar 30, 2020Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage1,208.03Sep 14, 2019Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage1,214.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

6 crests from 2018 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Big Sioux River at Fairview, 2018 to 2025 11951200120512101215ft Flood stage 1,202.0 ftMajor 1,214.0 ft Jul 14, 2018: 1,200.00 ft, action stageSep 22, 2018: 1,208.70 ft, moderate floodingMar 15, 2019: 1,212.63 ft, moderate floodingSep 14, 2019: 1,213.14 ft, moderate floodingMar 30, 2020: 1,202.51 ft, minor floodingJul 11, 2025: 1,197.53 ft, below flood stage Highest, 1,213.14 ft, Sep 14, 2019 20202025

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Big Sioux River at Fairview 2010s: 3 3 2020s: 1 2010s2020s
  1. These are the crests the local National Weather Service office lists for the gauge: the highest on record and recent crests. Lesser floods between them may be missing, so counts by decade are a floor.
  2. Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Big Sioux River at Fairview
1Sep 14, 20191,213.14+11.14Moderate—
2Mar 15, 20191,212.63+10.63Moderate—
3Sep 22, 20181,208.70+6.70Moderate—
4Mar 30, 20201,202.51+0.51Minor—
5Jul 14, 20181,200.00−2.00Action—
6Jul 11, 20251,197.53−4.47Below flood stage—

The worst floods along the Big Sioux River

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Big Sioux River that crested above flood stage within a week.

September 14, 2019: 1,213.14 ft here, moderate flooding

  • FlandreauSD · Sep 13, 2019 · 1,545.29 ft · Major · its highest
  • EganSD · Sep 12, 2019 · 1,524.20 ft · Major · its highest
  • TrentSD · Sep 13, 2019 · 1,501.42 ft · Major · its highest
  • Dell RapidsSD · Sep 13, 2019 · 1,490.00 ft · Major · its highest
  • BrandonSD · Sep 14, 2019 · 1,313.53 ft · Major · its highest
  • CantonSD · Sep 13, 2019 · 1,245.88 ft · Major
  • RichlandIA · Sep 17, 2019 · 1,123.51 ft · Major
  • HawardenSD · Sep 15, 2019 · 32.42 ft · Major
  • Sioux Falls I-90SD · Sep 14, 2019 · 18.91 ft · Major · its highest
  • Dell RapidsSD · Sep 13, 2019 · 16.70 ft · Major · its highest

March 15, 2019: 1,212.63 ft here, moderate flooding

  • RichlandIA · Mar 16, 2019 · 1,124.50 ft · Major
  • JeffersonIA · Mar 17, 2019 · 40.42 ft · Major
  • HawardenSD · Mar 15, 2019 · 35.20 ft · Major
  • AkronIA · Mar 16, 2019 · 23.94 ft · Major
  • Sioux Falls Western AvenueSD · Mar 14, 2019 · 16.90 ft · Major · its highest
  • BrandonSD · Mar 15, 2019 · 1,310.85 ft · Moderate
  • CantonSD · Mar 15, 2019 · 1,244.68 ft · Moderate
  • Sioux CitySD · Mar 17, 2019 · 37.46 ft · Minor

September 22, 2018: 1,208.70 ft here, moderate flooding

Gauges on the Big Sioux River

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Big Sioux River
CantonSD1,235.01,248.35 ft, Jun 22, 20243
Dell RapidsSD1,481.01,490.00 ft, Sep 13, 20192
FlandreauSD1,540.01,545.29 ft, Sep 13, 20191
HawardenSD20.539.92 ft, Jun 22, 20244
AkronIA16.027.35 ft, Jun 22, 202424
Fairview this gaugeSD1,202.01,213.14 ft, Sep 14, 20190
Lake KampeskaSD21.022.40 ft, Mar 15, 20100
Lake Poinsett Inlet/OutletSD1,654.01,657.60 ft, Apr 5, 20112
Sioux CitySD32.044.90 ft, Jun 23, 20241
Sioux Falls I-90SD12.018.91 ft, Sep 14, 20191
Sioux Falls N. Cliff AvenueSD16.026.08 ft, Sep 14, 20190
Sioux Falls Western AvenueSD8.016.90 ft, Mar 14, 20194
TrentSD1,495.01,501.42 ft, Sep 13, 20192
Watertown Broadway AvenueSD10.513.67 ft, Apr 6, 19971
Watertown Sioux Conifer RoadSD9.011.18 ft, Apr 13, 20230
WatertownSD11.013.13 ft, Apr 2, 19975
BrandonSD1,304.01,313.53 ft, Sep 14, 20192
BrookingsSD9.014.77 ft, Apr 9, 19690
BruceSD8.012.16 ft, Mar 28, 20110
CastlewoodSD9.013.19 ft, Apr 7, 19970
Dell RapidsSD12.016.70 ft, Sep 13, 201910
EganSD1,516.51,524.20 ft, Sep 12, 20192
EstellineSD1,644.01,647.03 ft, Jun 30, 20250
FlorenceSD8.09.70 ft, Apr 13, 20236
JeffersonIA31.044.50 ft, Jun 24, 20242
RichlandIA1,117.01,128.70 ft, Jun 23, 20245
WatertownSD10.012.33 ft, Apr 7, 20012

Other gauges in Lincoln County

Flood gauges in Lincoln County
Canton1,247.01,257.46 ft, Jun 22, 20241
Canton1,235.01,248.35 ft, Jun 22, 20243

Lincoln County: every hazard · River floods across the country · South Dakota

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge FVWS2, retrieved October 30, 2026. Stages in feet on the gauge's own datum, not elevation. Crests are as the National Weather Service lists them; preliminary values may be revised.