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Big Sioux River at Sioux Falls I-90

Highest listed crest 18.91 ftFlood stage 12.0 ft18 crests since 1978

The Big Sioux River at Sioux Falls I-90 crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 18 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1978 to 2025. The highest, 18.91 ft on September 14, 2019, was major flooding, 6.91 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
18.91 ft
September 14, 2019
Flood stage
12.0 ft
Major flooding from 17.0 ft
Crests at major
1
62nd of 155 gauges in South Dakota
Most recent flood crest
June 25, 2024
14.90 ft, minor flooding
Location
Minnehaha County
Near Sioux Falls (4.8 mi), Brandon (8.1 mi), Harrisburg (12.3 mi)
Identifiers
NWS SFLS2
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 Sioux Falls I-90
Action stage11.01Jul 6, 2025The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)12.011Jun 25, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage15.02Mar 26, 2019Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage17.01Sep 14, 2019Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

18 crests from 1978 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Big Sioux River at Sioux Falls I-90, 1978 to 2025 8101214161820ft Flood stage 12.0 ftMajor 17.0 ft Mar 24, 1978: 13.05 ft, minor floodingApr 6, 1979: 12.50 ft, minor floodingMar 16, 1985: 13.35 ft, minor floodingSep 24, 1986: 14.36 ft, minor floodingMar 26, 1987: 10.63 ft, below flood stageMar 29, 1989: 10.43 ft, below flood stageMay 21, 1991: 9.03 ft, below flood stageSep 6, 1992: 12.78 ft, minor floodingMar 15, 1994: 14.39 ft, minor floodingApr 24, 2001: 14.60 ft, minor floodingMar 17, 2007: 12.40 ft, minor floodingApr 28, 2018: 16.30 ft, moderate floodingMar 26, 2019: 16.92 ft, moderate floodingSep 14, 2019: 18.91 ft, major floodingMar 15, 2020: 13.80 ft, minor floodingApr 11, 2023: 13.41 ft, minor floodingJun 25, 2024: 14.90 ft, minor floodingJul 6, 2025: 11.53 ft, action stage Highest, 18.91 ft, Sep 14, 2019 19801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Big Sioux River at Sioux Falls I-90 1970s: 2 1980s: 2 1990s: 2 2000s: 2 2010s: 3 3 2020s: 3 1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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.
  3. 6 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 16.80 ft on Jun 23, 1984; 15.80 ft on Jun 1, 1993; 15.04 ft on Apr 23, 1995; 16.32 ft on Apr 7, 1997; 15.41 ft on Sep 27, 2010; 15.32 ft on Mar 25, 2011.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Big Sioux River at Sioux Falls I-90
1Sep 14, 201918.91+6.91Major—
2Mar 26, 201916.92+4.92Moderate—
3Apr 28, 201816.30+4.30Moderate—
4Jun 25, 202414.90+2.90Minor—
5Apr 24, 200114.60+2.60Minor—
6Mar 15, 199414.39+2.39Minor—
7Sep 24, 198614.36+2.36Minor—
8Mar 15, 202013.80+1.80Minor—
9Apr 11, 202313.41+1.41Minor—
10Mar 16, 198513.35+1.35Minor—
11Mar 24, 197813.05+1.05Minor—
12Sep 6, 199212.78+0.78Minor—
13Apr 6, 197912.50+0.50Minor—
14Mar 17, 200712.40+0.40Minor—
15Jul 6, 202511.53−0.47Action—
16Mar 26, 198710.63−1.37Below flood stage—
17Mar 29, 198910.43−1.57Below flood stage—
18May 21, 19919.03−2.97Below 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: 18.91 ft here, major 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
  • Dell RapidsSD · Sep 13, 2019 · 16.70 ft · Major · its highest
  • FairviewSD · Sep 14, 2019 · 1,213.14 ft · Moderate · its highest

March 26, 2019: 16.92 ft here, moderate flooding

  • EganSD · Mar 23, 2019 · 1,522.48 ft · Major
  • TrentSD · Mar 24, 2019 · 1,500.00 ft · Major
  • Dell RapidsSD · Mar 24, 2019 · 1,487.53 ft · Major
  • Dell RapidsSD · Mar 24, 2019 · 15.69 ft · Major
  • WatertownSD · Mar 28, 2019 · 12.31 ft · Major
  • EstellineSD · Mar 28, 2019 · 1,646.90 ft · Moderate
  • FlandreauSD · Mar 23, 2019 · 1,543.53 ft · Moderate
  • Sioux Falls N. Cliff AvenueSD · Mar 26, 2019 · 22.06 ft · Moderate
  • BrookingsSD · Mar 25, 2019 · 13.05 ft · Moderate
  • CastlewoodSD · Mar 28, 2019 · 12.39 ft · Moderate

April 28, 2018: 16.30 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
FairviewSD1,202.01,213.14 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-90 this gaugeSD12.018.91 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 Minnehaha County

Flood gauges in Minnehaha County
Dell Rapids1,481.01,490.00 ft, Sep 13, 20192
Sioux Falls N. Cliff Avenue16.026.08 ft, Sep 14, 20190
Sioux Falls Western Avenue8.016.90 ft, Mar 14, 20194
Brandon1,304.01,313.53 ft, Sep 14, 20192
Dell Rapids12.016.70 ft, Sep 13, 201910
Sioux Falls6.09.63 ft, Sep 14, 20190
Sioux Falls11.518.23 ft, Mar 14, 20191
Hartford10.015.08 ft, Mar 14, 20190
Corson8.519.01 ft, Sep 12, 20194
Crooks9.012.65 ft, Mar 14, 20190

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SFLS2, 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.