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Big Sioux River at Watertown Sioux Conifer Road

Highest listed crest 11.18 ftFlood stage 9.0 ft43 crests since 1946

The Big Sioux River at Watertown Sioux Conifer Road crested above flood stage 9 times among the 43 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1946 to 2025. The highest, 11.18 ft on April 13, 2023, was moderate flooding, 2.18 feet above flood stage. 20 other gauges on the Big Sioux River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
11.18 ft
April 13, 2023; 2,010 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
9.0 ft
Major flooding from 12.0 ft
Crests at major
0
9 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
August 7, 2025
9.15 ft, minor flooding
Location
Codington County
Near Watertown (2.4 mi)

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 Watertown Sioux Conifer Road
Action stage8.06Oct 25, 2019The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)9.06Aug 7, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage10.03Apr 13, 2023Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage12.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

43 crests from 1946 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Big Sioux River at Watertown Sioux Conifer Road, 1946 to 2025 4681012ft Flood stage 9.0 ftMajor 12.0 ft Mar 15, 1946: 8.25 ft, action stage; 684 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 1947: 8.93 ft, action stage; 952 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 1948: 8.30 ft, action stage; 762 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1949: 6.07 ft, below flood stage; 229 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 1950: 7.22 ft, below flood stage; 320 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1951: 6.34 ft, below flood stage; 229 cubic feet per secondJul 28, 1953: 8.92 ft, action stage; 876 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 1954: 7.55 ft, below flood stage; 624 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 1955: 7.58 ft, below flood stage; 273 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1956: 5.80 ft, below flood stage; 194 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 1957: 6.51 ft, below flood stage; 304 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 1958: 5.10 ft, below flood stage; 140 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1959: 4.92 ft, below flood stageMar 30, 1960: 10.29 ft, moderate flooding; 727 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1962: 9.46 ft, minor flooding; 1,380 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 1963: 6.14 ft, below flood stage; 162 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 1964: 5.90 ft, below flood stage; 121 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 1965: 6.99 ft, below flood stage; 327 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1967: 5.96 ft, below flood stage; 138 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1968: 4.14 ft, below flood stage; 12 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1970: 7.62 ft, below flood stage; 220 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1972: 8.86 ft, action stage; 654 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 2002: 7.66 ft, below flood stage; 370 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 2003: 7.00 ft, below flood stage; 200 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 2004: 4.13 ft, below flood stage; 26 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 2005: 7.01 ft, below flood stage; 218 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 2006: 6.86 ft, below flood stage; 299 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 2007: 9.24 ft, minor flooding; 1,050 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 2008: 7.08 ft, below flood stage; 316 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 2009: 9.77 ft, minor flooding; 1,440 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 2010: 9.81 ft, minor flooding; 1,090 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 2012: 6.19 ft, below flood stage; 231 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2013: 7.41 ft, below flood stage; 380 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 2014: 7.72 ft, below flood stage; 256 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 2015: 7.45 ft, below flood stage; 200 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2016: 4.83 ft, below flood stage; 84 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 2017: 6.07 ft, below flood stage; 121 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 2019: 10.98 ft, moderate floodingOct 25, 2019: 8.90 ft, action stage; 608 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 2021: 6.69 ft, below flood stage; 309 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2022: 9.47 ft, minor flooding; 973 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 2023: 11.18 ft, moderate flooding; 2,010 cubic feet per secondAug 7, 2025: 9.15 ft, minor flooding; 574 cubic feet per second Highest, 11.18 ft, Apr 13, 2023 19501960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Big Sioux River at Watertown Sioux Conifer Road 1940s: 0 1950s: 0 1960s: 2 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 2 2010s: 2 2020s: 3 3 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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: 10.30 ft on Apr 9, 1952; 11.40 ft on Apr 8, 1969; 12.49 ft on Apr 6, 1997; 11.58 ft on Apr 7, 2001; 10.60 ft on Apr 9, 2011; 9.81 ft on Apr 22, 2018.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Big Sioux River at Watertown Sioux Conifer Road
1Apr 13, 202311.18+2.18Moderate2,010
2Mar 28, 201910.98+1.98Moderate—
3Mar 30, 196010.29+1.29Moderate727
4Mar 15, 20109.81+0.81Minor1,090
5Mar 23, 20099.77+0.77Minor1,440
6May 31, 20229.47+0.47Minor973
7May 23, 19629.46+0.46Minor1,380
8Mar 22, 20079.24+0.24Minor1,050
9Aug 7, 20259.15+0.15Minor574
10Apr 13, 19478.93−0.07Action952
11Jul 28, 19538.92−0.08Action876
12Oct 25, 20198.90−0.10Action608
13Mar 16, 19728.86−0.14Action654
14Mar 26, 19488.30−0.70Action762
15Mar 15, 19468.25−0.75Action684
16Jun 21, 20147.72−1.28Below flood stage256
17Mar 30, 20027.66−1.34Below flood stage370
18Mar 4, 19707.62−1.38Below flood stage220
19Mar 10, 19557.58−1.42Below flood stage273
20Jun 7, 19547.55−1.45Below flood stage624
21Mar 12, 20157.45−1.55Below flood stage200
22Apr 29, 20137.41−1.59Below flood stage380
23Mar 27, 19507.22−1.78Below flood stage320
24Jun 14, 20087.08−1.92Below flood stage316
25Jun 12, 20057.01−1.99Below flood stage218
26Mar 17, 20037.00−2.00Below flood stage200
27May 25, 19656.99−2.01Below flood stage327
28Mar 31, 20066.86−2.14Below flood stage299
29Apr 10, 20216.69−2.31Below flood stage309
30May 26, 19576.51−2.49Below flood stage304
31Apr 7, 19516.34−2.66Below flood stage229
32Mar 13, 20126.19−2.81Below flood stage231
33May 13, 19636.14−2.86Below flood stage162
34Apr 2, 19496.07−2.93Below flood stage229
35Jun 17, 20176.07−2.93Below flood stage121
36Mar 29, 19675.96−3.04Below flood stage138
37Apr 28, 19645.90−3.10Below flood stage121
38Jun 22, 19565.80−3.20Below flood stage194
39Apr 11, 19585.10−3.90Below flood stage140
40May 31, 19594.92−4.08Below flood stage—
41Apr 29, 20164.83−4.17Below flood stage84
42May 8, 19684.14−4.86Below flood stage12
43Jun 3, 20044.13−4.87Below flood stage26

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.

April 13, 2023: 11.18 ft here, moderate flooding

  • WatertownSD · Apr 12, 2023 · 12.26 ft · Major
  • FlorenceSD · Apr 13, 2023 · 9.70 ft · Major · its highest
  • EstellineSD · Apr 12, 2023 · 1,646.34 ft · Moderate
  • TrentSD · Apr 10, 2023 · 1,498.12 ft · Moderate
  • Watertown Broadway AvenueSD · Apr 13, 2023 · 11.87 ft · Moderate
  • WatertownSD · Apr 13, 2023 · 11.85 ft · Moderate
  • CastlewoodSD · Apr 13, 2023 · 11.64 ft · Moderate
  • BrookingsSD · Apr 14, 2023 · 11.16 ft · Moderate
  • BruceSD · Apr 13, 2023 · 10.17 ft · Moderate
  • FlandreauSD · Apr 9, 2023 · 1,540.72 ft · Minor

March 28, 2019: 10.98 ft here, moderate flooding

March 30, 1960: 10.29 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-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 Road this gaugeSD9.011.18 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 Codington County

Flood gauges in Codington County
Lake Kampeska21.022.40 ft, Mar 15, 20100
Watertown Broadway Avenue10.513.67 ft, Apr 6, 19971
Watertown11.013.13 ft, Apr 2, 19975
Watertown10.012.33 ft, Apr 7, 20012
Lake Kampeska at Watertown Water Plant21.023.71 ft, Apr 6, 19972
Rauville9.010.70 ft, Apr 11, 20230
Rauville4.05.75 ft, Mar 23, 20190
Watertown10.013.55 ft, Apr 11, 20230

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge WBSS2, 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.