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Cherry Creek (SD) near Plainview

Highest listed crest 22.63 ftFlood stage 19.0 ft64 crests since 1946

The Cherry Creek (SD) near Plainview crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 64 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1946 to 2024. The highest, 22.63 ft on April 1, 1952, was major flooding, 3.63 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
22.63 ft
April 1, 1952; 17,500 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
19.0 ft
Major flooding from 22.0 ft
Crests at major
1
62nd of 155 gauges in South Dakota
Most recent flood crest
April 15, 2009
19.42 ft, minor flooding
Location
Meade County
South Dakota

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Cherry Creek (SD) near Plainview
Action stage17.03Feb 24, 1997The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)19.05Apr 15, 2009Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage20.01Jun 7, 2008Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage22.01Apr 1, 1952Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

64 crests from 1946 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Cherry Creek (SD) near Plainview, 1946 to 2024 0510152025ft Flood stage 19.0 ftMajor 22.0 ft May 26, 1946: 9.05 ft, below flood stage; 1,180 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 1947: 14.25 ft, below flood stage; 2,540 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1948: 9.20 ft, below flood stage; 1,280 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 1949: 12.88 ft, below flood stage; 2,980 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 1950: 12.90 ft, below flood stage; 2,980 cubic feet per secondSep 7, 1951: 8.29 ft, below flood stage; 996 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1952: 22.63 ft, major flooding; 17,500 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1953: 16.91 ft, below flood stage; 5,960 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 1954: 10.89 ft, below flood stage; 1,800 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1955: 8.03 ft, below flood stage; 771 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1956: 9.53 ft, below flood stage; 940 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 1957: 7.74 ft, below flood stage; 692 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1958: 8.39 ft, below flood stage; 900 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 1959: 6.00 ft, below flood stage; 164 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1960: 9.00 ft, below flood stage; 1,120 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1962: 16.86 ft, below flood stage; 6,240 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1963: 9.00 ft, below flood stage; 1,030 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1964: 18.93 ft, action stage; 8,120 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1965: 10.35 ft, below flood stage; 1,620 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1966: 13.08 ft, below flood stage; 2,550 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1967: 14.81 ft, below flood stage; 4,180 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 1968: 6.22 ft, below flood stage; 279 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 1970: 9.13 ft, below flood stage; 1,130 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1971: 15.36 ft, below flood stage; 4,610 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 1972: 11.77 ft, below flood stage; 1,750 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1973: 5.75 ft, below flood stage; 212 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 1974: 4.12 ft, below flood stage; 11 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 1975: 16.27 ft, below flood stage; 5,300 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 1976: 6.83 ft, below flood stage; 420 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 1977: 7.12 ft, below flood stage; 495 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1978: 19.60 ft, minor flooding; 9,210 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1979: 7.77 ft, below flood stage; 621 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 1980: 5.16 ft, below flood stage; 94 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 1981: 8.15 ft, below flood stage; 728 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1982: 19.30 ft, minor flooding; 9,120 cubic feet per secondOct 13, 1982: 9.79 ft, below flood stage; 1,120 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 1984: 14.54 ft, below flood stage; 3,850 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1985: 10.08 ft, below flood stage; 1,390 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 1986: 17.34 ft, action stage; 6,430 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1987: 13.41 ft, below flood stage; 3,060 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 1988: 9.24 ft, below flood stage; 947 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 1989: 8.53 ft, below flood stage; 762 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1990: 7.47 ft, below flood stage; 450 cubic feet per secondAug 9, 1991: 8.63 ft, below flood stage; 762 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1992: 7.19 ft, below flood stage; 457 cubic feet per secondJul 22, 1993: 16.59 ft, below flood stage; 4,050 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1994: 19.05 ft, minor flooding; 5,000 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 1995: 14.68 ft, below flood stage; 2,870 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 1996: 19.43 ft, minor flooding; 9,430 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 1997: 18.00 ft, action stageApr 20, 1997: 15.28 ft, below flood stage; 4,110 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1998: 9.82 ft, below flood stage; 1,080 cubic feet per secondFeb 3, 1999: 13.07 ft, below flood stage; 1,900 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 2000: 8.06 ft, below flood stage; 678 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 2001: 12.58 ft, below flood stage; 2,100 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 2002: 3.98 ft, below flood stage; 16 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 2003: 8.69 ft, below flood stage; 860 cubic feet per secondAug 5, 2004: 8.62 ft, below flood stage; 839 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 2005: 6.41 ft, below flood stage; 280 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2008: 20.48 ft, moderate flooding; 11,500 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 2009: 19.42 ft, minor flooding; 8,890 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2022: 6.06 ft, below flood stage; 198 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 2023: 11.35 ft, below flood stage; 1,670 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 2024: 5.27 ft, below flood stage; 212 cubic feet per second Highest, 22.63 ft, Apr 1, 1952 19501960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Cherry Creek (SD) near Plainview 1940s: 0 1950s: 1 1960s: 0 1970s: 1 1980s: 1 1990s: 2 2 2000s: 2 2010s: 0 2020s: 0 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.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 64 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Cherry Creek (SD) near Plainview
1Apr 1, 195222.63+3.63Major17,500
2Jun 7, 200820.48+1.48Moderate11,500
3Mar 22, 197819.60+0.60Minor9,210
4May 29, 199619.43+0.43Minor9,430
5Apr 15, 200919.42+0.42Minor8,890
6May 22, 198219.30+0.30Minor9,120
7Mar 4, 199419.05+0.05Minor5,000
8Jun 10, 196418.93−0.07Action8,120
9Feb 24, 199718.00−1.00Action—
10May 10, 198617.34−1.66Action6,430
11Jun 16, 195316.91−2.09Below flood stage5,960
12May 22, 196216.86−2.14Below flood stage6,240
13Jul 22, 199316.59−2.41Below flood stage4,050
14Apr 29, 197516.27−2.73Below flood stage5,300
15May 31, 197115.36−3.64Below flood stage4,610
16Apr 20, 199715.28−3.72Below flood stage4,110
17Jun 15, 196714.81−4.19Below flood stage4,180
18May 10, 199514.68−4.32Below flood stage2,870
19Jun 19, 198414.54−4.46Below flood stage3,850
20Jun 25, 194714.25−4.75Below flood stage2,540
21Apr 5, 198713.41−5.59Below flood stage3,060
22Mar 16, 196613.08−5.92Below flood stage2,550
23Feb 3, 199913.07−5.93Below flood stage1,900
24Apr 8, 195012.90−6.10Below flood stage2,980
25Mar 27, 194912.88−6.12Below flood stage2,980
26Mar 10, 200112.58−6.42Below flood stage2,100
27Feb 28, 197211.77−7.23Below flood stage1,750
28Jun 26, 202311.35−7.65Below flood stage1,670
29Jun 12, 195410.89−8.11Below flood stage1,800
30May 28, 196510.35−8.65Below flood stage1,620
31Mar 21, 198510.08−8.92Below flood stage1,390
32Jun 22, 19989.82−9.18Below flood stage1,080
33Oct 13, 19829.79−9.21Below flood stage1,120
34Mar 18, 19569.53−9.47Below flood stage940
35Jul 4, 19889.24−9.76Below flood stage947
36Jun 5, 19489.20−9.80Below flood stage1,280
37Apr 26, 19709.13−9.87Below flood stage1,130
38May 26, 19469.05−9.95Below flood stage1,180
39Mar 24, 19609.00−10.00Below flood stage1,120
40Jun 17, 19639.00−10.00Below flood stage1,030
41Mar 21, 20038.69−10.31Below flood stage860
42Aug 9, 19918.63−10.37Below flood stage762
43Aug 5, 20048.62−10.38Below flood stage839
44May 4, 19898.53−10.47Below flood stage762
45Jun 9, 19588.39−10.61Below flood stage900
46Sep 7, 19518.29−10.71Below flood stage996
47Jul 1, 19818.15−10.85Below flood stage728
48May 9, 20008.06−10.94Below flood stage678
49Mar 11, 19558.03−10.97Below flood stage771
50Jun 21, 19797.77−11.23Below flood stage621

Other gauges in Meade County

Flood gauges in Meade County
Elm Springs19.025.80 ft, May 5, 19272
Sturgis15.020.10 ft, Jun 6, 20082
Elm Springs12.016.22 ft, Feb 18, 19974
Rapid City10.014.40 ft, Jun 9, 19721

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CHCS2, 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.