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Cheyenne River near Wasta

Highest listed crest 18.00 ftFlood stage 13.0 ft100 crests since 1915

The Cheyenne River near Wasta crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 100 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1915 to 2023. The highest, 18.00 ft on May 15, 1920, was major flooding, 5.00 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Cheyenne River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
18.00 ft
May 15, 1920
Flood stage
13.0 ft
Major flooding from 16.0 ft
Crests at major
2
42nd of 155 gauges in South Dakota
Most recent flood crest
March 18, 2019
13.97 ft, minor flooding
Location
Pennington 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, Cheyenne River near Wasta
Action stage11.016Aug 2, 2019The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)13.04Mar 18, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage15.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage16.02Mar 5, 1982Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

100 crests from 1915 to 2023. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Cheyenne River near Wasta, 1915 to 2023 05101520ft Flood stage 13.0 ftMajor 16.0 ft Jun 13, 1915: 14.50 ft, minor flooding; 34,200 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 1920: 18.00 ft, major floodingJun 2, 1929: 10.00 ft, below flood stage; 16,800 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1930: 0.00 ft, below flood stage; 5,000 cubic feet per secondOct 6, 1930: 6.20 ft, below flood stage; 2,560 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 1932: 13.28 ft, minor flooding; 46,300 cubic feet per secondJul 27, 1934: 7.50 ft, below flood stage; 5,300 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1935: 12.60 ft, action stage; 43,000 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1936: 7.28 ft, below flood stage; 1,680 cubic feet per secondJul 14, 1937: 10.20 ft, below flood stage; 20,000 cubic feet per secondSep 7, 1938: 8.70 ft, below flood stage; 9,500 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 1939: 8.90 ft, below flood stage; 10,700 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 1940: 0.00 ft, below flood stage; 3,720 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1941: 10.00 ft, below flood stage; 18,200 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 1942: 12.80 ft, action stage; 44,000 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1943: 8.50 ft, below flood stage; 11,000 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 1944: 10.50 ft, below flood stage; 24,300 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1945: 7.30 ft, below flood stage; 5,830 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 1946: 10.71 ft, below flood stage; 26,100 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1947: 12.25 ft, action stage; 40,100 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1948: 7.48 ft, below flood stage; 6,920 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1949: 8.60 ft, below flood stage; 8,600 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1950: 7.55 ft, below flood stage; 6,760 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 1951: 7.24 ft, below flood stage; 5,740 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1952: 10.54 ft, below flood stage; 24,700 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 1953: 8.00 ft, below flood stage; 9,480 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 1954: 5.66 ft, below flood stage; 2,410 cubic feet per secondSep 20, 1955: 11.45 ft, action stage; 24,300 cubic feet per secondDec 24, 1955: 11.55 ft, action stage; 5,000 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 1957: 12.42 ft, action stage; 26,900 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1958: 7.84 ft, below flood stage; 7,760 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 1959: 8.38 ft, below flood stage; 8,710 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1960: 6.47 ft, below flood stage; 3,400 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1961: 5.80 ft, below flood stage; 2,600 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1962: 12.61 ft, action stage; 25,400 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1963: 10.50 ft, below flood stage; 18,100 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1964: 11.65 ft, action stage; 24,200 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 1965: 11.98 ft, action stage; 25,800 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 1965: 12.78 ft, action stageAug 20, 1966: 8.74 ft, below flood stage; 9,760 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1967: 12.20 ft, action stage; 23,200 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 1968: 8.49 ft, below flood stage; 10,400 cubic feet per secondJul 24, 1969: 9.07 ft, below flood stage; 12,500 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1970: 8.57 ft, below flood stage; 10,900 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1971: 10.37 ft, below flood stage; 15,600 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1972: 9.19 ft, below flood stage; 11,800 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 1973: 6.98 ft, below flood stage; 6,650 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 1974: 0.00 ft, below flood stage; 2,950 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 1975: 5.99 ft, below flood stage; 5,140 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1976: 7.81 ft, below flood stage; 8,400 cubic feet per secondAug 9, 1977: 7.87 ft, below flood stage; 8,400 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1978: 12.12 ft, action stage; 24,800 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1979: 9.94 ft, below flood stage; 14,200 cubic feet per secondAug 16, 1980: 6.21 ft, below flood stage; 5,180 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 1981: 5.62 ft, below flood stage; 4,250 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1982: 16.25 ft, major floodingJul 2, 1982: 12.35 ft, action stage; 25,100 cubic feet per secondOct 10, 1982: 8.88 ft, below flood stage; 12,100 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 1984: 6.25 ft, below flood stage; 6,370 cubic feet per secondAug 20, 1985: 3.24 ft, below flood stageJun 10, 1986: 10.92 ft, below flood stage; 20,300 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 1987: 8.20 ft, below flood stage; 10,100 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 1988: 5.99 ft, below flood stage; 5,010 cubic feet per secondSep 21, 1989: 6.18 ft, below flood stage; 5,370 cubic feet per secondJul 21, 1990: 6.43 ft, below flood stage; 5,880 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1991: 11.89 ft, action stage; 23,100 cubic feet per secondJul 22, 1992: 6.05 ft, below flood stage; 5,130 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 1993: 9.89 ft, below flood stage; 15,900 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 1994: 7.00 ft, below flood stage; 7,690 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1995: 10.30 ft, below flood stage; 17,300 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1996: 12.85 ft, action stage; 23,500 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 1997: 9.62 ft, below flood stage; 15,000 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 1998: 8.15 ft, below flood stage; 10,600 cubic feet per secondAug 1, 1999: 7.42 ft, below flood stage; 8,770 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 2000: 10.65 ft, below flood stage; 18,500 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 2001: 8.85 ft, below flood stage; 12,600 cubic feet per secondSep 9, 2002: 6.54 ft, below flood stage; 6,770 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2003: 5.27 ft, below flood stage; 4,400 cubic feet per secondSep 5, 2004: 7.99 ft, below flood stage; 10,200 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 2005: 6.80 ft, below flood stage; 7,330 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 2006: 4.60 ft, below flood stage; 3,240 cubic feet per secondAug 3, 2007: 6.50 ft, below flood stage; 6,690 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2008: 7.76 ft, below flood stage; 9,620 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 2009: 6.95 ft, below flood stage; 7,670 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2010: 9.68 ft, below flood stage; 15,000 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 2011: 10.30 ft, below flood stage; 17,300 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 2012: 4.46 ft, below flood stage; 3,060 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 2013: 5.28 ft, below flood stage; 4,390 cubic feet per secondOct 15, 2013: 9.22 ft, below flood stage; 13,700 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 2015: 14.03 ft, minor flooding; 24,900 cubic feet per secondJul 2, 2016: 7.12 ft, below flood stage; 7,300 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 2017: 5.03 ft, below flood stage; 3,990 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2018: 7.21 ft, below flood stage; 7,460 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 2019: 13.97 ft, minor floodingAug 2, 2019: 12.76 ft, action stage; 21,400 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 2020: 3.31 ft, below flood stage; 2,140 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2021: 4.87 ft, below flood stage; 4,250 cubic feet per secondOct 13, 2021: 7.60 ft, below flood stage; 8,940 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 2023: 7.01 ft, below flood stage; 7,790 cubic feet per secondOct 13, 2023: 8.20 ft, below flood stage; 10,200 cubic feet per second Highest, 18.00 ft, May 15, 1920 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Cheyenne River near Wasta 1910s: 1 1920s: 1 1930s: 1 1940s: 0 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 1 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 2010s: 2 2 2020s: 0 1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 100 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Cheyenne River near Wasta
1May 15, 192018.00+5.00Major—
2Mar 5, 198216.25+3.25Major—
3Jun 13, 191514.50+1.50Minor34,200
4May 16, 201514.03+1.03Minor24,900
5Mar 18, 201913.97+0.97Minor—
6May 6, 193213.28+0.28Minor46,300
7May 27, 199612.85−0.15Action23,500
8May 12, 194212.80−0.20Action44,000
9May 25, 196512.78−0.22Action—
10Aug 2, 201912.76−0.24Action21,400
11Jun 17, 196212.61−0.39Action25,400
12Jun 1, 193512.60−0.40Action43,000
13May 25, 195712.42−0.58Action26,900
14Jul 2, 198212.35−0.65Action25,100
15Jun 22, 194712.25−0.75Action40,100
16Jun 16, 196712.20−0.80Action23,200
17May 22, 197812.12−0.88Action24,800
18May 15, 196511.98−1.02Action25,800
19May 28, 199111.89−1.11Action23,100
20Jun 18, 196411.65−1.35Action24,200
21Dec 24, 195511.55−1.45Action5,000
22Sep 20, 195511.45−1.55Action24,300
23Jun 10, 198610.92−2.08Below flood stage20,300
24May 2, 194610.71−2.29Below flood stage26,100
25Apr 22, 200010.65−2.35Below flood stage18,500
26May 22, 195210.54−2.46Below flood stage24,700
27Jun 12, 194410.50−2.50Below flood stage24,300
28Jun 16, 196310.50−2.50Below flood stage18,100
29May 27, 197110.37−2.63Below flood stage15,600
30Jun 10, 199510.30−2.70Below flood stage17,300
31May 20, 201110.30−2.70Below flood stage17,300
32Jul 14, 193710.20−2.80Below flood stage20,000
33Jun 2, 192910.00−3.00Below flood stage16,800
34Jun 10, 194110.00−3.00Below flood stage18,200
35Jun 17, 19799.94−3.06Below flood stage14,200
36May 6, 19939.89−3.11Below flood stage15,900
37May 25, 20109.68−3.32Below flood stage15,000
38Jun 3, 19979.62−3.38Below flood stage15,000
39Oct 15, 20139.22−3.78Below flood stage13,700
40Jun 11, 19729.19−3.81Below flood stage11,800
41Jul 24, 19699.07−3.93Below flood stage12,500
42May 25, 19398.90−4.10Below flood stage10,700
43Oct 10, 19828.88−4.12Below flood stage12,100
44Mar 15, 20018.85−4.15Below flood stage12,600
45Aug 20, 19668.74−4.26Below flood stage9,760
46Sep 7, 19388.70−4.30Below flood stage9,500
47Mar 6, 19498.60−4.40Below flood stage8,600
48Apr 25, 19708.57−4.43Below flood stage10,900
49Jun 16, 19438.50−4.50Below flood stage11,000
50Jun 7, 19688.49−4.51Below flood stage10,400

The worst floods along the Cheyenne River

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

May 15, 1920: 18.00 ft here, major flooding

  • EdgemontSD · May 12, 1920 · 13.00 ft · Major

May 16, 2015: 14.03 ft here, minor flooding

  • ScenicSD · May 16, 2015 · 19.25 ft · Minor
  • PlainviewSD · May 17, 2015 · 18.28 ft · Minor

March 18, 2019: 13.97 ft here, minor flooding

  • EdgemontSD · Mar 22, 2019 · 9.41 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Cheyenne River

In USGS station-number order, which runs downstream within a river basin.

Flood gauges on the Cheyenne River
EdgemontSD9.014.00 ft, May 1, 19223
Buffalo GapSD13.013.15 ft, May 21, 19780
ScenicSD18.019.31 ft, Mar 11, 20110
Wasta this gaugeSD13.018.00 ft, May 15, 19202
PlainviewSD17.022.99 ft, May 23, 20193
Eagle ButteSD21.026.82 ft, Jun 7, 20081

Other gauges in Pennington County

Flood gauges in Pennington County
Keystone6.514.50 ft, Jun 9, 19721
Keystone8.014.50 ft, Jun 9, 19721
Rapid City33.534.24 ft, Jul 5, 20190
Deerfield6.06.54 ft, Mar 15, 20190
Scenic18.019.31 ft, Mar 11, 20110
Keystone4.56.32 ft, Oct 11, 20131
Johnson Siding4.54.88 ft, Jun 24, 20150
Victoria Creek near Rapid City7.513.00 ft, Jun 9, 19721
Water Reclamation Facility near Rapid City9.011.23 ft, May 28, 20190
Big Bend7.07.43 ft, Jun 24, 20150
Founders Park11.011.18 ft, Jun 2, 19970
Hawthorne Ditch at Rapid City16.024.30 ft, Jun 9, 19720
Farmingdale11.012.69 ft, May 24, 20103
Hill City6.06.32 ft, May 26, 20150
Rockerville7.014.00 ft, Jun 10, 19721
Hill City6.58.23 ft, Jun 18, 19981
Victoria Dam nr Rapid City6.58.20 ft, May 28, 20191

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge WASS2, 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.