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Elk Creek (SD) near Elm Springs

Highest listed crest 16.22 ftFlood stage 12.0 ft80 crests since 1950

The Elk Creek (SD) near Elm Springs crested at major flood stage 4 times among the 80 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1950 to 2024. The highest, 16.22 ft on February 18, 1997, was major flooding, 4.22 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
16.22 ft
February 18, 1997; 3,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
12.0 ft
Major flooding from 14.0 ft
Crests at major
4
25th of 155 gauges in South Dakota
Most recent flood crest
May 22, 2019
12.65 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, Elk Creek (SD) near Elm Springs
Action stage10.08Jun 20, 2015The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)12.07May 22, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage13.03Oct 17, 1999Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage14.04Jun 6, 2008Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

80 crests from 1950 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Elk Creek (SD) near Elm Springs, 1950 to 2024 05101520ft Flood stage 12.0 ftMajor 14.0 ft Apr 15, 1950: 5.40 ft, below flood stage; 852 cubic feet per secondSep 2, 1951: 4.90 ft, below flood stage; 328 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1952: 10.61 ft, action stage; 8,540 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 1953: 9.86 ft, below flood stage; 5,250 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1954: 6.25 ft, below flood stage; 838 cubic feet per secondSep 20, 1955: 5.10 ft, below flood stage; 270 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 1956: 4.00 ft, below flood stage; 48 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 1957: 8.29 ft, below flood stage; 2,690 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1958: 6.27 ft, below flood stage; 616 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 1959: 3.55 ft, below flood stage; 16 cubic feet per secondJun 30, 1960: 6.78 ft, below flood stage; 796 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 1962: 11.00 ft, action stage; 7,040 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1963: 6.42 ft, below flood stage; 698 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1964: 0.00 ft, below flood stage; 3,620 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 1965: 0.00 ft, below flood stage; 3,250 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1966: 0.00 ft, below flood stage; 775 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1967: 10.75 ft, action stage; 4,960 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 1968: 7.74 ft, below flood stage; 1,020 cubic feet per secondJul 17, 1969: 9.06 ft, below flood stage; 2,300 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 1970: 9.55 ft, below flood stage; 2,920 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1971: 10.42 ft, action stage; 3,510 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1972: 8.70 ft, below flood stage; 1,880 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1973: 8.56 ft, below flood stage; 1,440 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1974: 5.60 ft, below flood stage; 54 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 1975: 8.16 ft, below flood stage; 1,210 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1976: 9.55 ft, below flood stage; 2,230 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1977: 9.40 ft, below flood stage; 2,270 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1978: 9.75 ft, below flood stage; 2,830 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1979: 5.40 ft, below flood stage; 92 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1980: 6.83 ft, below flood stage; 437 cubic feet per secondAug 13, 1981: 5.72 ft, below flood stage; 124 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 1982: 12.33 ft, minor flooding; 5,300 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1982: 12.25 ft, minor flooding; 5,190 cubic feet per secondOct 10, 1982: 9.38 ft, below flood stage; 1,940 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 1984: 8.70 ft, below flood stage; 890 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1985: 5.50 ft, below flood stage; 73 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 1986: 13.25 ft, moderate flooding; 4,960 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1987: 8.22 ft, below flood stage; 718 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 1988: 8.58 ft, below flood stage; 592 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1989: 5.01 ft, below flood stageSep 2, 1990: 5.51 ft, below flood stage; 47 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1991: 7.84 ft, below flood stage; 620 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1992: 5.49 ft, below flood stageMay 8, 1993: 12.80 ft, minor flooding; 3,660 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1994: 13.25 ft, moderate flooding; 3,000 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1994: 14.21 ft, major flooding; 5,570 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 1995: 12.61 ft, minor flooding; 4,580 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1996: 14.85 ft, major flooding; 7,660 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 1997: 16.22 ft, major flooding; 3,000 cubic feet per secondOct 17, 1999: 13.70 ft, moderate flooding; 5,150 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 2000: 11.70 ft, action stage; 3,000 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 2001: 9.90 ft, below flood stage; 1,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 2002: 7.21 ft, below flood stageApr 29, 2002: 5.54 ft, below flood stage; 19 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 2003: 6.28 ft, below flood stage; 61 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 2004: 6.24 ft, below flood stage; 37 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 2005: 5.74 ft, below flood stage; 28 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 2006: 5.05 ft, below flood stage; 2 cubic feet per secondAug 24, 2007: 4.82 ft, below flood stage; 1 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2008: 14.00 ft, major flooding; 7,000 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 2009: 12.99 ft, minor flooding; 5,090 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2010: 12.95 ft, minor flooding; 5,090 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 2011: 11.55 ft, action stage; 3,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 2012: 5.94 ft, below flood stageApr 15, 2012: 5.00 ft, below flood stage; 16 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 2013: 6.26 ft, below flood stage; 208 cubic feet per secondOct 15, 2013: 10.76 ft, action stage; 3,180 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 2015: 11.68 ft, action stage; 3,760 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 2016: 6.41 ft, below flood stageApr 28, 2016: 5.49 ft, below flood stage; 156 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 2017: 7.36 ft, below flood stageMay 17, 2017: 4.84 ft, below flood stage; 21 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 2018: 9.33 ft, below flood stage; 2,080 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 2019: 12.65 ft, minor flooding; 5,060 cubic feet per secondFeb 29, 2020: 6.88 ft, below flood stageMar 1, 2021: 5.50 ft, below flood stageMay 27, 2021: 4.25 ft, below flood stage; 20 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 2022: 8.17 ft, below flood stage; 1,750 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 2023: 9.95 ft, below flood stage; 2,250 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 2024: 7.37 ft, below flood stage; 838 cubic feet per second Highest, 16.22 ft, Feb 18, 1997 19501960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Elk Creek (SD) near Elm Springs 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 3 1990s: 7 7 2000s: 2 2010s: 2 2020s: 0 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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. 1 crest measured on an earlier gauge datum is left out: 17.00 ft on May 1, 1920.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 80 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Elk Creek (SD) near Elm Springs
1Feb 18, 199716.22+4.22Major3,000
2May 28, 199614.85+2.85Major7,660
3Jun 8, 199414.21+2.21Major5,570
4Jun 6, 200814.00+2.00Major7,000
5Oct 17, 199913.70+1.70Moderate5,150
6Feb 27, 198613.25+1.25Moderate4,960
7Mar 3, 199413.25+1.25Moderate3,000
8Apr 14, 200912.99+0.99Minor5,090
9May 25, 201012.95+0.95Minor5,090
10May 8, 199312.80+0.80Minor3,660
11May 22, 201912.65+0.65Minor5,060
12May 10, 199512.61+0.61Minor4,580
13May 21, 198212.33+0.33Minor5,300
14May 28, 198212.25+0.25Minor5,190
15Apr 19, 200011.70−0.30Action3,000
16Jun 20, 201511.68−0.32Action3,760
17Mar 13, 201111.55−0.45Action3,500
18May 29, 196211.00−1.00Action7,040
19Oct 15, 201310.76−1.24Action3,180
20Jun 16, 196710.75−1.25Action4,960
21Mar 29, 195210.61−1.39Action8,540
22May 23, 197110.42−1.58Action3,510
23Jun 24, 20239.95−2.05Below flood stage2,250
24Mar 7, 20019.90−2.10Below flood stage1,200
25Jun 19, 19539.86−2.14Below flood stage5,250
26Mar 18, 19789.75−2.25Below flood stage2,830
27Apr 26, 19709.55−2.45Below flood stage2,920
28Jun 17, 19769.55−2.45Below flood stage2,230
29Jun 14, 19779.40−2.60Below flood stage2,270
30Oct 10, 19829.38−2.62Below flood stage1,940
31Jun 25, 20189.33−2.67Below flood stage2,080
32Jul 17, 19699.06−2.94Below flood stage2,300
33Jun 11, 19728.70−3.30Below flood stage1,880
34May 4, 19848.70−3.30Below flood stage890
35Jun 19, 19888.58−3.42Below flood stage592
36Apr 22, 19738.56−3.44Below flood stage1,440
37May 26, 19578.29−3.71Below flood stage2,690
38May 27, 19878.22−3.78Below flood stage718
39Jun 13, 20228.17−3.83Below flood stage1,750
40Apr 27, 19758.16−3.84Below flood stage1,210
41May 28, 19917.84−4.16Below flood stage620
42Jun 7, 19687.74−4.26Below flood stage1,020
43Apr 17, 20247.37−4.63Below flood stage838
44Feb 5, 20177.36−4.64Below flood stage—
45Feb 7, 20027.21−4.79Below flood stage—
46Feb 29, 20206.88−5.12Below flood stage—
47Jun 15, 19806.83−5.17Below flood stage437
48Jun 30, 19606.78−5.22Below flood stage796
49Jun 17, 19636.42−5.58Below flood stage698
50Jan 31, 20166.41−5.59Below flood stage—

The worst floods along the Elk Creek (SD)

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Elk Creek (SD) that crested above flood stage within a week.

May 28, 1996: 14.85 ft here, major flooding

June 6, 2008: 14.00 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Elk Creek (SD)

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

Flood gauges on the Elk Creek (SD)
Rapid CitySD10.014.40 ft, Jun 9, 19721
Elm Springs this gaugeSD12.016.22 ft, Feb 18, 19974

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
Plainview19.022.63 ft, Apr 1, 19521
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 ELCS2, 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.