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Elk Creek (SD) near Rapid City

Highest listed crest 14.40 ftFlood stage 10.0 ft50 crests since 1972

The Elk Creek (SD) near Rapid City crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 50 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1972 to 2024. The highest, 14.40 ft on June 9, 1972, was major flooding, 4.40 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
14.40 ft
June 9, 1972
Flood stage
10.0 ft
Major flooding from 14.0 ft
Crests at major
1
62nd of 155 gauges in South Dakota
Most recent flood crest
July 5, 2019
11.61 ft, minor flooding
Location
Meade County
Near Box Elder (9.6 mi), Rapid City (12.2 mi)

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 Rapid City
Action stage9.06Apr 16, 2024The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)10.015Jul 5, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage13.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage14.01Jun 9, 1972Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

50 crests from 1972 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Elk Creek (SD) near Rapid City, 1972 to 2024 46810121416ft Flood stage 10.0 ftMajor 14.0 ft Jun 9, 1972: 14.40 ft, major floodingMar 17, 1978: 12.20 ft, minor floodingAug 8, 1979: 7.28 ft, below flood stage; 310 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1980: 7.12 ft, below flood stage; 379 cubic feet per secondJul 2, 1981: 5.85 ft, below flood stage; 65 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 1982: 10.79 ft, minor flooding; 1,560 cubic feet per secondOct 10, 1982: 9.89 ft, action stage; 1,000 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1984: 10.31 ft, minor flooding; 905 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1985: 6.83 ft, below flood stage; 113 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 1986: 11.80 ft, minor flooding; 1,390 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 1987: 9.95 ft, action stage; 792 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1988: 7.81 ft, below flood stage; 197 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 1989: 7.76 ft, below flood stage; 190 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 1990: 4.46 ft, below flood stage; 66 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 1991: 9.87 ft, action stage; 995 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1993: 10.04 ft, minor flooding; 1,070 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1994: 8.20 ft, below flood stage; 90 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1995: 12.05 ft, minor flooding; 2,860 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1996: 12.77 ft, minor flooding; 3,120 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 1997: 10.59 ft, minor flooding; 1,450 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1998: 8.69 ft, below flood stage; 357 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1999: 9.88 ft, action stage; 985 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 2000: 9.91 ft, action stage; 881 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 2001: 7.13 ft, below flood stage; 57 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 2002: 6.99 ft, below flood stage; 16 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 2003: 6.71 ft, below flood stage; 20 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 2004: 6.46 ft, below flood stage; 10 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 2006: 6.42 ft, below flood stage; 10 cubic feet per secondAug 18, 2007: 6.64 ft, below flood stage; 68 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2008: 11.64 ft, minor flooding; 2,390 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 2009: 11.81 ft, minor flooding; 2,400 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2010: 12.29 ft, minor flooding; 3,100 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2011: 10.75 ft, minor flooding; 1,280 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 2012: 5.75 ft, below flood stageApr 15, 2012: 5.11 ft, below flood stage; 14 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 2013: 6.33 ft, below flood stage; 95 cubic feet per secondOct 11, 2013: 12.71 ft, minor flooding; 3,870 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 2015: 12.16 ft, minor flooding; 2,610 cubic feet per secondNov 22, 2015: 5.54 ft, below flood stage; 22 cubic feet per secondJan 7, 2016: 5.64 ft, below flood stageFeb 22, 2017: 5.71 ft, below flood stage; 28 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 2018: 6.62 ft, below flood stage; 83 cubic feet per secondJul 5, 2019: 11.61 ft, minor flooding; 1,990 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 2020: 6.68 ft, below flood stage; 109 cubic feet per secondDec 3, 2020: 5.46 ft, below flood stage; 18 cubic feet per secondJan 15, 2021: 6.20 ft, below flood stageFeb 1, 2022: 5.88 ft, below flood stageJun 15, 2022: 5.82 ft, below flood stage; 52 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 2023: 6.48 ft, below flood stage; 108 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 2024: 9.00 ft, action stage; 489 cubic feet per second Highest, 14.40 ft, Jun 9, 1972 19801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Elk Creek (SD) near Rapid City 1970s: 2 1980s: 3 1990s: 4 2000s: 2 2010s: 5 5 2020s: 0 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.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Elk Creek (SD) near Rapid City
1Jun 9, 197214.40+4.40Major—
2May 27, 199612.77+2.77Minor3,120
3Oct 11, 201312.71+2.71Minor3,870
4May 25, 201012.29+2.29Minor3,100
5Mar 17, 197812.20+2.20Minor—
6Jun 2, 201512.16+2.16Minor2,610
7May 9, 199512.05+2.05Minor2,860
8Apr 13, 200911.81+1.81Minor2,400
9Feb 26, 198611.80+1.80Minor1,390
10Jun 6, 200811.64+1.64Minor2,390
11Jul 5, 201911.61+1.61Minor1,990
12May 20, 198210.79+0.79Minor1,560
13May 24, 201110.75+0.75Minor1,280
14May 26, 199710.59+0.59Minor1,450
15Jun 10, 198410.31+0.31Minor905
16May 8, 199310.04+0.04Minor1,070
17May 24, 19879.95−0.05Action792
18Apr 25, 20009.91−0.09Action881
19Oct 10, 19829.89−0.11Action1,000
20Apr 22, 19999.88−0.12Action985
21May 12, 19919.87−0.13Action995
22Apr 16, 20249.00−1.00Action489
23Jun 18, 19988.69−1.31Below flood stage357
24Mar 3, 19948.20−1.80Below flood stage90
25Mar 30, 19887.81−2.19Below flood stage197
26May 17, 19897.76−2.24Below flood stage190
27Aug 8, 19797.28−2.72Below flood stage310
28Mar 4, 20017.13−2.87Below flood stage57
29Jun 14, 19807.12−2.88Below flood stage379
30Apr 2, 20026.99−3.01Below flood stage16
31Mar 17, 19856.83−3.17Below flood stage113
32May 5, 20036.71−3.29Below flood stage20
33Mar 4, 20206.68−3.32Below flood stage109
34Aug 18, 20076.64−3.36Below flood stage68
35Jun 21, 20186.62−3.38Below flood stage83
36Jun 28, 20236.48−3.52Below flood stage108
37Mar 18, 20046.46−3.54Below flood stage10
38Apr 28, 20066.42−3.58Below flood stage10
39May 30, 20136.33−3.67Below flood stage95
40Jan 15, 20216.20−3.80Below flood stage—
41Feb 1, 20225.88−4.12Below flood stage—
42Jul 2, 19815.85−4.15Below flood stage65
43Jun 15, 20225.82−4.18Below flood stage52
44Feb 27, 20125.75−4.25Below flood stage—
45Feb 22, 20175.71−4.29Below flood stage28
46Jan 7, 20165.64−4.36Below flood stage—
47Nov 22, 20155.54−4.46Below flood stage22
48Dec 3, 20205.46−4.54Below flood stage18
49Apr 15, 20125.11−4.89Below flood stage14
50May 24, 19904.46−5.54Below flood stage66

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 27, 1996: 12.77 ft here, minor flooding

May 25, 2010: 12.29 ft here, minor 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 City this gaugeSD10.014.40 ft, Jun 9, 19721
Elm SpringsSD12.016.22 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
Elm Springs12.016.22 ft, Feb 18, 19974

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge EKCS2, 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.