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Elm River at Ordway

Highest listed crest 15.88 ftFlood stage 13.0 ft22 crests since 1997

The Elm River at Ordway crested above flood stage 7 times among the 22 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1997 to 2020. The highest, 15.88 ft on April 5, 2019, was minor flooding, 2.88 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Elm River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
15.88 ft
April 5, 2019
Flood stage
13.0 ft
No major stage set
Crests at major
0
7 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
July 27, 2020
15.08 ft, minor flooding
Location
Brown County
Near Aberdeen (7.3 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Elm River at Ordway
Action stage12.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)13.07Jul 27, 2020Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat

Every listed crest

22 crests from 1997 to 2020. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Elm River at Ordway, 1997 to 2020 46810121416ft Flood stage 13.0 ft Mar 29, 1997: 15.55 ft, minor flooding; 8,680 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 2000: 5.30 ft, below flood stage; 502 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 2001: 10.76 ft, below flood stage; 2,550 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 2002: 4.14 ft, below flood stage; 30 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 2003: 4.55 ft, below flood stage; 142 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 2004: 4.96 ft, below flood stage; 331 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 2005: 14.01 ft, minor flooding; 5,020 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 2006: 4.50 ft, below flood stage; 79 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2007: 6.30 ft, below flood stage; 945 cubic feet per secondAug 13, 2008: 4.52 ft, below flood stage; 111 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 2009: 15.65 ft, minor flooding; 15,000 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 2010: 15.86 ft, minor flooding; 11,500 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 2011: 13.87 ft, minor flooding; 5,220 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 2012: 4.25 ft, below flood stage; 46 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2013: 4.67 ft, below flood stage; 189 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 2014: 6.14 ft, below flood stage; 896 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2015: 7.67 ft, below flood stage; 1,540 cubic feet per secondAug 15, 2016: 6.99 ft, below flood stage; 1,160 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 2017: 10.91 ft, below flood stage; 2,410 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 2018: 11.12 ft, below flood stage; 2,480 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 2019: 15.88 ft, minor floodingJul 27, 2020: 15.08 ft, minor flooding; 8,430 cubic feet per second Highest, 15.88 ft, Apr 5, 2019 20002005201020152020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Elm River at Ordway 1990s: 1 2000s: 2 2010s: 3 3 2020s: 1 1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Elm River at Ordway
1Apr 5, 201915.88+2.88Minor—
2Mar 18, 201015.86+2.86Minor11,500
3Mar 26, 200915.65+2.65Minor15,000
4Mar 29, 199715.55+2.55Minor8,680
5Jul 27, 202015.08+2.08Minor8,430
6Jun 12, 200514.01+1.01Minor5,020
7Apr 6, 201113.87+0.87Minor5,220
8Apr 23, 201811.12−1.88Below flood stage2,480
9Feb 23, 201710.91−2.09Below flood stage2,410
10Apr 11, 200110.76−2.24Below flood stage2,550
11May 21, 20157.67−5.33Below flood stage1,540
12Aug 15, 20166.99−6.01Below flood stage1,160
13Jun 7, 20076.30−6.70Below flood stage945
14Jun 24, 20146.14−6.86Below flood stage896
15Mar 27, 20005.30−7.70Below flood stage502
16Apr 2, 20044.96−8.04Below flood stage331
17Apr 29, 20134.67−8.33Below flood stage189
18May 23, 20034.55−8.45Below flood stage142
19Aug 13, 20084.52−8.48Below flood stage111
20Apr 8, 20064.50−8.50Below flood stage79
21May 7, 20124.25−8.75Below flood stage46
22May 9, 20024.14−8.86Below flood stage30

The worst floods along the Elm River

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

April 5, 2019: 15.88 ft here, minor flooding

  • WestportSD · Apr 4, 2019 · 20.80 ft · Major
  • FrederickSD · Mar 30, 2019 · 15.68 ft · Minor

March 18, 2010: 15.86 ft here, minor flooding

  • WestportSD · Mar 21, 2010 · 19.78 ft · Major
  • FrederickSD · Mar 15, 2010 · 15.34 ft · Minor

March 26, 2009: 15.65 ft here, minor flooding

  • WestportSD · Mar 25, 2009 · 22.63 ft · Major · its highest
  • FrederickSD · Mar 23, 2009 · 15.98 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Elm River

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

Flood gauges on the Elm River
FrederickSD13.019.56 ft, Jul 25, 20200
WestportSD14.022.63 ft, Mar 25, 20097
Ordway this gaugeSD13.015.88 ft, Apr 5, 20190

Other gauges in Brown County

Flood gauges in Brown County
Frederick13.019.56 ft, Jul 25, 20200
Westport14.022.63 ft, Mar 25, 20097
Aberdeen9.010.38 ft, Mar 16, 20100
Columbia13.019.81 ft, Jul 16, 20118
Aberdeen6.08.00 ft, May 6, 20070

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge ORDS2, 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.