Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Elm River near Frederick

Highest listed crest 19.56 ftFlood stage 13.0 ft21 crests since 2000

The Elm River near Frederick crested above flood stage 8 times among the 21 crests the National Weather Service lists from 2000 to 2020. The highest, 19.56 ft on July 25, 2020, was minor flooding, 6.56 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
19.56 ft
July 25, 2020; 7,110 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
13.0 ft
No major stage set
Crests at major
0
8 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
July 25, 2020
19.56 ft, minor flooding
Location
Brown 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, Elm River near Frederick
Action stage12.04Apr 19, 2018The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)13.08Jul 25, 2020Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat

Every listed crest

21 crests from 2000 to 2020. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Elm River near Frederick, 2000 to 2020 5101520ft Flood stage 13.0 ft Mar 26, 2000: 9.09 ft, below flood stage; 160 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 2001: 13.58 ft, minor flooding; 1,550 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 2002: 5.58 ft, below flood stage; 3 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2003: 5.72 ft, below flood stage; 12 cubic feet per secondOct 9, 2003: 5.80 ft, below flood stage; 8 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 2005: 15.31 ft, minor flooding; 2,980 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 2006: 7.08 ft, below flood stage; 66 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 2007: 10.95 ft, below flood stage; 300 cubic feet per secondAug 14, 2008: 8.03 ft, below flood stage; 125 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 2009: 15.98 ft, minor flooding; 3,810 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 2010: 15.34 ft, minor flooding; 3,790 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 2011: 14.11 ft, minor floodingMay 11, 2012: 6.07 ft, below flood stage; 23 cubic feet per secondSep 9, 2013: 5.81 ft, below flood stage; 16 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 2014: 12.08 ft, action stage; 628 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 2015: 12.52 ft, action stage; 1,050 cubic feet per secondAug 12, 2016: 13.96 ft, minor flooding; 1,240 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 2017: 12.88 ft, action stage; 1,130 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 2018: 12.83 ft, action stage; 951 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 2019: 15.68 ft, minor floodingJul 25, 2020: 19.56 ft, minor flooding; 7,110 cubic feet per second Highest, 19.56 ft, Jul 25, 2020 20002005201020152020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Elm River near Frederick 2000s: 3 2010s: 4 4 2020s: 1 2000s2010s2020s
  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 near Frederick
1Jul 25, 202019.56+6.56Minor7,110
2Mar 23, 200915.98+2.98Minor3,810
3Mar 30, 201915.68+2.68Minor—
4Mar 15, 201015.34+2.34Minor3,790
5Jun 9, 200515.31+2.31Minor2,980
6Jun 23, 201114.11+1.11Minor—
7Aug 12, 201613.96+0.96Minor1,240
8Apr 24, 200113.58+0.58Minor1,550
9Feb 18, 201712.88−0.12Action1,130
10Apr 19, 201812.83−0.17Action951
11May 13, 201512.52−0.48Action1,050
12Jun 21, 201412.08−0.92Action628
13Mar 19, 200710.95−2.05Below flood stage300
14Mar 26, 20009.09−3.91Below flood stage160
15Aug 14, 20088.03−4.97Below flood stage125
16Apr 2, 20067.08−5.92Below flood stage66
17May 11, 20126.07−6.93Below flood stage23
18Sep 9, 20135.81−7.19Below flood stage16
19Oct 9, 20035.80−7.20Below flood stage8
20Mar 14, 20035.72−7.28Below flood stage12
21Mar 28, 20025.58−7.42Below flood stage3

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.

July 25, 2020: 19.56 ft here, minor flooding

  • WestportSD · Jul 27, 2020 · 20.45 ft · Major
  • OrdwaySD · Jul 27, 2020 · 15.08 ft · Minor

March 23, 2009: 15.98 ft here, minor flooding

  • WestportSD · Mar 25, 2009 · 22.63 ft · Major · its highest
  • OrdwaySD · Mar 26, 2009 · 15.65 ft · Minor

March 30, 2019: 15.68 ft here, minor flooding

  • WestportSD · Apr 4, 2019 · 20.80 ft · Major
  • OrdwaySD · Apr 5, 2019 · 15.88 ft · Minor · its highest

Gauges on the Elm River

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

Flood gauges on the Elm River
Frederick this gaugeSD13.019.56 ft, Jul 25, 20200
WestportSD14.022.63 ft, Mar 25, 20097
OrdwaySD13.015.88 ft, Apr 5, 20190

Other gauges in Brown County

Flood gauges in Brown County
Ordway13.015.88 ft, Apr 5, 20190
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 ERFS2, 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.