Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Fall River (SD) at Hot Springs

Highest listed crest 11.12 ftFlood stage 4.5 ft86 crests since 1939

The Fall River (SD) at Hot Springs crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 86 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1939 to 2024. The highest, 11.12 ft on June 20, 1947, was major flooding, 6.62 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
11.12 ft
June 20, 1947; 8,300 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
4.5 ft
Major flooding from 8.0 ft
Crests at major
2
42nd of 155 gauges in South Dakota
Most recent flood crest
August 12, 2005
4.99 ft, minor flooding
Location
Fall River 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, Fall River (SD) at Hot Springs
Action stage3.519Jul 29, 2023The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)4.55Aug 12, 2005Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage6.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage8.02Jun 20, 1947Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

86 crests from 1939 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Fall River (SD) at Hot Springs, 1939 to 2024 024681012ft Flood stage 4.5 ftMajor 8.0 ft Jun 15, 1939: 1.97 ft, below flood stage; 103 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 1940: 3.47 ft, below flood stage; 691 cubic feet per secondAug 6, 1941: 9.13 ft, major flooding; 4,700 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1942: 2.66 ft, below flood stage; 339 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1943: 3.13 ft, below flood stage; 538 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 1944: 2.65 ft, below flood stage; 234 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1945: 2.65 ft, below flood stage; 286 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 1946: 2.75 ft, below flood stage; 314 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 1947: 11.12 ft, major flooding; 8,300 cubic feet per secondAug 13, 1948: 5.57 ft, minor flooding; 1,720 cubic feet per secondAug 17, 1949: 1.96 ft, below flood stage; 132 cubic feet per secondJul 5, 1950: 2.57 ft, below flood stage; 141 cubic feet per secondAug 14, 1951: 2.72 ft, below flood stage; 220 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1952: 2.15 ft, below flood stage; 46 cubic feet per secondSep 1, 1953: 2.44 ft, below flood stage; 119 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1954: 2.24 ft, below flood stage; 65 cubic feet per secondSep 19, 1955: 3.19 ft, below flood stage; 558 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 1956: 2.25 ft, below flood stage; 46 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 1957: 2.23 ft, below flood stage; 51 cubic feet per secondJul 2, 1958: 3.21 ft, below flood stage; 558 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1959: 2.58 ft, below flood stage; 188 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1960: 2.14 ft, below flood stage; 36 cubic feet per secondJul 7, 1961: 5.90 ft, minor flooding; 2,060 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 1962: 2.96 ft, below flood stage; 392 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 1963: 3.73 ft, action stage; 805 cubic feet per secondAug 17, 1964: 2.57 ft, below flood stage; 166 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 1965: 2.62 ft, below flood stage; 192 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 1966: 2.99 ft, below flood stage; 376 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1967: 3.56 ft, action stage; 665 cubic feet per secondJul 28, 1968: 3.07 ft, below flood stage; 354 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 1969: 2.41 ft, below flood stage; 93 cubic feet per secondJul 27, 1970: 2.58 ft, below flood stage; 152 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 1971: 2.51 ft, below flood stage; 122 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1972: 2.60 ft, below flood stage; 145 cubic feet per secondAug 21, 1973: 2.73 ft, below flood stage; 197 cubic feet per secondJul 31, 1974: 3.04 ft, below flood stage; 326 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1975: 3.18 ft, below flood stage; 408 cubic feet per secondJul 31, 1976: 3.12 ft, below flood stage; 370 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 1977: 3.32 ft, below flood stage; 486 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1978: 2.82 ft, below flood stage; 229 cubic feet per secondAug 22, 1979: 2.82 ft, below flood stage; 234 cubic feet per secondAug 30, 1980: 2.50 ft, below flood stage; 86 cubic feet per secondJul 23, 1981: 2.92 ft, below flood stage; 293 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1982: 2.97 ft, below flood stage; 237 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 1983: 3.60 ft, action stage; 384 cubic feet per secondOct 3, 1983: 3.20 ft, below flood stage; 226 cubic feet per secondJul 15, 1985: 3.69 ft, action stage; 449 cubic feet per secondJul 9, 1986: 3.42 ft, below flood stage; 331 cubic feet per secondJul 7, 1987: 3.33 ft, below flood stage; 161 cubic feet per secondJul 17, 1988: 4.62 ft, minor flooding; 397 cubic feet per secondJul 10, 1989: 3.48 ft, below flood stage; 143 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 1990: 4.63 ft, minor flooding; 399 cubic feet per secondJul 10, 1991: 4.21 ft, action stage; 303 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 1992: 3.65 ft, action stage; 179 cubic feet per secondAug 19, 1993: 4.42 ft, action stage; 354 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 1994: 2.93 ft, below flood stage; 59 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 1995: 2.96 ft, below flood stage; 63 cubic feet per secondAug 9, 1996: 3.71 ft, action stage; 183 cubic feet per secondAug 19, 1997: 4.36 ft, action stage; 1,170 cubic feet per secondAug 20, 1998: 4.25 ft, action stage; 1,090 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 1999: 3.52 ft, action stage; 360 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 2000: 3.23 ft, below flood stage; 144 cubic feet per secondJul 8, 2001: 3.66 ft, action stage; 493 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 2002: 3.41 ft, below flood stage; 252 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 2003: 3.31 ft, below flood stage; 186 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 2004: 3.64 ft, action stageAug 12, 2005: 4.99 ft, minor flooding; 1,590 cubic feet per secondAug 6, 2006: 3.45 ft, below flood stage; 283 cubic feet per secondAug 3, 2007: 4.22 ft, action stage; 291 cubic feet per secondJul 18, 2008: 4.47 ft, action stage; 360 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 2009: 4.29 ft, action stage; 310 cubic feet per secondJul 29, 2010: 2.88 ft, below flood stage; 459 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 2011: 1.89 ft, below flood stage; 192 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 2012: 1.82 ft, below flood stage; 177 cubic feet per secondJul 8, 2013: 2.84 ft, below flood stage; 444 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 2014: 3.52 ft, action stage; 670 cubic feet per secondJul 27, 2015: 2.89 ft, below flood stage; 460 cubic feet per secondSep 3, 2016: 2.54 ft, below flood stage; 356 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 2017: 2.12 ft, below flood stage; 247 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2018: 2.63 ft, below flood stage; 382 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 2019: 3.58 ft, action stage; 692 cubic feet per secondAug 27, 2020: 1.71 ft, below flood stage; 139 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 2021: 3.40 ft, below flood stage; 628 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2022: 2.60 ft, below flood stage; 373 cubic feet per secondJul 29, 2023: 3.97 ft, action stage; 838 cubic feet per secondAug 26, 2024: 2.37 ft, below flood stage; 305 cubic feet per second Highest, 11.12 ft, Jun 20, 1947 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Fall River (SD) at Hot Springs 1930s: 0 1940s: 3 3 1950s: 0 1960s: 1 1970s: 0 1980s: 1 1990s: 1 2000s: 1 2010s: 0 2020s: 0 1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 86 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Fall River (SD) at Hot Springs
1Jun 20, 194711.12+6.62Major8,300
2Aug 6, 19419.13+4.63Major4,700
3Jul 7, 19615.90+1.40Minor2,060
4Aug 13, 19485.57+1.07Minor1,720
5Aug 12, 20054.99+0.49Minor1,590
6May 24, 19904.63+0.13Minor399
7Jul 17, 19884.62+0.12Minor397
8Jul 18, 20084.47−0.03Action360
9Aug 19, 19934.42−0.08Action354
10Aug 19, 19974.36−0.14Action1,170
11Jun 13, 20094.29−0.21Action310
12Aug 20, 19984.25−0.25Action1,090
13Aug 3, 20074.22−0.28Action291
14Jul 10, 19914.21−0.29Action303
15Jul 29, 20233.97−0.53Action838
16Jun 6, 19633.73−0.77Action805
17Aug 9, 19963.71−0.79Action183
18Jul 15, 19853.69−0.81Action449
19Jul 8, 20013.66−0.84Action493
20Jun 26, 19923.65−0.85Action179
21Jun 20, 20043.64−0.86Action—
22Jun 19, 19833.60−0.90Action384
23Jul 4, 20193.58−0.92Action692
24Jun 17, 19673.56−0.94Action665
25Jun 3, 19993.52−0.98Action360
26Jun 17, 20143.52−0.98Action670
27Jul 10, 19893.48−1.02Below flood stage143
28Apr 27, 19403.47−1.03Below flood stage691
29Aug 6, 20063.45−1.05Below flood stage283
30Jul 9, 19863.42−1.08Below flood stage331
31Jun 2, 20023.41−1.09Below flood stage252
32Jun 8, 20213.40−1.10Below flood stage628
33Jul 7, 19873.33−1.17Below flood stage161
34Jul 4, 19773.32−1.18Below flood stage486
35Jun 17, 20033.31−1.19Below flood stage186
36Jun 24, 20003.23−1.27Below flood stage144
37Jul 2, 19583.21−1.29Below flood stage558
38Oct 3, 19833.20−1.30Below flood stage226
39Sep 19, 19553.19−1.31Below flood stage558
40Jun 18, 19753.18−1.32Below flood stage408
41Mar 23, 19433.13−1.37Below flood stage538
42Jul 31, 19763.12−1.38Below flood stage370
43Jul 28, 19683.07−1.43Below flood stage354
44Jul 31, 19743.04−1.46Below flood stage326
45Jul 13, 19662.99−1.51Below flood stage376
46May 19, 19822.97−1.53Below flood stage237
47Jul 13, 19622.96−1.54Below flood stage392
48Jun 3, 19952.96−1.54Below flood stage63
49Jun 7, 19942.93−1.57Below flood stage59
50Jul 23, 19812.92−1.58Below flood stage293

Other gauges in Fall River County

Flood gauges in Fall River County
Buffalo Gap7.58.38 ft, Jul 14, 19660
Edgemont9.014.00 ft, May 1, 19223
Hot Springs45.048.39 ft, Aug 9, 20140
Edgemont16.021.19 ft, Jun 6, 20150
Oelrichs16.016.31 ft, May 25, 20100

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge HOTS2, 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.