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James River near Forestburg

Highest listed crest 20.61 ftFlood stage 12.0 ft78 crests since 1920

The James River near Forestburg crested at major flood stage 7 times among the 78 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1920 to 2025. The highest, 20.61 ft on April 6, 1997, was major flooding, 8.61 feet above flood stage. 10 other gauges on the James River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 4 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
20.61 ft
April 6, 1997; 25,600 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
12.0 ft
Major flooding from 18.0 ft
Crests at major
7
12th of 155 gauges in South Dakota
Most recent flood crest
August 26, 2025
12.28 ft, minor flooding
Location
Sanborn 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, James River near Forestburg
Action stage10.07Apr 13, 2006The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)12.015Aug 26, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage14.517Apr 26, 2023Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage18.07Mar 25, 2011Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

78 crests from 1920 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the James River near Forestburg, 1920 to 2025 0510152025ft Flood stage 12.0 ftMajor 18.0 ft Mar 29, 1920: 18.00 ft, major floodingMar 24, 1922: 18.00 ft, major floodingMay 30, 1950: 15.06 ft, moderate flooding; 5,180 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1951: 10.84 ft, action stage; 1,600 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1952: 15.46 ft, moderate flooding; 6,290 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1953: 11.17 ft, action stage; 2,080 cubic feet per secondJul 6, 1954: 4.86 ft, below flood stage; 332 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1955: 9.69 ft, below flood stage; 1,210 cubic feet per secondAug 6, 1956: 7.19 ft, below flood stage; 920 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1957: 7.02 ft, below flood stage; 864 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1958: 7.21 ft, below flood stage; 924 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1959: 3.35 ft, below flood stage; 80 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1960: 16.27 ft, moderate flooding; 10,900 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1961: 7.24 ft, below flood stage; 702 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1962: 16.40 ft, moderate flooding; 12,000 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 1962: 6.17 ft, below flood stage; 599 cubic feet per secondAug 4, 1964: 5.83 ft, below flood stage; 561 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 1965: 7.78 ft, below flood stage; 1,010 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1966: 13.00 ft, minor flooding; 2,800 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1967: 10.93 ft, action stage; 1,910 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 1968: 4.79 ft, below flood stage; 372 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1969: 17.16 ft, moderate flooding; 12,500 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 1970: 11.39 ft, action stage; 1,320 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1971: 11.40 ft, action stage; 980 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1972: 13.55 ft, minor flooding; 2,990 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1973: 13.05 ft, minor flooding; 2,770 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1974: 4.90 ft, below flood stage; 280 cubic feet per secondAug 9, 1975: 8.12 ft, below flood stage; 1,040 cubic feet per secondNov 21, 1975: 5.82 ft, below flood stageMar 15, 1977: 13.85 ft, minor flooding; 4,050 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1978: 15.24 ft, moderate flooding; 4,830 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1979: 11.21 ft, action stage; 1,920 cubic feet per secondDec 1, 1979: 5.24 ft, below flood stageApr 3, 1981: 3.20 ft, below flood stage; 63 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 1982: 8.37 ft, below flood stage; 1,050 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 1983: 7.87 ft, below flood stage; 925 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 1984: 15.75 ft, moderate flooding; 6,140 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1985: 13.55 ft, minor flooding; 3,330 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 1986: 15.76 ft, moderate flooding; 7,740 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1987: 14.59 ft, moderate flooding; 4,530 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1988: 5.20 ft, below flood stage; 415 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 1989: 13.36 ft, minor flooding; 3,080 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 1990: 4.44 ft, below flood stage; 260 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1991: 12.76 ft, minor flooding; 2,520 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1992: 6.78 ft, below flood stage; 743 cubic feet per secondAug 4, 1993: 14.13 ft, minor flooding; 3,450 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1994: 15.73 ft, moderate flooding; 8,180 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1995: 17.26 ft, moderate flooding; 13,000 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1996: 13.75 ft, minor flooding; 3,790 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1997: 20.61 ft, major flooding; 25,600 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 1998: 14.53 ft, moderate flooding; 4,530 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1999: 14.75 ft, moderate flooding; 5,060 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 1999: 9.78 ft, below flood stage; 1,680 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 2001: 18.84 ft, major flooding; 17,400 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 2002: 5.64 ft, below flood stage; 428 cubic feet per secondJul 5, 2003: 6.71 ft, below flood stage; 751 cubic feet per secondJul 12, 2004: 7.34 ft, below flood stage; 931 cubic feet per secondJul 23, 2005: 13.47 ft, minor flooding; 1,920 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 2006: 10.73 ft, action stage; 2,010 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 2007: 18.93 ft, major flooding; 21,300 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 2008: 7.23 ft, below flood stage; 965 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 2009: 16.03 ft, moderate flooding; 9,400 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 2010: 19.14 ft, major flooding; 19,800 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 2011: 20.27 ft, major flooding; 28,400 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 2012: 9.91 ft, below flood stage; 1,790 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 2013: 12.43 ft, minor flooding; 3,260 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 2014: 9.04 ft, below flood stage; 1,520 cubic feet per secondJul 11, 2015: 9.37 ft, below flood stage; 1,720 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 2016: 7.41 ft, below flood stage; 968 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 2017: 8.56 ft, below flood stage; 1,320 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 2018: 12.70 ft, minor floodingApr 25, 2019: 17.37 ft, moderate flooding; 15,500 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 2020: 15.45 ft, moderate flooding; 9,800 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 2021: 6.95 ft, below flood stage; 667 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 2022: 13.98 ft, minor flooding; 4,560 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 2023: 15.37 ft, moderate floodingJun 25, 2024: 12.08 ft, minor flooding; 2,430 cubic feet per secondAug 26, 2025: 12.28 ft, minor flooding; 2,840 cubic feet per second Highest, 20.61 ft, Apr 6, 1997 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, James River near Forestburg 1920s: 2 1930s: 0 1940s: 0 1950s: 2 1960s: 4 1970s: 4 1980s: 5 1990s: 8 8 2000s: 4 2010s: 5 2020s: 5 1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 78 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, James River near Forestburg
1Apr 6, 199720.61+8.61Major25,600
2Mar 25, 201120.27+8.27Major28,400
3Mar 25, 201019.14+7.14Major19,800
4May 8, 200718.93+6.93Major21,300
5Apr 10, 200118.84+6.84Major17,400
6Mar 29, 192018.00+6.00Major—
7Mar 24, 192218.00+6.00Major—
8Apr 25, 201917.37+5.37Moderate15,500
9Apr 22, 199517.26+5.26Moderate13,000
10Apr 9, 196917.16+5.16Moderate12,500
11Mar 31, 196216.40+4.40Moderate12,000
12Apr 2, 196016.27+4.27Moderate10,900
13May 14, 200916.03+4.03Moderate9,400
14May 13, 198615.76+3.76Moderate7,740
15Jun 25, 198415.75+3.75Moderate6,140
16Mar 24, 199415.73+3.73Moderate8,180
17Apr 16, 195215.46+3.46Moderate6,290
18Mar 12, 202015.45+3.45Moderate9,800
19Apr 26, 202315.37+3.37Moderate—
20Apr 2, 197815.24+3.24Moderate4,830
21May 30, 195015.06+3.06Moderate5,180
22May 22, 199914.75+2.75Moderate5,060
23Mar 29, 198714.59+2.59Moderate4,530
24May 24, 199814.53+2.53Moderate4,530
25Aug 4, 199314.13+2.13Minor3,450
26Jun 13, 202213.98+1.98Minor4,560
27Mar 15, 197713.85+1.85Minor4,050
28Jun 4, 199613.75+1.75Minor3,790
29Jun 1, 197213.55+1.55Minor2,990
30Mar 20, 198513.55+1.55Minor3,330
31Jul 23, 200513.47+1.47Minor1,920
32Apr 8, 198913.36+1.36Minor3,080
33Mar 7, 197313.05+1.05Minor2,770
34Mar 15, 196613.00+1.00Minor2,800
35Jun 10, 199112.76+0.76Minor2,520
36Apr 24, 201812.70+0.70Minor—
37Jun 29, 201312.43+0.43Minor3,260
38Aug 26, 202512.28+0.28Minor2,840
39Jun 25, 202412.08+0.08Minor2,430
40Mar 18, 197111.40−0.60Action980
41Mar 9, 197011.39−0.61Action1,320
42May 22, 197911.21−0.79Action1,920
43Mar 19, 195311.17−0.83Action2,080
44Jun 22, 196710.93−1.07Action1,910
45Mar 31, 195110.84−1.16Action1,600
46Apr 13, 200610.73−1.27Action2,010
47Mar 18, 20129.91−2.09Below flood stage1,790
48Oct 1, 19999.78−2.22Below flood stage1,680
49Mar 19, 19559.69−2.31Below flood stage1,210
50Jul 11, 20159.37−2.63Below flood stage1,720

The worst floods along the James River

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

April 6, 1997: 20.61 ft here, major flooding

  • HeclaND · Apr 1, 1997 · 98.04 ft · Major · its highest
  • RedfieldSD · Apr 6, 1997 · 31.10 ft · Major · its highest
  • AshtonSD · Apr 6, 1997 · 26.64 ft · Major · its highest
  • YanktonSD · Apr 9, 1997 · 22.94 ft · Major
  • HuronSD · Apr 6, 1997 · 21.28 ft · Major · its highest
  • ScotlandSD · Apr 8, 1997 · 19.81 ft · Major
  • StratfordSD · Apr 6, 1997 · 19.48 ft · Major
  • KensalND · Apr 7, 1997 · 14.00 ft · Major
  • LaMoureND · Apr 1, 1997 · 16.09 ft · Moderate
  • Grace CityND · Apr 3, 1997 · 14.77 ft · Moderate

March 25, 2011: 20.27 ft here, major flooding

  • MitchellSD · Mar 25, 2011 · 25.20 ft · Major
  • YanktonSD · Mar 28, 2011 · 22.24 ft · Major
  • HuronSD · Mar 26, 2011 · 20.07 ft · Major
  • ScotlandSD · Mar 27, 2011 · 19.52 ft · Major

March 25, 2010: 19.14 ft here, major flooding

  • RedfieldSD · Mar 21, 2010 · 29.40 ft · Major
  • AshtonSD · Mar 22, 2010 · 25.25 ft · Major
  • YanktonSD · Mar 20, 2010 · 22.75 ft · Major
  • StratfordSD · Mar 29, 2010 · 20.08 ft · Major
  • ScotlandSD · Mar 19, 2010 · 19.79 ft · Major
  • HuronSD · Mar 25, 2010 · 19.72 ft · Major
  • HeclaND · Mar 27, 2010 · 95.51 ft · Moderate
  • LaMoureND · Mar 21, 2010 · 15.80 ft · Minor

Gauges on the James River

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

Flood gauges on the James River
Grace CityND12.017.74 ft, Apr 17, 20093
KensalND9.016.69 ft, Apr 28, 20095
JamestownND12.016.94 ft, Apr 11, 19691
LaMoureND14.017.56 ft, Apr 15, 20090
HeclaND93.098.04 ft, Apr 1, 19972
ColumbiaSD13.019.81 ft, Jul 16, 20118
StratfordSD14.021.57 ft, Jul 19, 20116
AshtonSD13.026.64 ft, Apr 6, 199716
RedfieldSD20.031.10 ft, Apr 6, 19976
HuronSD11.521.28 ft, Apr 6, 19973
Forestburg this gaugeSD12.020.61 ft, Apr 6, 19977
MitchellSD17.025.33 ft, Apr 11, 20015
ScotlandSD13.022.22 ft, Sep 13, 201916
YanktonSD12.027.84 ft, Sep 14, 20199

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge FORS2, 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.