Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

James River near Redfield

Highest listed crest 31.10 ftFlood stage 20.0 ft75 crests since 1950

The James River near Redfield crested at major flood stage 6 times among the 75 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1950 to 2025. The highest, 31.10 ft on April 6, 1997, was major flooding, 11.10 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
31.10 ft
April 6, 1997; 17,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
20.0 ft
Major flooding from 25.0 ft
Crests at major
6
15th of 155 gauges in South Dakota
Most recent flood crest
April 21, 2023
22.33 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Spink 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 Redfield
Action stage19.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)20.05Mar 13, 2020Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage22.03Apr 21, 2023Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage25.06Apr 22, 2019Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

75 crests from 1950 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the James River near Redfield, 1950 to 2025 010203040ft Flood stage 20.0 ftMajor 25.0 ft May 22, 1950: 20.68 ft, minor flooding; 5,290 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1951: 8.32 ft, below flood stage; 831 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 1952: 22.12 ft, moderate flooding; 6,100 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1953: 10.47 ft, below flood stage; 1,350 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 1954: 5.78 ft, below flood stage; 330 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1955: 9.67 ft, below flood stage; 525 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1956: 5.53 ft, below flood stage; 293 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1957: 8.60 ft, below flood stage; 477 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 1958: 6.76 ft, below flood stage; 477 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1959: 3.43 ft, below flood stage; 22 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1960: 18.47 ft, below flood stage; 2,960 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1961: 4.78 ft, below flood stage; 65 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1962: 16.54 ft, below flood stage; 2,000 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 1963: 6.32 ft, below flood stage; 314 cubic feet per secondJul 30, 1964: 7.98 ft, below flood stage; 610 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 1965: 9.94 ft, below flood stage; 1,040 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1966: 15.03 ft, below flood stage; 2,460 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1967: 10.49 ft, below flood stage; 1,110 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 1968: 6.85 ft, below flood stage; 367 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 1969: 24.93 ft, moderate flooding; 7,310 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1970: 8.49 ft, below flood stage; 642 cubic feet per secondJul 24, 1971: 6.05 ft, below flood stage; 200 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1972: 15.19 ft, below flood stage; 2,050 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 1973: 9.67 ft, below flood stage; 500 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 1974: 6.05 ft, below flood stage; 213 cubic feet per secondAug 6, 1975: 10.49 ft, below flood stage; 1,030 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1976: 7.49 ft, below flood stage; 450 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 1977: 10.19 ft, below flood stage; 350 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1978: 20.58 ft, minor flooding; 3,800 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1979: 15.00 ft, below flood stage; 2,060 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1980: 7.15 ft, below flood stage; 350 cubic feet per secondDec 21, 1980: 4.81 ft, below flood stage; 48 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 1982: 8.74 ft, below flood stage; 1,030 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1983: 8.28 ft, below flood stage; 895 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 1984: 9.67 ft, below flood stage; 1,600 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1985: 12.40 ft, below flood stage; 1,700 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 1986: 18.25 ft, below flood stage; 4,060 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 1987: 10.95 ft, below flood stage; 1,650 cubic feet per secondDec 7, 1987: 4.91 ft, below flood stage; 220 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1989: 16.06 ft, below flood stage; 3,140 cubic feet per secondJul 28, 1990: 5.61 ft, below flood stage; 355 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1991: 11.16 ft, below flood stage; 1,810 cubic feet per secondJul 2, 1992: 6.09 ft, below flood stage; 462 cubic feet per secondAug 1, 1993: 14.64 ft, below flood stage; 2,100 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1994: 20.12 ft, minor flooding; 4,100 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 1995: 26.26 ft, major flooding; 9,800 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1996: 14.70 ft, below flood stage; 2,610 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1997: 31.10 ft, major flooding; 17,000 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 1998: 14.51 ft, below flood stage; 2,100 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 1999: 17.95 ft, below flood stage; 3,650 cubic feet per secondAug 6, 2000: 8.18 ft, below flood stage; 975 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 2001: 21.79 ft, minor flooding; 5,840 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 2002: 5.46 ft, below flood stage; 361 cubic feet per secondJul 9, 2003: 7.31 ft, below flood stage; 745 cubic feet per secondJul 15, 2004: 7.71 ft, below flood stage; 847 cubic feet per secondJul 17, 2005: 11.67 ft, below flood stage; 1,970 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 2006: 7.66 ft, below flood stage; 1,000 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 2007: 17.60 ft, below flood stage; 4,050 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 2008: 6.72 ft, below flood stage; 579 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 2009: 25.79 ft, major flooding; 9,350 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 2010: 29.40 ft, major flooding; 15,100 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 2011: 28.09 ft, major flooding; 12,700 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 2012: 9.41 ft, below flood stage; 1,300 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 2013: 10.26 ft, below flood stage; 1,630 cubic feet per secondJul 9, 2014: 9.26 ft, below flood stage; 1,320 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 2015: 9.75 ft, below flood stage; 1,510 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 2016: 6.41 ft, below flood stage; 602 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 2017: 10.11 ft, below flood stage; 1,160 cubic feet per secondJul 7, 2018: 11.23 ft, below flood stage; 1,960 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 2019: 26.94 ft, major flooding; 11,500 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 2020: 21.83 ft, minor flooding; 5,660 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 2021: 5.42 ft, below flood stage; 394 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 2022: 16.53 ft, below flood stage; 4,030 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 2023: 22.33 ft, moderate flooding; 7,650 cubic feet per secondSep 29, 2025: 10.11 ft, below flood stage; 1,760 cubic feet per second Highest, 31.10 ft, Apr 6, 1997 19501960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, James River near Redfield 1950s: 2 1960s: 1 1970s: 1 1980s: 0 1990s: 3 3 2000s: 2 2010s: 3 2020s: 2 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 75 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, James River near Redfield
1Apr 6, 199731.10+11.10Major17,000
2Mar 21, 201029.40+9.40Major15,100
3Apr 27, 201128.09+8.09Major12,700
4Apr 22, 201926.94+6.94Major11,500
5May 15, 199526.26+6.26Major9,800
6Apr 30, 200925.79+5.79Major9,350
7Apr 13, 196924.93+4.93Moderate7,310
8Apr 21, 202322.33+2.33Moderate7,650
9Apr 11, 195222.12+2.12Moderate6,100
10Mar 13, 202021.83+1.83Minor5,660
11Apr 12, 200121.79+1.79Minor5,840
12May 22, 195020.68+0.68Minor5,290
13Mar 28, 197820.58+0.58Minor3,800
14Mar 23, 199420.12+0.12Minor4,100
15Apr 4, 196018.47−1.53Below flood stage2,960
16May 12, 198618.25−1.75Below flood stage4,060
17May 16, 199917.95−2.05Below flood stage3,650
18May 14, 200717.60−2.40Below flood stage4,050
19Apr 4, 196216.54−3.46Below flood stage2,000
20Jun 9, 202216.53−3.47Below flood stage4,030
21Apr 1, 198916.06−3.94Below flood stage3,140
22Mar 20, 197215.19−4.81Below flood stage2,050
23Mar 21, 196615.03−4.97Below flood stage2,460
24May 18, 197915.00−5.00Below flood stage2,060
25May 28, 199614.70−5.30Below flood stage2,610
26Aug 1, 199314.64−5.36Below flood stage2,100
27May 17, 199814.51−5.49Below flood stage2,100
28Mar 22, 198512.40−7.60Below flood stage1,700
29Jul 17, 200511.67−8.33Below flood stage1,970
30Jul 7, 201811.23−8.77Below flood stage1,960
31Jun 10, 199111.16−8.84Below flood stage1,810
32Apr 24, 198710.95−9.05Below flood stage1,650
33Jun 13, 196710.49−9.51Below flood stage1,110
34Aug 6, 197510.49−9.51Below flood stage1,030
35Mar 24, 195310.47−9.53Below flood stage1,350
36Jun 28, 201310.26−9.74Below flood stage1,630
37Mar 13, 197710.19−9.81Below flood stage350
38Feb 22, 201710.11−9.89Below flood stage1,160
39Sep 29, 202510.11−9.89Below flood stage1,760
40May 25, 19659.94−10.06Below flood stage1,040
41Jun 26, 20159.75−10.25Below flood stage1,510
42Mar 16, 19559.67−10.33Below flood stage525
43Mar 10, 19739.67−10.33Below flood stage500
44Jun 28, 19849.67−10.33Below flood stage1,600
45Mar 16, 20129.41−10.59Below flood stage1,300
46Jul 9, 20149.26−10.74Below flood stage1,320
47May 3, 19828.74−11.26Below flood stage1,030
48Apr 22, 19578.60−11.40Below flood stage477
49Apr 22, 19708.49−11.51Below flood stage642
50May 18, 19518.32−11.68Below flood stage831

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: 31.10 ft here, major flooding

  • HeclaND · Apr 1, 1997 · 98.04 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
  • ForestburgSD · Apr 6, 1997 · 20.61 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 21, 2010: 29.40 ft here, major flooding

  • AshtonSD · Mar 22, 2010 · 25.25 ft · Major
  • YanktonSD · Mar 20, 2010 · 22.75 ft · Major
  • ScotlandSD · Mar 19, 2010 · 19.79 ft · Major
  • HuronSD · Mar 25, 2010 · 19.72 ft · Major
  • ForestburgSD · Mar 25, 2010 · 19.14 ft · Major
  • HeclaND · Mar 27, 2010 · 95.51 ft · Moderate
  • LaMoureND · Mar 21, 2010 · 15.80 ft · Minor

April 27, 2011: 28.09 ft here, major flooding

  • AshtonSD · Apr 28, 2011 · 24.40 ft · Major

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
Redfield this gaugeSD20.031.10 ft, Apr 6, 19976
HuronSD11.521.28 ft, Apr 6, 19973
ForestburgSD12.020.61 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

Other gauges in Spink County

Flood gauges in Spink County
Ashton13.026.64 ft, Apr 6, 199716
Stratford14.021.57 ft, Jul 19, 20116
Ashton11.520.74 ft, Apr 1, 19974
Redfield7.018.32 ft, Mar 29, 19975

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge RFDS2, 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.