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Little Spearfish Creek near Lead

Highest listed crest 23.40 ftFlood stage 7.5 ft40 crests since 1989

The Little Spearfish Creek near Lead crested at major flood stage 10 times among the 40 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1989 to 2024. The highest, 23.40 ft on May 2, 1997, was major flooding, 15.90 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
23.40 ft
May 2, 1997; 36 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
7.5 ft
Major flooding from 10.0 ft
Crests at major
10
6th of 155 gauges in South Dakota
Most recent flood crest
April 6, 2002
18.20 ft, major flooding
Location
Lawrence County
Near Spearfish (11.4 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Little Spearfish Creek near Lead
Action stage6.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)7.50—Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage8.50—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage10.010Apr 6, 2002Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

40 crests from 1989 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Little Spearfish Creek near Lead, 1989 to 2024 0510152025ft Flood stage 7.5 ftMajor 10.0 ft May 2, 1989: 13.70 ft, major flooding; 16 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1990: 13.10 ft, major flooding; 15 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 1991: 12.90 ft, major flooding; 18 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1992: 12.50 ft, major flooding; 14 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1994: 15.10 ft, major flooding; 21 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 1995: 20.40 ft, major flooding; 61 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1996: 21.50 ft, major flooding; 45 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 1997: 23.40 ft, major flooding; 36 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1998: 0.00 ft, below flood stage; 44 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1999: 5.79 ft, below flood stage; 90 cubic feet per secondNov 25, 1999: 0.00 ft, below flood stage; 29 cubic feet per secondDec 6, 2000: 22.10 ft, major flooding; 23 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 2002: 18.20 ft, major flooding; 19 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 2003: 0.00 ft, below flood stage; 2 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 2004: 5.48 ft, below flood stage; 17 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 2005: 0.00 ft, below flood stage; 22 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 2006: 4.47 ft, below flood stage; 20 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 2007: 5.14 ft, below flood stage; 35 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 2008: 4.75 ft, below flood stage; 33 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2009: 4.80 ft, below flood stage; 33 cubic feet per secondAug 3, 2010: 4.90 ft, below flood stage; 38 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 2011: 5.21 ft, below flood stage; 67 cubic feet per secondAug 11, 2012: 4.87 ft, below flood stage; 32 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 2013: 5.93 ft, below flood stage; 215 cubic feet per secondSep 30, 2014: 5.23 ft, below flood stageOct 12, 2014: 5.19 ft, below flood stageAug 26, 2015: 5.08 ft, below flood stage; 45 cubic feet per secondOct 23, 2015: 4.93 ft, below flood stageJul 18, 2016: 4.87 ft, below flood stage; 36 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 2017: 4.84 ft, below flood stage; 31 cubic feet per secondAug 18, 2018: 4.94 ft, below flood stage; 24 cubic feet per secondNov 3, 2018: 4.83 ft, below flood stageMay 28, 2019: 4.79 ft, below flood stage; 31 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 2020: 4.91 ft, below flood stage; 35 cubic feet per secondOct 17, 2020: 4.87 ft, below flood stageJul 13, 2021: 4.82 ft, below flood stage; 24 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2022: 4.68 ft, below flood stage; 26 cubic feet per secondAug 7, 2022: 4.73 ft, below flood stageAug 4, 2023: 4.98 ft, below flood stage; 29 cubic feet per secondAug 19, 2024: 5.29 ft, below flood stage; 43 cubic feet per second Highest, 23.40 ft, May 2, 1997 1990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Little Spearfish Creek near Lead 1980s: 1 1990s: 7 7 2000s: 2 2010s: 0 2020s: 0 1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Little Spearfish Creek near Lead
1May 2, 199723.40+15.90Major36
2Dec 6, 200022.10+14.60Major23
3May 30, 199621.50+14.00Major45
4May 10, 199520.40+12.90Major61
5Apr 6, 200218.20+10.70Major19
6Jun 8, 199415.10+7.60Major21
7May 2, 198913.70+6.20Major16
8Apr 25, 199013.10+5.60Major15
9May 15, 199112.90+5.40Major18
10May 22, 199212.50+5.00Major14
11Jun 1, 20135.93−1.57Below flood stage215
12Jun 11, 19995.79−1.71Below flood stage90
13Jul 4, 20045.48−2.02Below flood stage17
14Aug 19, 20245.29−2.21Below flood stage43
15Sep 30, 20145.23−2.27Below flood stage—
16May 22, 20115.21−2.29Below flood stage67
17Oct 12, 20145.19−2.31Below flood stage—
18Jun 2, 20075.14−2.36Below flood stage35
19Aug 26, 20155.08−2.42Below flood stage45
20Aug 4, 20234.98−2.52Below flood stage29
21Aug 18, 20184.94−2.56Below flood stage24
22Oct 23, 20154.93−2.57Below flood stage—
23May 2, 20204.91−2.59Below flood stage35
24Aug 3, 20104.90−2.60Below flood stage38
25Aug 11, 20124.87−2.63Below flood stage32
26Jul 18, 20164.87−2.63Below flood stage36
27Oct 17, 20204.87−2.63Below flood stage—
28Jun 2, 20174.84−2.66Below flood stage31
29Nov 3, 20184.83−2.67Below flood stage—
30Jul 13, 20214.82−2.68Below flood stage24
31May 24, 20094.80−2.70Below flood stage33
32May 28, 20194.79−2.71Below flood stage31
33May 19, 20084.75−2.75Below flood stage33
34Aug 7, 20224.73−2.77Below flood stage—
35May 31, 20224.68−2.82Below flood stage26
36May 23, 20064.47−3.03Below flood stage20
37Jun 18, 19980.00−7.50Below flood stage44
38Nov 25, 19990.00−7.50Below flood stage29
39Jun 8, 20030.00−7.50Below flood stage2
40Apr 5, 20050.00−7.50Below flood stage22

Other gauges in Lawrence County

Flood gauges in Lawrence County
Bear Butte Creek in Boulder Canyon6.57.86 ft, Jul 4, 20190
Galena7.58.34 ft, May 8, 19950
Roubaix11.012.32 ft, May 8, 19950
Wyoming-South Dakota State Line12.012.19 ft, Aug 22, 19730
Spearfish7.07.42 ft, May 8, 19950
Spearfish10.010.54 ft, Jun 15, 19760

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge LSLS2, 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.