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Little White River near Martin

Highest listed crest 14.38 ftFlood stage 10.0 ft70 crests since 1932

The Little White River near Martin crested at major flood stage 4 times among the 70 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1932 to 2023. The highest, 14.38 ft on March 23, 2019, was major flooding, 4.38 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Little White River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
14.38 ft
March 23, 2019; 1,380 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
10.0 ft
Major flooding from 13.0 ft
Crests at major
4
25th of 155 gauges in South Dakota
Most recent flood crest
March 23, 2019
14.38 ft, major flooding
Location
Bennett 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, Little White River near Martin
Action stage8.02Mar 2, 1986The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)10.04Mar 14, 2011Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage11.53Mar 5, 1994Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage13.04Mar 23, 2019Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

70 crests from 1932 to 2023. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Little White River near Martin, 1932 to 2023 051015ft Flood stage 10.0 ftMajor 13.0 ft May 5, 1932: 13.30 ft, major floodingMay 20, 1938: 6.20 ft, below flood stage; 116 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1939: 11.37 ft, minor flooding; 440 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1940: 0.00 ft, below flood stage; 60 cubic feet per secondJul 19, 1962: 3.83 ft, below flood stage; 70 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 1963: 5.77 ft, below flood stage; 181 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 1964: 3.57 ft, below flood stage; 91 cubic feet per secondJul 19, 1965: 12.90 ft, moderate flooding; 1,190 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1966: 13.21 ft, major flooding; 1,040 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1967: 10.21 ft, minor flooding; 688 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 1968: 6.66 ft, below flood stage; 293 cubic feet per secondJul 25, 1969: 5.83 ft, below flood stage; 230 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 1970: 4.13 ft, below flood stage; 140 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1971: 3.69 ft, below flood stage; 118 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 1972: 3.21 ft, below flood stage; 94 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1973: 3.07 ft, below flood stage; 87 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 1974: 3.59 ft, below flood stage; 109 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 1975: 8.47 ft, action stage; 452 cubic feet per secondSep 15, 1976: 4.05 ft, below flood stage; 118 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 1977: 7.57 ft, below flood stage; 334 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1978: 11.16 ft, minor flooding; 550 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 1979: 5.01 ft, below flood stage; 156 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1980: 3.41 ft, below flood stage; 87 cubic feet per secondJul 30, 1981: 2.63 ft, below flood stage; 26 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1982: 5.26 ft, below flood stage; 158 cubic feet per secondAug 1, 1983: 12.10 ft, moderate flooding; 1,020 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 1984: 3.62 ft, below flood stage; 67 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 1985: 4.90 ft, below flood stage; 123 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 1986: 9.59 ft, action stage; 480 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 1987: 4.60 ft, below flood stage; 137 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1988: 7.23 ft, below flood stage; 316 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 1989: 5.81 ft, below flood stage; 197 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1990: 7.99 ft, below flood stage; 394 cubic feet per secondJul 29, 1991: 6.87 ft, below flood stage; 281 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1992: 2.69 ft, below flood stage; 48 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1993: 5.92 ft, below flood stage; 170 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1994: 11.62 ft, moderate flooding; 600 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1995: 6.00 ft, below flood stage; 220 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1996: 5.85 ft, below flood stage; 209 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1997: 13.48 ft, major flooding; 1,300 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1998: 5.80 ft, below flood stage; 206 cubic feet per secondNov 19, 1998: 4.51 ft, below flood stage; 136 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 2000: 4.35 ft, below flood stage; 171 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 2001: 7.61 ft, below flood stage; 350 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 2002: 3.97 ft, below flood stage; 153 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 2003: 3.02 ft, below flood stageMar 15, 2003: 2.78 ft, below flood stage; 79 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 2004: 2.69 ft, below flood stage; 73 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 2005: 4.30 ft, below flood stage; 126 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 2006: 3.54 ft, below flood stage; 92 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 2007: 3.49 ft, below flood stage; 90 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2008: 4.23 ft, below flood stage; 123 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 2009: 5.31 ft, below flood stage; 175 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 2010: 7.25 ft, below flood stage; 281 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2011: 10.24 ft, minor flooding; 642 cubic feet per secondFeb 29, 2012: 2.92 ft, below flood stageApr 18, 2012: 2.19 ft, below flood stage; 48 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2013: 3.40 ft, below flood stage; 85 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 2014: 4.45 ft, below flood stage; 164 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2015: 7.95 ft, below flood stage; 391 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 2016: 3.89 ft, below flood stage; 134 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 2017: 6.22 ft, below flood stageMay 23, 2017: 2.50 ft, below flood stage; 68 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 2018: 6.78 ft, below flood stage; 233 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 2019: 14.38 ft, major flooding; 1,380 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 2020: 4.67 ft, below flood stage; 187 cubic feet per secondJul 25, 2021: 3.72 ft, below flood stage; 141 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 2022: 3.59 ft, below flood stage; 75 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 2023: 4.50 ft, below flood stage; 173 cubic feet per secondOct 14, 2023: 3.12 ft, below flood stage; 94 cubic feet per second Highest, 14.38 ft, Mar 23, 2019 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Little White River near Martin 1930s: 2 1940s: 0 1950s: 0 1960s: 3 3 1970s: 1 1980s: 1 1990s: 2 2000s: 0 2010s: 2 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 70 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Little White River near Martin
1Mar 23, 201914.38+4.38Major1,380
2Jun 4, 199713.48+3.48Major1,300
3May 5, 193213.30+3.30Major—
4Mar 11, 196613.21+3.21Major1,040
5Jul 19, 196512.90+2.90Moderate1,190
6Aug 1, 198312.10+2.10Moderate1,020
7Mar 5, 199411.62+1.62Moderate600
8May 23, 193911.37+1.37Minor440
9Mar 12, 197811.16+1.16Minor550
10Mar 14, 201110.24+0.24Minor642
11Jun 14, 196710.21+0.21Minor688
12Mar 2, 19869.59−0.41Action480
13Apr 10, 19758.47−1.53Action452
14Jun 4, 19907.99−2.01Below flood stage394
15May 28, 20157.95−2.05Below flood stage391
16Mar 9, 20017.61−2.39Below flood stage350
17Apr 10, 19777.57−2.43Below flood stage334
18Mar 7, 20107.25−2.75Below flood stage281
19Mar 25, 19887.23−2.77Below flood stage316
20Jul 29, 19916.87−3.13Below flood stage281
21Mar 8, 20186.78−3.22Below flood stage233
22Jun 6, 19686.66−3.34Below flood stage293
23Feb 25, 20176.22−3.78Below flood stage—
24May 20, 19386.20−3.80Below flood stage116
25Jun 14, 19956.00−4.00Below flood stage220
26Mar 14, 19935.92−4.08Below flood stage170
27May 31, 19965.85−4.15Below flood stage209
28Jul 25, 19695.83−4.17Below flood stage230
29Mar 13, 19895.81−4.19Below flood stage197
30Apr 1, 19985.80−4.20Below flood stage206
31Jun 20, 19635.77−4.23Below flood stage181
32Mar 2, 20095.31−4.69Below flood stage175
33May 19, 19825.26−4.74Below flood stage158
34Jun 25, 19795.01−4.99Below flood stage156
35Jul 4, 19854.90−5.10Below flood stage123
36May 27, 20204.67−5.33Below flood stage187
37Mar 10, 19874.60−5.40Below flood stage137
38Nov 19, 19984.51−5.49Below flood stage136
39May 16, 20234.50−5.50Below flood stage173
40May 16, 20144.45−5.55Below flood stage164
41Mar 12, 20004.35−5.65Below flood stage171
42May 15, 20054.30−5.70Below flood stage126
43Jun 7, 20084.23−5.77Below flood stage123
44Apr 26, 19704.13−5.87Below flood stage140
45Sep 15, 19764.05−5.95Below flood stage118
46Mar 30, 20023.97−6.03Below flood stage153
47Feb 21, 20163.89−6.11Below flood stage134
48Jul 19, 19623.83−6.17Below flood stage70
49Jul 25, 20213.72−6.28Below flood stage141
50Mar 29, 19713.69−6.31Below flood stage118

The worst floods along the Little White River

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

March 23, 2019: 14.38 ft here, major flooding

  • VetalSD · Mar 24, 2019 · 12.53 ft · Major
  • RosebudSD · Mar 25, 2019 · 10.95 ft · Minor

June 4, 1997: 13.48 ft here, major flooding

  • White RiverSD · Jun 3, 1997 · 13.76 ft · Minor · its highest

Gauges on the Little White River

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

Flood gauges on the Little White River
Martin this gaugeSD10.014.38 ft, Mar 23, 20194
VetalSD11.012.53 ft, May 16, 19912
RosebudSD10.014.09 ft, Jun 11, 19671
White RiverSD13.013.76 ft, Jun 3, 19970

Other gauges in Bennett County

Flood gauges in Bennett County
Vetal11.012.53 ft, May 16, 19912

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge LITS2, 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.