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Minnesota River at Big Stone Lake

Highest listed crest 973.90 ftFlood stage 970.0 ft5 crests since 1997

The Minnesota River at Big Stone Lake crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 5 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1997 to 2023. The highest, 973.90 ft on April 7, 1997, was major flooding, 3.90 feet above flood stage. 8 other gauges on the Minnesota River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 3 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
973.90 ft
April 7, 1997
Flood stage
970.0 ft
Major flooding from 973.5 ft
Crests at major
1
62nd of 155 gauges in South Dakota
Most recent flood crest
April 16, 2023
971.20 ft, minor flooding
Location
Grant County
South Dakota
Identifiers
NWS BSLM5
No USGS station

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Minnesota River at Big Stone Lake
Action stage969.01Apr 1, 2019The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)970.02Apr 16, 2023Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage971.51Mar 20, 2010Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage973.51Apr 7, 1997Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

5 crests from 1997 to 2023. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Minnesota River at Big Stone Lake, 1997 to 2023 969970971972973974ft Flood stage 970.0 ftMajor 973.5 ft Apr 7, 1997: 973.90 ft, major floodingApr 14, 2001: 971.30 ft, minor floodingMar 20, 2010: 972.20 ft, moderate floodingApr 1, 2019: 969.55 ft, action stageApr 16, 2023: 971.20 ft, minor flooding Highest, 973.90 ft, Apr 7, 1997 20002005201020152020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Minnesota River at Big Stone Lake 1990s: 1 1 2000s: 1 2010s: 1 2020s: 1 1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Minnesota River at Big Stone Lake
1Apr 7, 1997973.90+3.90Major—
2Mar 20, 2010972.20+2.20Moderate—
3Apr 14, 2001971.30+1.30Minor—
4Apr 16, 2023971.20+1.20Minor—
5Apr 1, 2019969.55−0.45Action—

The worst floods along the Minnesota River

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

April 7, 1997: 973.90 ft here, major flooding

  • Granite FallsMN · Apr 7, 1997 · 899.84 ft · Major · its highest
  • New UlmMN · Apr 9, 1997 · 811.03 ft · Major · its highest
  • SavageMN · Apr 13, 1997 · 715.20 ft · Major
  • MontevideoMN · Apr 6, 1997 · 23.90 ft · Major · its highest
  • HendersonMN · Apr 11, 1997 · 737.90 ft · Moderate
  • JordanMN · Apr 12, 1997 · 32.24 ft · Moderate
  • MankatoMN · Apr 10, 1997 · 27.61 ft · Moderate
  • OrtonvilleMN · Apr 10, 1997 · 12.85 ft · Minor

March 20, 2010: 972.20 ft here, moderate flooding

  • Granite FallsMN · Mar 23, 2010 · 893.12 ft · Major
  • MortonMN · Mar 25, 2010 · 27.29 ft · Major
  • MontevideoMN · Mar 23, 2010 · 20.09 ft · Major
  • New UlmMN · Mar 27, 2010 · 804.86 ft · Moderate
  • HendersonMN · Mar 22, 2010 · 737.59 ft · Moderate
  • SavageMN · Mar 24, 2010 · 710.92 ft · Moderate
  • JordanMN · Mar 23, 2010 · 31.73 ft · Moderate
  • MankatoMN · Mar 21, 2010 · 25.15 ft · Moderate
  • OrtonvilleMN · Mar 20, 2010 · 12.84 ft · Minor

April 14, 2001: 971.30 ft here, minor flooding

  • Granite FallsMN · Apr 15, 2001 · 895.84 ft · Major
  • New UlmMN · Apr 16, 2001 · 808.30 ft · Major
  • SavageMN · Apr 19, 2001 · 714.80 ft · Major
  • MortonMN · Apr 15, 2001 · 29.25 ft · Major · its highest
  • MontevideoMN · Apr 14, 2001 · 22.15 ft · Major
  • HendersonMN · Apr 18, 2001 · 739.20 ft · Moderate
  • JordanMN · Apr 18, 2001 · 33.11 ft · Moderate
  • MankatoMN · Apr 16, 2001 · 26.96 ft · Moderate
  • OrtonvilleMN · Apr 14, 2001 · 12.06 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Minnesota River

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Minnesota River
Big Stone Lake this gaugeSD970.0973.90 ft, Apr 7, 19971
Granite FallsMN885.0899.84 ft, Apr 7, 199711
HendersonMN732.0741.77 ft, Jun 26, 20245
JordanMN25.035.12 ft, Jun 28, 20242
MankatoMN22.030.11 ft, Jun 21, 19931
MontevideoMN14.023.90 ft, Apr 6, 199711
New UlmMN800.0811.03 ft, Apr 9, 19976
OrtonvilleMN10.013.02 ft, Apr 12, 20230
SavageMN702.0719.40 ft, Apr 15, 196510
MortonMN21.029.25 ft, Apr 15, 20018

Other gauges in Grant County

Flood gauges in Grant County
Florence8.09.70 ft, Apr 13, 20236
Big Stone City12.026.00 ft, Jun 1, 19191

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BSLM5, 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.