Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Missouri River at Yankton

Highest listed crest 50.50 ftFlood stage 20.0 ft90 crests since 1881

The Missouri River at Yankton crested at major flood stage 38 times among the 90 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1881 to 2025. The highest, 50.50 ft on April 5, 1881, was major flooding, 30.50 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
50.50 ft
April 5, 1881
Flood stage
20.0 ft
Major flooding from 23.0 ft
Crests at major
38
1st of 155 gauges in South Dakota
Most recent flood crest
July 7, 2011
25.93 ft, major flooding
Location
Yankton County
Near Yankton (1.6 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Missouri River at Yankton
Action stage18.012Mar 15, 2019The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)20.04Jan 11, 1997Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage21.09Oct 12, 1978Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage23.038Jul 7, 2011Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

90 crests from 1881 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Missouri River at Yankton, 1881 to 2025 102030405060ft Flood stage 20.0 ftMajor 23.0 ft Apr 5, 1881: 50.50 ft, major floodingJun 15, 1931: 27.22 ft, major flooding; 46,500 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1932: 34.80 ft, major floodingJun 28, 1933: 28.64 ft, major floodingMar 3, 1934: 30.30 ft, major flooding; 112,000 cubic feet per secondJul 16, 1935: 28.90 ft, major flooding; 130,000 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1936: 27.85 ft, major floodingMar 24, 1937: 29.60 ft, major flooding; 112,000 cubic feet per secondJul 12, 1938: 30.15 ft, major floodingApr 1, 1939: 30.10 ft, major flooding; 176,000 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1940: 27.42 ft, major flooding; 50,800 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1941: 30.29 ft, major flooding; 137,000 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 1942: 30.20 ft, major flooding; 126,000 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 1943: 33.60 ft, major flooding; 282,000 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1944: 30.82 ft, major flooding; 172,700 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1945: 28.20 ft, major floodingJun 22, 1946: 28.57 ft, major flooding; 87,300 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1947: 31.00 ft, major flooding; 17,600 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1948: 29.05 ft, major floodingApr 10, 1949: 30.55 ft, major floodingApr 24, 1950: 31.60 ft, major flooding; 237,000 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1951: 28.43 ft, major flooding; 134,000 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 1952: 35.50 ft, major flooding; 480,000 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 1953: 28.59 ft, major flooding; 112,000 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 1954: 24.79 ft, major flooding; 38,600 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1955: 25.61 ft, major floodingOct 10, 1956: 24.62 ft, major floodingOct 3, 1957: 24.07 ft, major floodingOct 7, 1958: 23.59 ft, major floodingMar 29, 1960: 23.59 ft, major flooding; 34,700 cubic feet per secondNov 2, 1960: 23.00 ft, major floodingJul 4, 1962: 23.33 ft, major flooding; 35,900 cubic feet per secondJul 25, 1963: 22.80 ft, moderate flooding; 33,800 cubic feet per secondAug 12, 1964: 22.52 ft, moderate floodingAug 14, 1965: 22.66 ft, moderate flooding; 35,000 cubic feet per secondJul 21, 1966: 22.68 ft, moderate flooding; 35,800 cubic feet per secondAug 23, 1967: 22.76 ft, moderate flooding; 39,600 cubic feet per secondJul 16, 1968: 22.81 ft, moderate flooding; 41,200 cubic feet per secondSep 10, 1969: 24.12 ft, major floodingJun 17, 1971: 23.62 ft, major flooding; 57,200 cubic feet per secondAug 17, 1972: 23.39 ft, major flooding; 61,400 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 1972: 22.57 ft, moderate flooding; 52,600 cubic feet per secondJul 24, 1974: 20.30 ft, minor flooding; 38,000 cubic feet per secondSep 11, 1975: 23.24 ft, major flooding; 64,300 cubic feet per secondOct 6, 1975: 23.17 ft, major flooding; 63,700 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 1976: 20.22 ft, minor floodingSep 14, 1978: 21.26 ft, moderate floodingOct 12, 1978: 21.29 ft, moderate flooding; 53,700 cubic feet per secondNov 30, 1979: 19.14 ft, action stage; 41,600 cubic feet per secondNov 12, 1980: 18.75 ft, action stage; 38,700 cubic feet per secondJan 23, 1982: 19.48 ft, action stageDec 1, 1982: 18.78 ft, action stage; 45,100 cubic feet per secondDec 25, 1983: 20.30 ft, minor floodingOct 25, 1984: 18.93 ft, action stage; 48,000 cubic feet per secondAug 26, 1986: 18.25 ft, action stage; 44,100 cubic feet per secondOct 21, 1986: 18.73 ft, action stage; 50,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 1988: 18.20 ft, action stageNov 2, 1988: 16.82 ft, below flood stage; 35,400 cubic feet per secondDec 22, 1989: 16.36 ft, below flood stageDec 24, 1990: 16.42 ft, below flood stageOct 1, 1991: 15.87 ft, below flood stage; 31,300 cubic feet per secondOct 9, 1992: 15.35 ft, below flood stage; 28,500 cubic feet per secondJan 18, 1994: 17.03 ft, below flood stageAug 21, 1995: 18.61 ft, action stage; 59,600 cubic feet per secondJul 16, 1996: 18.25 ft, action stageJan 11, 1997: 20.61 ft, minor floodingNov 3, 1997: 19.67 ft, action stageAug 31, 1999: 16.60 ft, below flood stageNov 26, 1999: 16.58 ft, below flood stageOct 3, 2000: 15.13 ft, below flood stage; 34,500 cubic feet per secondAug 16, 2002: 14.44 ft, below flood stageOct 1, 2002: 14.38 ft, below flood stageJun 10, 2004: 14.03 ft, below flood stageSep 25, 2005: 13.29 ft, below flood stageAug 5, 2006: 14.02 ft, below flood stageFeb 3, 2007: 13.66 ft, below flood stageAug 26, 2008: 12.92 ft, below flood stageSep 28, 2009: 13.85 ft, below flood stageJan 8, 2010: 16.48 ft, below flood stageJul 7, 2011: 25.93 ft, major flooding; 161,000 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 2011: 15.89 ft, below flood stageOct 6, 2012: 13.61 ft, below flood stageSep 29, 2014: 14.73 ft, below flood stageOct 16, 2015: 12.09 ft, below flood stageMay 31, 2017: 12.92 ft, below flood stageMar 15, 2019: 19.22 ft, action stageJul 6, 2020: 12.79 ft, below flood stageSep 26, 2023: 12.07 ft, below flood stageJan 16, 2024: 13.08 ft, below flood stageMay 22, 2025: 11.21 ft, below flood stage Highest, 50.50 ft, Apr 5, 1881 1900192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Missouri River at Yankton 1880s: 1 1890s: 0 1900s: 0 1910s: 0 1920s: 0 1930s: 9 1940s: 10 10 1950s: 9 1960s: 10 1970s: 9 1980s: 1 1990s: 1 2000s: 0 2010s: 1 2020s: 0 1880s1900s1920s1940s1960s1980s2000s2020s
  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 90 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Missouri River at Yankton
1Apr 5, 188150.50+30.50Major—
2Apr 13, 195235.50+15.50Major480,000
3Mar 22, 193234.80+14.80Major—
4Apr 8, 194333.60+13.60Major282,000
5Apr 24, 195031.60+11.60Major237,000
6Apr 3, 194731.00+11.00Major17,600
7Apr 9, 194430.82+10.82Major172,700
8Apr 10, 194930.55+10.55Major—
9Mar 3, 193430.30+10.30Major112,000
10Jun 14, 194130.29+10.29Major137,000
11May 15, 194230.20+10.20Major126,000
12Jul 12, 193830.15+10.15Major—
13Apr 1, 193930.10+10.10Major176,000
14Mar 24, 193729.60+9.60Major112,000
15Mar 21, 194829.05+9.05Major—
16Jul 16, 193528.90+8.90Major130,000
17Jun 28, 193328.64+8.64Major—
18Jun 25, 195328.59+8.59Major112,000
19Jun 22, 194628.57+8.57Major87,300
20Apr 7, 195128.43+8.43Major134,000
21Mar 12, 194528.20+8.20Major—
22Mar 21, 193627.85+7.85Major—
23Jun 15, 194027.42+7.42Major50,800
24Jun 15, 193127.22+7.22Major46,500
25Jul 7, 201125.93+5.93Major161,000
26Mar 11, 195525.61+5.61Major—
27Jun 7, 195424.79+4.79Major38,600
28Oct 10, 195624.62+4.62Major—
29Sep 10, 196924.12+4.12Major—
30Oct 3, 195724.07+4.07Major—
31Jun 17, 197123.62+3.62Major57,200
32Oct 7, 195823.59+3.59Major—
33Mar 29, 196023.59+3.59Major34,700
34Aug 17, 197223.39+3.39Major61,400
35Jul 4, 196223.33+3.33Major35,900
36Sep 11, 197523.24+3.24Major64,300
37Oct 6, 197523.17+3.17Major63,700
38Nov 2, 196023.00+3.00Major—
39Jul 16, 196822.81+2.81Moderate41,200
40Jul 25, 196322.80+2.80Moderate33,800
41Aug 23, 196722.76+2.76Moderate39,600
42Jul 21, 196622.68+2.68Moderate35,800
43Aug 14, 196522.66+2.66Moderate35,000
44Oct 1, 197222.57+2.57Moderate52,600
45Aug 12, 196422.52+2.52Moderate—
46Oct 12, 197821.29+1.29Moderate53,700
47Sep 14, 197821.26+1.26Moderate—
48Jan 11, 199720.61+0.61Minor—
49Jul 24, 197420.30+0.30Minor38,000
50Dec 25, 198320.30+0.30Minor—

The worst floods along the Missouri River

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

April 13, 1952: 35.50 ft here, major flooding

  • DecaturNE · Apr 16, 1952 · 44.41 ft · Major · its highest
  • BlairNE · Apr 17, 1952 · 33.50 ft · Major · its highest
  • PierreSD · Apr 10, 1952 · 25.35 ft · Major · its highest
  • BrownvilleNE · Apr 17, 1952 · 40.70 ft · Moderate
  • PlattsmouthNE · Apr 18, 1952 · 32.60 ft · Moderate

April 8, 1943: 33.60 ft here, major flooding

  • PierreSD · Apr 6, 1943 · 19.65 ft · Major

April 24, 1950: 31.60 ft here, major flooding

  • PierreSD · Apr 21, 1950 · 18.44 ft · Major
  • RuloNE · Apr 29, 1950 · 21.60 ft · Moderate
  • AtchisonKS · May 1, 1950 · 23.30 ft · Minor
  • MiamiMO · May 1, 1950 · 18.30 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Missouri River

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

Flood gauges on the Missouri River
ParkvilleMO25.035.01 ft, Mar 23, 20191
AtchisonKS22.031.63 ft, Jul 26, 19933
BoonvilleMO21.037.10 ft, Jul 29, 19931
BrownvilleNE34.045.73 ft, Mar 16, 20193
ChamberlainSD65.075.08 ft, Jul 8, 20113
DecaturNE35.044.41 ft, Apr 16, 19521
Farm IslandSD26.029.52 ft, Jun 21, 20111
Gavins Point DamNE1,210.01,212.02 ft, Mar 15, 20190
GlasgowMO25.039.50 ft, Jul 29, 199324
HermannMO21.036.97 ft, Jul 31, 19939
Highway 370 at BellevueNE30.033.78 ft, Jun 29, 20240
Highway 92 at OmahaNE27.532.90 ft, Jun 29, 20240
Jefferson CityMO23.038.65 ft, Jul 30, 199310
Kansas CityMO32.048.87 ft, Jul 27, 19930
La Framboise IslandSD29.033.45 ft, Jun 22, 20111
LeavenworthKS20.035.34 ft, Jul 28, 19933
MiamiMO18.032.60 ft, Jul 30, 19935
NapoleonMO17.029.73 ft, Jun 2, 20190
Nebraska CityNE18.030.12 ft, Mar 16, 20193
NiobraraNE21.026.76 ft, Jun 26, 20111
OmahaNE27.036.29 ft, Jul 2, 20110
PierreSD13.025.35 ft, Apr 10, 19525
PlattsmouthNE26.040.62 ft, Mar 16, 20193
RuloNE17.028.13 ft, Mar 20, 20193
Sioux CityNE30.035.25 ft, Jul 21, 20110
SpringfieldSD11.017.73 ft, Mar 14, 20191
St. CharlesMO25.040.11 ft, Jun 24, 18449
St. JosephMO17.032.07 ft, Jul 26, 19934
WashingtonMO20.035.40 ft, Jul 31, 19935
Yankton this gaugeSD20.050.50 ft, Apr 5, 188138
BlairNE26.533.50 ft, Apr 17, 19521
ChamoisMO17.033.30 ft, Jul 31, 19931
GreenwoodSD30.038.78 ft, Jul 7, 20112
MaskellNE30.031.86 ft, Jun 29, 20110
PoncaNE20.029.15 ft, Jul 20, 20111
VerdelNE24.029.12 ft, Jun 30, 20112
WaverlyMO20.031.92 ft, Jun 1, 20193

Other gauges in Yankton County

Flood gauges in Yankton County
Yankton12.027.84 ft, Sep 14, 20199

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge YANS2, 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.