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Rapid Creek at Big Bend

Highest listed crest 7.43 ftFlood stage 7.0 ft26 crests since 1998

The Rapid Creek at Big Bend crested above flood stage 1 time among the 26 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1998 to 2024. The highest, 7.43 ft on June 24, 2015, was minor flooding, 0.43 feet above flood stage. 4 other gauges on the Rapid Creek crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
7.43 ft
June 24, 2015; 832 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
7.0 ft
Major flooding from 9.0 ft
Crests at major
0
1 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
June 24, 2015
7.43 ft, minor flooding
Location
Pennington County
Near Rapid City (10.0 mi)
Identifiers
NWS BIGS2
USGS 06412000; out of service

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Rapid Creek at Big Bend
Action stage6.53May 31, 2019The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)7.01Jun 24, 2015Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage8.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage9.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

26 crests from 1998 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Rapid Creek at Big Bend, 1998 to 2024 456789ft Flood stage 7.0 ftMajor 9.0 ft Jul 2, 1998: 6.39 ft, below flood stage; 481 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1999: 6.50 ft, action stage; 555 cubic feet per secondJul 11, 2001: 5.02 ft, below flood stage; 130 cubic feet per secondJul 9, 2002: 4.51 ft, below flood stage; 112 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 2003: 4.47 ft, below flood stage; 109 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 2004: 4.44 ft, below flood stage; 102 cubic feet per secondJul 7, 2005: 4.38 ft, below flood stage; 95 cubic feet per secondAug 7, 2006: 4.50 ft, below flood stage; 110 cubic feet per secondJul 9, 2007: 4.37 ft, below flood stage; 112 cubic feet per secondJul 18, 2008: 4.12 ft, below flood stage; 80 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 2009: 5.21 ft, below flood stage; 248 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 2010: 5.84 ft, below flood stage; 352 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 2011: 6.53 ft, action stage; 536 cubic feet per secondJul 25, 2012: 4.27 ft, below flood stage; 90 cubic feet per secondAug 25, 2013: 4.33 ft, below flood stage; 97 cubic feet per secondOct 18, 2013: 5.67 ft, below flood stage; 319 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 2015: 7.43 ft, minor flooding; 832 cubic feet per secondJul 15, 2016: 4.64 ft, below flood stage; 134 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 2017: 4.20 ft, below flood stage; 77 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 2018: 5.54 ft, below flood stage; 332 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2019: 6.76 ft, action stage; 637 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 2020: 5.29 ft, below flood stage; 289 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 2021: 4.40 ft, below flood stage; 131 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2022: 4.36 ft, below flood stage; 140 cubic feet per secondJul 11, 2023: 5.16 ft, below flood stage; 279 cubic feet per secondAug 26, 2024: 4.47 ft, below flood stage; 61 cubic feet per second Highest, 7.43 ft, Jun 24, 2015 200020052010201520202025

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Rapid Creek at Big Bend 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 2010s: 1 1 2020s: 0 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.
  3. 12 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 6.90 ft on Jun 26, 1915; 3.30 ft on Apr 24, 1932; 5.20 ft on May 24, 1933; 1.71 ft on Feb 11, 1934; 2.65 ft on May 1, 1935; 1.64 ft on Apr 13, 1936; and more.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Rapid Creek at Big Bend
1Jun 24, 20157.43+0.43Minor832
2May 31, 20196.76−0.24Action637
3May 30, 20116.53−0.47Action536
4Jun 17, 19996.50−0.50Action555
5Jul 2, 19986.39−0.61Below flood stage481
6Jun 13, 20105.84−1.16Below flood stage352
7Oct 18, 20135.67−1.33Below flood stage319
8Jun 23, 20185.54−1.46Below flood stage332
9May 2, 20205.29−1.71Below flood stage289
10Apr 26, 20095.21−1.79Below flood stage248
11Jul 11, 20235.16−1.84Below flood stage279
12Jul 11, 20015.02−1.98Below flood stage130
13Jul 15, 20164.64−2.36Below flood stage134
14Jul 9, 20024.51−2.49Below flood stage112
15Aug 7, 20064.50−2.50Below flood stage110
16Jun 19, 20034.47−2.53Below flood stage109
17Aug 26, 20244.47−2.53Below flood stage61
18Jul 1, 20044.44−2.56Below flood stage102
19May 5, 20214.40−2.60Below flood stage131
20Jul 7, 20054.38−2.62Below flood stage95
21Jul 9, 20074.37−2.63Below flood stage112
22Jun 6, 20224.36−2.64Below flood stage140
23Aug 25, 20134.33−2.67Below flood stage97
24Jul 25, 20124.27−2.73Below flood stage90
25Jul 4, 20174.20−2.80Below flood stage77
26Jul 18, 20084.12−2.88Below flood stage80

The worst floods along the Rapid Creek

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

June 24, 2015: 7.43 ft here, minor flooding

Gauges on the Rapid Creek

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

Flood gauges on the Rapid Creek
Johnson SidingSD4.54.88 ft, Jun 24, 20150
Big Bend this gaugeSD7.07.43 ft, Jun 24, 20150
Victoria Creek near Rapid CitySD7.513.00 ft, Jun 9, 19721
Founders ParkSD11.011.18 ft, Jun 2, 19970
Hawthorne Ditch at Rapid CitySD16.024.30 ft, Jun 9, 19720
Water Reclamation Facility near Rapid CitySD9.011.23 ft, May 28, 20190
FarmingdaleSD11.012.69 ft, May 24, 20103

Other gauges in Pennington County

Flood gauges in Pennington County
Keystone6.514.50 ft, Jun 9, 19721
Keystone8.014.50 ft, Jun 9, 19721
Rapid City33.534.24 ft, Jul 5, 20190
Deerfield6.06.54 ft, Mar 15, 20190
Scenic18.019.31 ft, Mar 11, 20110
Wasta13.018.00 ft, May 15, 19202
Keystone4.56.32 ft, Oct 11, 20131
Johnson Siding4.54.88 ft, Jun 24, 20150
Victoria Creek near Rapid City7.513.00 ft, Jun 9, 19721
Water Reclamation Facility near Rapid City9.011.23 ft, May 28, 20190
Founders Park11.011.18 ft, Jun 2, 19970
Hawthorne Ditch at Rapid City16.024.30 ft, Jun 9, 19720
Farmingdale11.012.69 ft, May 24, 20103
Hill City6.06.32 ft, May 26, 20150
Rockerville7.014.00 ft, Jun 10, 19721
Hill City6.58.23 ft, Jun 18, 19981
Victoria Dam nr Rapid City6.58.20 ft, May 28, 20191

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BIGS2, 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.