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Rapid Creek at Founders Park

Highest listed crest 11.18 ftFlood stage 11.0 ft55 crests since 1973

The Rapid Creek at Founders Park crested above flood stage 1 time among the 55 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1973 to 2024. The highest, 11.18 ft on June 2, 1997, was minor flooding, 0.18 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Rapid Creek crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
11.18 ft
June 2, 1997; 3,190 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
11.0 ft
Major flooding from 14.0 ft
Crests at major
0
1 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
June 2, 1997
11.18 ft, minor flooding
Location
Pennington County
Near Rapid City (1.5 mi), Box Elder (8.1 mi)

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 Founders Park
Action stage7.08May 29, 2013The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)11.01Jun 2, 1997Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage12.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage14.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

55 crests from 1973 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Rapid Creek at Founders Park, 1973 to 2024 468101214ft Flood stage 11.0 ftMajor 14.0 ft Jun 8, 1973: 7.33 ft, action stage; 282 cubic feet per secondAug 22, 1974: 10.55 ft, action stage; 1,040 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 1975: 7.08 ft, action stage; 1,500 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1976: 6.88 ft, below flood stage; 1,400 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 1977: 4.57 ft, below flood stage; 209 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 1978: 5.58 ft, below flood stage; 602 cubic feet per secondAug 7, 1979: 5.28 ft, below flood stage; 451 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1980: 4.81 ft, below flood stage; 265 cubic feet per secondJul 25, 1981: 5.23 ft, below flood stage; 409 cubic feet per secondJul 25, 1982: 8.65 ft, action stage; 2,000 cubic feet per secondAug 22, 1983: 5.56 ft, below flood stage; 411 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1984: 5.48 ft, below flood stage; 414 cubic feet per secondAug 19, 1985: 5.13 ft, below flood stage; 300 cubic feet per secondAug 12, 1986: 6.46 ft, below flood stage; 919 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1987: 5.37 ft, below flood stage; 388 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1988: 4.78 ft, below flood stage; 201 cubic feet per secondAug 24, 1989: 7.10 ft, action stage; 1,360 cubic feet per secondAug 28, 1990: 4.93 ft, below flood stage; 231 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 1991: 6.01 ft, below flood stage; 659 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 1992: 4.58 ft, below flood stage; 152 cubic feet per secondJul 21, 1993: 5.64 ft, below flood stage; 500 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 1994: 6.03 ft, below flood stage; 670 cubic feet per secondJul 18, 1995: 6.23 ft, below flood stage; 786 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1996: 6.91 ft, below flood stage; 880 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1996: 4.50 ft, below flood stage; 652 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 1997: 11.18 ft, minor flooding; 3,190 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 1998: 4.24 ft, below flood stage; 503 cubic feet per secondSep 13, 1998: 7.76 ft, action stage; 1,260 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1999: 5.68 ft, below flood stage; 708 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 2000: 4.63 ft, below flood stage; 332 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 2001: 5.42 ft, below flood stage; 533 cubic feet per secondJul 20, 2002: 5.21 ft, below flood stage; 489 cubic feet per secondAug 18, 2003: 4.15 ft, below flood stage; 166 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 2004: 5.28 ft, below flood stage; 418 cubic feet per secondAug 11, 2005: 4.62 ft, below flood stage; 274 cubic feet per secondAug 7, 2006: 5.61 ft, below flood stage; 486 cubic feet per secondAug 17, 2007: 5.74 ft, below flood stage; 535 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2008: 5.56 ft, below flood stage; 487 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2009: 4.96 ft, below flood stage; 342 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2010: 8.88 ft, action stage; 1,720 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 2011: 6.98 ft, below flood stage; 850 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 2012: 4.65 ft, below flood stage; 203 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 2013: 7.83 ft, action stage; 1,220 cubic feet per secondAug 5, 2014: 6.30 ft, below flood stage; 708 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 2015: 6.95 ft, below flood stage; 1,320 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 2016: 5.02 ft, below flood stage; 389 cubic feet per secondAug 14, 2017: 5.05 ft, below flood stage; 399 cubic feet per secondJul 21, 2018: 6.21 ft, below flood stage; 904 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2019: 6.96 ft, below flood stage; 1,380 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2020: 5.41 ft, below flood stage; 512 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 2021: 4.96 ft, below flood stage; 343 cubic feet per secondJul 23, 2022: 5.34 ft, below flood stage; 515 cubic feet per secondJul 11, 2023: 5.29 ft, below flood stage; 461 cubic feet per secondOct 12, 2023: 4.89 ft, below flood stage; 344 cubic feet per secondAug 11, 2024: 4.91 ft, below flood stage Highest, 11.18 ft, Jun 2, 1997 19801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Rapid Creek at Founders Park 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 1 1 2000s: 0 2010s: 0 2020s: 0 1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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. 33 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 9.20 ft on Jul 26, 1905; 3.50 ft on Aug 2, 1906; 14.40 ft on May 12, 1920; 3.50 ft on Jun 13, 1943; 2.30 ft on Jun 12, 1944; 2.56 ft on Aug 1, 1945; and more.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 55 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Rapid Creek at Founders Park
1Jun 2, 199711.18+0.18Minor3,190
2Aug 22, 197410.55−0.45Action1,040
3May 24, 20108.88−2.12Action1,720
4Jul 25, 19828.65−2.35Action2,000
5May 29, 20137.83−3.17Action1,220
6Sep 13, 19987.76−3.24Action1,260
7Jun 8, 19737.33−3.67Action282
8Aug 24, 19897.10−3.90Action1,360
9Jun 7, 19757.08−3.92Action1,500
10Jun 25, 20116.98−4.02Below flood stage850
11May 28, 20196.96−4.04Below flood stage1,380
12Jun 24, 20156.95−4.05Below flood stage1,320
13May 27, 19966.91−4.09Below flood stage880
14Jun 14, 19766.88−4.12Below flood stage1,400
15Aug 12, 19866.46−4.54Below flood stage919
16Aug 5, 20146.30−4.70Below flood stage708
17Jul 18, 19956.23−4.77Below flood stage786
18Jul 21, 20186.21−4.79Below flood stage904
19May 3, 19946.03−4.97Below flood stage670
20May 11, 19916.01−4.99Below flood stage659
21Aug 17, 20075.74−5.26Below flood stage535
22Jun 17, 19995.68−5.32Below flood stage708
23Jul 21, 19935.64−5.36Below flood stage500
24Aug 7, 20065.61−5.39Below flood stage486
25May 29, 19785.58−5.42Below flood stage602
26Aug 22, 19835.56−5.44Below flood stage411
27May 24, 20085.56−5.44Below flood stage487
28Jun 15, 19845.48−5.52Below flood stage414
29Jun 9, 20015.42−5.58Below flood stage533
30Jun 4, 20205.41−5.59Below flood stage512
31Jun 10, 19875.37−5.63Below flood stage388
32Jul 23, 20225.34−5.66Below flood stage515
33Jul 11, 20235.29−5.71Below flood stage461
34Aug 7, 19795.28−5.72Below flood stage451
35Jul 3, 20045.28−5.72Below flood stage418
36Jul 25, 19815.23−5.77Below flood stage409
37Jul 20, 20025.21−5.79Below flood stage489
38Aug 19, 19855.13−5.87Below flood stage300
39Aug 14, 20175.05−5.95Below flood stage399
40Jul 3, 20165.02−5.98Below flood stage389
41May 24, 20094.96−6.04Below flood stage342
42May 23, 20214.96−6.04Below flood stage343
43Aug 28, 19904.93−6.07Below flood stage231
44Aug 11, 20244.91−6.09Below flood stage—
45Oct 12, 20234.89−6.11Below flood stage344
46Jun 15, 19804.81−6.19Below flood stage265
47Jun 22, 19884.78−6.22Below flood stage201
48Apr 17, 20124.65−6.35Below flood stage203
49May 17, 20004.63−6.37Below flood stage332
50Aug 11, 20054.62−6.38Below flood stage274

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 2, 1997: 11.18 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 BendSD7.07.43 ft, Jun 24, 20150
Victoria Creek near Rapid CitySD7.513.00 ft, Jun 9, 19721
Founders Park this gaugeSD11.011.18 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
Big Bend7.07.43 ft, Jun 24, 20150
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 RCYS2, 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.