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Rapid Creek below Hawthorne Ditch at Rapid City

Highest listed crest 24.30 ftFlood stage 16.0 ft29 crests since 1972

The Rapid Creek below Hawthorne Ditch at Rapid City crested above flood stage 5 times among the 29 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1972 to 2024. The highest, 24.30 ft on June 9, 1972, was minor flooding, 8.30 feet above flood stage. 2 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
24.30 ft
June 9, 1972
Flood stage
16.0 ft
No major stage set
Crests at major
0
5 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
July 4, 2019
16.77 ft, minor flooding
Location
Pennington County
Near Rapid City (1.9 mi), Box Elder (5.8 mi)
Identifiers
NWS HAWS2
USGS 06416000; 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 below Hawthorne Ditch at Rapid City
Action stage13.019Aug 11, 2024The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)16.05Jul 4, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat

Every listed crest

29 crests from 1972 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Rapid Creek below Hawthorne Ditch at Rapid City, 1972 to 2024 10152025ft Flood stage 16.0 ft Jun 9, 1972: 24.30 ft, minor floodingJul 23, 1981: 13.89 ft, action stage; 843 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1982: 12.61 ft, below flood stage; 539 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1983: 12.61 ft, below flood stage; 539 cubic feet per secondAug 2, 2000: 13.27 ft, action stage; 616 cubic feet per secondJul 15, 2001: 15.63 ft, action stage; 1,250 cubic feet per secondJul 20, 2002: 13.93 ft, action stage; 744 cubic feet per secondSep 10, 2003: 11.54 ft, below flood stage; 304 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 2004: 14.63 ft, action stage; 805 cubic feet per secondAug 11, 2005: 12.12 ft, below flood stage; 327 cubic feet per secondAug 7, 2006: 14.81 ft, action stage; 843 cubic feet per secondAug 17, 2007: 15.07 ft, action stage; 899 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2008: 14.75 ft, action stage; 830 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2009: 15.38 ft, action stage; 1,070 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2010: 16.26 ft, minor flooding; 1,270 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 2011: 15.96 ft, action stage; 1,200 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2012: 13.17 ft, action stage; 616 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 2013: 15.48 ft, action stage; 1,090 cubic feet per secondAug 5, 2014: 16.81 ft, minor flooding; 1,630 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 2015: 16.05 ft, minor flooding; 1,550 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 2016: 13.30 ft, action stage; 793 cubic feet per secondAug 14, 2017: 14.46 ft, action stage; 1,090 cubic feet per secondJul 21, 2018: 15.59 ft, action stage; 1,340 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 2019: 16.77 ft, minor flooding; 1,640 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2020: 14.36 ft, action stage; 1,050 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 2021: 12.67 ft, below flood stageJul 24, 2022: 15.10 ft, action stage; 1,060 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 2023: 13.93 ft, action stage; 785 cubic feet per secondAug 11, 2024: 13.44 ft, action stage; 601 cubic feet per second Highest, 24.30 ft, Jun 9, 1972 19801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Rapid Creek below Hawthorne Ditch at Rapid City 1970s: 1 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 2010s: 4 4 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. 5 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 4.40 ft on Jun 24, 1947; 4.53 ft on Aug 13, 1948; 3.19 ft on Aug 23, 1951; 9.19 ft on May 23, 1952; 6.20 ft on Jun 19, 1953.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Rapid Creek below Hawthorne Ditch at Rapid City
1Jun 9, 197224.30+8.30Minor—
2Aug 5, 201416.81+0.81Minor1,630
3Jul 4, 201916.77+0.77Minor1,640
4May 24, 201016.26+0.26Minor1,270
5Jun 18, 201516.05+0.05Minor1,550
6Jun 25, 201115.96−0.04Action1,200
7Jul 15, 200115.63−0.37Action1,250
8Jul 21, 201815.59−0.41Action1,340
9May 29, 201315.48−0.52Action1,090
10May 24, 200915.38−0.62Action1,070
11Jul 24, 202215.10−0.90Action1,060
12Aug 17, 200715.07−0.93Action899
13Aug 7, 200614.81−1.19Action843
14Jun 4, 200814.75−1.25Action830
15Jul 3, 200414.63−1.37Action805
16Aug 14, 201714.46−1.54Action1,090
17Jun 4, 202014.36−1.64Action1,050
18Jul 20, 200213.93−2.07Action744
19May 29, 202313.93−2.07Action785
20Jul 23, 198113.89−2.11Action843
21Aug 11, 202413.44−2.56Action601
22Jul 3, 201613.30−2.70Action793
23Aug 2, 200013.27−2.73Action616
24Jun 7, 201213.17−2.83Action616
25May 23, 202112.67−3.33Below flood stage—
26May 23, 198212.61−3.39Below flood stage539
27May 23, 198312.61−3.39Below flood stage539
28Aug 11, 200512.12−3.88Below flood stage327
29Sep 10, 200311.54−4.46Below flood stage304

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 9, 1972: 24.30 ft here, minor flooding

May 24, 2010: 16.26 ft here, minor flooding

  • FarmingdaleSD · May 24, 2010 · 12.69 ft · Major · its highest

June 18, 2015: 16.05 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 ParkSD11.011.18 ft, Jun 2, 19970
Hawthorne Ditch at Rapid City this gaugeSD16.024.30 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
Founders Park11.011.18 ft, Jun 2, 19970
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 HAWS2, 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.