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Rapid Creek near Farmingdale

Highest listed crest 12.69 ftFlood stage 11.0 ft83 crests since 1947

The Rapid Creek near Farmingdale crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 83 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1947 to 2024. The highest, 12.69 ft on May 24, 2010, was major flooding, 1.69 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
12.69 ft
May 24, 2010; 4,930 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
11.0 ft
Major flooding from 12.0 ft
Crests at major
3
31st of 155 gauges in South Dakota
Most recent flood crest
May 29, 2019
12.52 ft, major flooding
Location
Pennington County
South Dakota

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Rapid Creek near Farmingdale
Action stage9.021Apr 16, 2024The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)11.01Jun 24, 2018Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage11.51Jun 10, 1972Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage12.03May 29, 2019Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

83 crests from 1947 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Rapid Creek near Farmingdale, 1947 to 2024 051015ft Flood stage 11.0 ftMajor 12.0 ft Jun 21, 1947: 8.40 ft, below flood stage; 2,640 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 1948: 4.12 ft, below flood stageJun 17, 1948: 5.80 ft, below flood stage; 885 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1949: 6.97 ft, below flood stage; 500 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 1949: 4.54 ft, below flood stage; 419 cubic feet per secondFeb 8, 1950: 4.93 ft, below flood stageApr 16, 1950: 4.00 ft, below flood stage; 285 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 1951: 3.62 ft, below flood stage; 161 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 1952: 8.19 ft, below flood stage; 1,770 cubic feet per secondAug 2, 1953: 8.35 ft, below flood stage; 1,790 cubic feet per secondAug 11, 1954: 3.89 ft, below flood stage; 204 cubic feet per secondAug 11, 1955: 4.92 ft, below flood stage; 461 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 1956: 4.88 ft, below flood stage; 449 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 1957: 9.39 ft, action stage; 1,900 cubic feet per secondJul 19, 1958: 7.01 ft, below flood stage; 939 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1960: 5.08 ft, below flood stage; 439 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 1961: 5.40 ft, below flood stage; 516 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 1962: 9.77 ft, action stage; 2,030 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1963: 6.36 ft, below flood stage; 599 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1964: 5.40 ft, below flood stage; 381 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1965: 8.07 ft, below flood stage; 1,130 cubic feet per secondJul 27, 1966: 5.49 ft, below flood stage; 372 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1967: 10.33 ft, action stage; 1,830 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1968: 6.73 ft, below flood stage; 406 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1969: 7.28 ft, below flood stage; 501 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1970: 8.75 ft, below flood stage; 1,010 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 1971: 7.25 ft, below flood stage; 511 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1972: 11.85 ft, moderate flooding; 7,320 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 1973: 7.89 ft, below flood stage; 272 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 1974: 6.93 ft, below flood stage; 151 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1975: 9.41 ft, action stage; 881 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1976: 9.59 ft, action stage; 1,370 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 1977: 8.09 ft, below flood stage; 613 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 1978: 7.97 ft, below flood stage; 574 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 1979: 7.53 ft, below flood stage; 444 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1980: 8.73 ft, below flood stage; 937 cubic feet per secondJul 2, 1981: 5.85 ft, below flood stage; 468 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 1982: 9.17 ft, action stage; 1,050 cubic feet per secondOct 10, 1982: 9.17 ft, action stage; 1,030 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1984: 8.07 ft, below flood stage; 620 cubic feet per secondAug 20, 1985: 6.93 ft, below flood stage; 340 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 1986: 9.30 ft, action stage; 1,130 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1987: 8.91 ft, below flood stage; 928 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 1988: 8.80 ft, below flood stage; 870 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 1989: 6.67 ft, below flood stage; 234 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1990: 0.00 ft, below flood stage; 750 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 1991: 9.22 ft, action stage; 1,050 cubic feet per secondJul 6, 1992: 7.18 ft, below flood stage; 342 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1993: 8.95 ft, below flood stage; 826 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 1994: 7.86 ft, below flood stage; 528 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1995: 9.28 ft, action stage; 1,080 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1996: 10.77 ft, action stage; 3,830 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 1997: 10.41 ft, action stage; 2,380 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 1998: 8.63 ft, below flood stage; 844 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1999: 9.61 ft, action stage; 1,410 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 2000: 9.60 ft, action stage; 1,600 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 2001: 8.50 ft, below flood stageJun 10, 2001: 8.29 ft, below flood stage; 605 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 2002: 7.48 ft, below flood stage; 370 cubic feet per secondJan 29, 2003: 7.32 ft, below flood stageMay 1, 2003: 6.94 ft, below flood stage; 234 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 2004: 7.81 ft, below flood stage; 459 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 2005: 7.42 ft, below flood stage; 338 cubic feet per secondAug 8, 2006: 7.49 ft, below flood stage; 358 cubic feet per secondAug 18, 2007: 7.94 ft, below flood stage; 496 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2008: 9.66 ft, action stage; 1,140 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2009: 9.01 ft, action stage; 863 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2010: 12.69 ft, major flooding; 4,930 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2011: 10.26 ft, action stage; 1,510 cubic feet per secondJan 23, 2012: 7.61 ft, below flood stageMar 1, 2012: 6.93 ft, below flood stage; 186 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 2013: 9.42 ft, action stage; 885 cubic feet per secondOct 14, 2013: 10.76 ft, action stage; 1,990 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 2015: 12.60 ft, major flooding; 3,640 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 2016: 7.77 ft, below flood stage; 324 cubic feet per secondAug 15, 2017: 8.43 ft, below flood stage; 596 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 2018: 11.43 ft, minor flooding; 2,480 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 2019: 12.52 ft, major flooding; 4,110 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 2020: 8.85 ft, below flood stage; 708 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2021: 8.17 ft, below flood stage; 510 cubic feet per secondJul 25, 2022: 8.85 ft, below flood stage; 729 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 2023: 9.41 ft, action stage; 919 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 2024: 9.63 ft, action stage; 1,020 cubic feet per second Highest, 12.69 ft, May 24, 2010 19501960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Rapid Creek near Farmingdale 1940s: 0 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 1 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 2010s: 4 4 2020s: 0 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 83 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Rapid Creek near Farmingdale
1May 24, 201012.69+1.69Major4,930
2Jun 18, 201512.60+1.60Major3,640
3May 29, 201912.52+1.52Major4,110
4Jun 10, 197211.85+0.85Moderate7,320
5Jun 24, 201811.43+0.43Minor2,480
6May 27, 199610.77−0.23Action3,830
7Oct 14, 201310.76−0.24Action1,990
8May 26, 199710.41−0.59Action2,380
9Jun 15, 196710.33−0.67Action1,830
10May 31, 201110.26−0.74Action1,510
11May 21, 19629.77−1.23Action2,030
12May 25, 20089.66−1.34Action1,140
13Apr 16, 20249.63−1.37Action1,020
14May 22, 19999.61−1.39Action1,410
15Apr 25, 20009.60−1.40Action1,600
16Jun 16, 19769.59−1.41Action1,370
17May 30, 20139.42−1.58Action885
18Jun 8, 19759.41−1.59Action881
19May 12, 20239.41−1.59Action919
20May 25, 19579.39−1.61Action1,900
21Feb 28, 19869.30−1.70Action1,130
22Jun 9, 19959.28−1.72Action1,080
23May 10, 19919.22−1.78Action1,050
24May 20, 19829.17−1.83Action1,050
25Oct 10, 19829.17−1.83Action1,030
26May 25, 20099.01−1.99Action863
27May 9, 19938.95−2.05Below flood stage826
28May 27, 19878.91−2.09Below flood stage928
29Jun 5, 20208.85−2.15Below flood stage708
30Jul 25, 20228.85−2.15Below flood stage729
31Mar 26, 19888.80−2.20Below flood stage870
32Apr 25, 19708.75−2.25Below flood stage1,010
33Jun 16, 19808.73−2.27Below flood stage937
34Jun 19, 19988.63−2.37Below flood stage844
35Mar 4, 20018.50−2.50Below flood stage—
36Aug 15, 20178.43−2.57Below flood stage596
37Jun 21, 19478.40−2.60Below flood stage2,640
38Aug 2, 19538.35−2.65Below flood stage1,790
39Jun 10, 20018.29−2.71Below flood stage605
40May 24, 19528.19−2.81Below flood stage1,770
41May 24, 20218.17−2.83Below flood stage510
42Apr 8, 19778.09−2.91Below flood stage613
43Jun 1, 19658.07−2.93Below flood stage1,130
44Jun 16, 19848.07−2.93Below flood stage620
45May 24, 19787.97−3.03Below flood stage574
46Aug 18, 20077.94−3.06Below flood stage496
47Apr 20, 19737.89−3.11Below flood stage272
48May 4, 19947.86−3.14Below flood stage528
49Jul 4, 20047.81−3.19Below flood stage459
50Jul 4, 20167.77−3.23Below flood stage324

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.

May 24, 2010: 12.69 ft here, major flooding

June 18, 2015: 12.60 ft here, major flooding

May 29, 2019: 12.52 ft here, major 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 CitySD16.024.30 ft, Jun 9, 19720
Water Reclamation Facility near Rapid CitySD9.011.23 ft, May 28, 20190
Farmingdale this gaugeSD11.012.69 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
Hawthorne Ditch at Rapid City16.024.30 ft, Jun 9, 19720
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 FARS2, 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.