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Snake Creek near Ashton

Highest listed crest 20.74 ftFlood stage 11.5 ft8 crests since 1985

The Snake Creek near Ashton crested at major flood stage 4 times among the 8 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1985 to 2019. The highest, 20.74 ft on April 1, 1997, was major flooding, 9.24 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
20.74 ft
April 1, 1997; 15,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
11.5 ft
Major flooding from 16.0 ft
Crests at major
4
25th of 155 gauges in South Dakota
Most recent flood crest
April 22, 2019
16.25 ft, major flooding
Location
Spink 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, Snake Creek near Ashton
Action stage9.50—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)11.52Mar 30, 1989Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage13.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage16.04Apr 22, 2019Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

8 crests from 1985 to 2019. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Snake Creek near Ashton, 1985 to 2019 510152025ft Flood stage 11.5 ftMajor 16.0 ft Mar 21, 1985: 7.66 ft, below flood stage; 675 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1986: 11.95 ft, minor flooding; 1,540 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1987: 5.21 ft, below flood stage; 128 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1989: 12.87 ft, minor flooding; 2,740 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1997: 20.74 ft, major flooding; 15,000 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 2010: 19.79 ft, major flooding; 10,400 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 2011: 17.45 ft, major flooding; 5,650 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 2019: 16.25 ft, major flooding; 15,000 cubic feet per second Highest, 20.74 ft, Apr 1, 1997 1990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Snake Creek near Ashton 1980s: 2 1990s: 1 2000s: 0 2010s: 3 3 1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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. 19 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 5.57 ft on Jun 29, 1956; 7.12 ft on Jun 28, 1957; 7.60 ft on Mar 29, 1958; 12.87 ft on Apr 9, 1960; 7.22 ft on Mar 21, 1961; 12.87 ft on Mar 31, 1962; and more.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Snake Creek near Ashton
1Apr 1, 199720.74+9.24Major15,000
2Mar 20, 201019.79+8.29Major10,400
3Mar 24, 201117.45+5.95Major5,650
4Apr 22, 201916.25+4.75Major15,000
5Mar 30, 198912.87+1.37Minor2,740
6Mar 16, 198611.95+0.45Minor1,540
7Mar 21, 19857.66−3.84Below flood stage675
8Apr 3, 19875.21−6.29Below flood stage128

Other gauges in Spink County

Flood gauges in Spink County
Ashton13.026.64 ft, Apr 6, 199716
Redfield20.031.10 ft, Apr 6, 19976
Stratford14.021.57 ft, Jul 19, 20116
Redfield7.018.32 ft, Mar 29, 19975

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SNKS2, 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.