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Spearfish Creek above Spearfish

Highest listed crest 7.42 ftFlood stage 7.0 ft22 crests since 1989

The Spearfish Creek above Spearfish crested above flood stage 1 time among the 22 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1989 to 2009. The highest, 7.42 ft on May 8, 1995, was minor flooding, 0.42 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Spearfish Creek crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
7.42 ft
May 8, 1995; 2,890 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
May 8, 1995
7.42 ft, minor flooding
Location
Lawrence County
Near Spearfish (7.3 mi)
Identifiers
NWS SPFS2
USGS 06430900; 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, Spearfish Creek above Spearfish
Action stage6.01Dec 18, 2008The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)7.01May 8, 1995Minimal 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

22 crests from 1989 to 2009. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Spearfish Creek above Spearfish, 1989 to 2009 0246810ft Flood stage 7.0 ftMajor 9.0 ft May 8, 1989: 4.24 ft, below flood stage; 117 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 1990: 4.02 ft, below flood stage; 95 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1991: 4.28 ft, below flood stage; 129 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 1992: 3.93 ft, below flood stage; 75 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1993: 5.14 ft, below flood stage; 299 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1994: 4.91 ft, below flood stage; 225 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1995: 7.42 ft, minor flooding; 2,890 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1996: 3.94 ft, below flood stage; 239 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1997: 3.96 ft, below flood stage; 274 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1998: 4.60 ft, below flood stage; 500 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1999: 4.18 ft, below flood stage; 339 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 2000: 0.00 ft, below flood stage; 145 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2001: 3.56 ft, below flood stage; 133 cubic feet per secondSep 18, 2002: 3.53 ft, below flood stage; 122 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 2003: 3.67 ft, below flood stage; 171 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 2004: 3.16 ft, below flood stage; 77 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 2005: 3.52 ft, below flood stage; 139 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 2006: 3.78 ft, below flood stage; 239 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 2007: 5.75 ft, below flood stage; 1,150 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2008: 4.51 ft, below flood stage; 390 cubic feet per secondDec 18, 2008: 6.53 ft, action stageApr 24, 2009: 4.05 ft, below flood stage; 220 cubic feet per second Highest, 7.42 ft, May 8, 1995 19901995200020052010

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Spearfish Creek above Spearfish 1980s: 0 1990s: 1 1 2000s: 0 1980s1990s2000s
  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

Highest listed crests, Spearfish Creek above Spearfish
1May 8, 19957.42+0.42Minor2,890
2Dec 18, 20086.53−0.47Action—
3Jun 2, 20075.75−1.25Below flood stage1,150
4Jun 8, 19935.14−1.86Below flood stage299
5Apr 25, 19944.91−2.09Below flood stage225
6Jun 18, 19984.60−2.40Below flood stage500
7Jun 6, 20084.51−2.49Below flood stage390
8May 23, 19914.28−2.72Below flood stage129
9May 8, 19894.24−2.76Below flood stage117
10Jun 11, 19994.18−2.82Below flood stage339
11Apr 24, 20094.05−2.95Below flood stage220
12May 5, 19904.02−2.98Below flood stage95
13May 8, 19973.96−3.04Below flood stage274
14May 31, 19963.94−3.06Below flood stage239
15Apr 28, 19923.93−3.07Below flood stage75
16May 2, 20063.78−3.22Below flood stage239
17Jun 8, 20033.67−3.33Below flood stage171
18Apr 29, 20013.56−3.44Below flood stage133
19Sep 18, 20023.53−3.47Below flood stage122
20May 9, 20053.52−3.48Below flood stage139
21Mar 27, 20043.16−3.84Below flood stage77
22Apr 26, 20000.00−7.00Below flood stage145

The worst floods along the Spearfish Creek

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

May 8, 1995: 7.42 ft here, minor flooding

  • SpearfishSD · May 8, 1995 · 10.11 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Spearfish Creek

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

Flood gauges on the Spearfish Creek
Spearfish this gaugeSD7.07.42 ft, May 8, 19950
SpearfishSD10.010.54 ft, Jun 15, 19760

Other gauges in Lawrence County

Flood gauges in Lawrence County
Bear Butte Creek in Boulder Canyon6.57.86 ft, Jul 4, 20190
Galena7.58.34 ft, May 8, 19950
Roubaix11.012.32 ft, May 8, 19950
Lead7.523.40 ft, May 2, 199710
Wyoming-South Dakota State Line12.012.19 ft, Aug 22, 19730
Spearfish10.010.54 ft, Jun 15, 19760

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SPFS2, 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.