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White River (NE-SD) near Nebraska-South Dakota State Line

Highest listed crest 20.11 ftFlood stage 15.0 ft41 crests since 1988

The White River (NE-SD) near Nebraska-South Dakota State Line crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 41 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1988 to 2024. The highest, 20.11 ft on May 16, 2015, was major flooding, 5.11 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the White River (NE-SD) crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
20.11 ft
May 16, 2015; 4,520 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
15.0 ft
Major flooding from 19.0 ft
Crests at major
3
31st of 155 gauges in South Dakota
Most recent flood crest
March 21, 2019
19.91 ft, major flooding
Location
Oglala Lakota 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, White River (NE-SD) near Nebraska-South Dakota State Line
Action stage13.03May 12, 2014The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)15.02Mar 7, 2018Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage18.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage19.03Mar 21, 2019Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

41 crests from 1988 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the White River (NE-SD) near Nebraska-South Dakota State Line, 1988 to 2024 0510152025ft Flood stage 15.0 ftMajor 19.0 ft May 20, 1988: 12.46 ft, below flood stage; 866 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1989: 7.96 ft, below flood stage; 331 cubic feet per secondJul 24, 1990: 6.33 ft, below flood stage; 180 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 1991: 19.07 ft, major flooding; 3,820 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 1992: 8.38 ft, below flood stage; 434 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1993: 12.88 ft, below flood stage; 1,110 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1994: 11.55 ft, below flood stage; 888 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1995: 11.46 ft, below flood stage; 873 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1996: 10.14 ft, below flood stage; 674 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 1997: 17.89 ft, minor flooding; 2,450 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1998: 7.13 ft, below flood stage; 292 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 1999: 10.37 ft, below flood stage; 709 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 2000: 14.24 ft, action stage; 1,500 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 2001: 12.54 ft, below flood stage; 1,330 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 2002: 8.09 ft, below flood stage; 470 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 2003: 6.10 ft, below flood stage; 199 cubic feet per secondSep 5, 2004: 7.42 ft, below flood stage; 370 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 2005: 10.97 ft, below flood stage; 795 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 2006: 5.05 ft, below flood stage; 99 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 2007: 4.20 ft, below flood stage; 32 cubic feet per secondAug 10, 2008: 5.16 ft, below flood stage; 108 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 2009: 8.95 ft, below flood stage; 463 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 2010: 14.77 ft, action stage; 1,210 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 2012: 7.64 ft, below flood stageMar 10, 2012: 5.30 ft, below flood stage; 100 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 2014: 14.78 ft, action stage; 1,310 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 2014: 6.10 ft, below flood stage; 201 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 2015: 20.11 ft, major flooding; 4,520 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 2016: 8.70 ft, below flood stage; 461 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 2017: 10.25 ft, below flood stageMay 23, 2017: 9.35 ft, below flood stage; 531 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 2018: 17.00 ft, minor floodingMay 28, 2018: 12.04 ft, below flood stage; 865 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 2019: 19.91 ft, major flooding; 4,560 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 2020: 11.20 ft, below flood stage; 644 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 2021: 5.36 ft, below flood stage; 118 cubic feet per secondJan 8, 2022: 6.11 ft, below flood stageJun 3, 2022: 5.13 ft, below flood stage; 102 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 2023: 9.15 ft, below flood stageMay 16, 2023: 8.63 ft, below flood stage; 488 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 2024: 11.48 ft, below flood stage; 790 cubic feet per second Highest, 20.11 ft, May 16, 2015 1990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, White River (NE-SD) near Nebraska-South Dakota State Line 1980s: 0 1990s: 2 2000s: 0 2010s: 3 3 2020s: 0 1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, White River (NE-SD) near Nebraska-South Dakota State Line
1May 16, 201520.11+5.11Major4,520
2Mar 21, 201919.91+4.91Major4,560
3May 12, 199119.07+4.07Major3,820
4Jun 2, 199717.89+2.89Minor2,450
5Mar 7, 201817.00+2.00Minor—
6May 12, 201414.78−0.22Action1,310
7Mar 5, 201014.77−0.23Action1,210
8Apr 22, 200014.24−0.76Action1,500
9Jun 8, 199312.88−2.12Below flood stage1,110
10Mar 4, 200112.54−2.46Below flood stage1,330
11May 20, 198812.46−2.54Below flood stage866
12May 28, 201812.04−2.96Below flood stage865
13May 19, 199411.55−3.45Below flood stage888
14Apr 8, 202411.48−3.52Below flood stage790
15Jun 10, 199511.46−3.54Below flood stage873
16Mar 1, 202011.20−3.80Below flood stage644
17Jun 14, 200510.97−4.03Below flood stage795
18Jun 6, 199910.37−4.63Below flood stage709
19Feb 22, 201710.25−4.75Below flood stage—
20May 28, 199610.14−4.86Below flood stage674
21May 23, 20179.35−5.65Below flood stage531
22Mar 18, 20239.15−5.85Below flood stage—
23Apr 12, 20098.95−6.05Below flood stage463
24May 3, 20168.70−6.30Below flood stage461
25May 16, 20238.63−6.37Below flood stage488
26Jun 26, 19928.38−6.62Below flood stage434
27Apr 2, 20028.09−6.91Below flood stage470
28Mar 12, 19897.96−7.04Below flood stage331
29Feb 28, 20127.64−7.36Below flood stage—
30Sep 5, 20047.42−7.58Below flood stage370
31Mar 29, 19987.13−7.87Below flood stage292
32Jul 24, 19906.33−8.67Below flood stage180
33Jan 8, 20226.11−8.89Below flood stage—
34May 11, 20036.10−8.90Below flood stage199
35Jun 21, 20146.10−8.90Below flood stage201
36Mar 23, 20215.36−9.64Below flood stage118
37Mar 10, 20125.30−9.70Below flood stage100
38Aug 10, 20085.16−9.84Below flood stage108
39Jun 3, 20225.13−9.87Below flood stage102
40Jul 3, 20065.05−9.95Below flood stage99
41Apr 6, 20074.20−10.80Below flood stage32

The worst floods along the White River (NE-SD)

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the White River (NE-SD) that crested above flood stage within a week.

May 16, 2015: 20.11 ft here, major flooding

  • OglalaSD · May 16, 2015 · 22.65 ft · Moderate
  • InteriorSD · May 17, 2015 · 15.70 ft · Moderate

March 21, 2019: 19.91 ft here, major flooding

  • OacomaSD · Mar 19, 2019 · 24.87 ft · Moderate
  • OglalaSD · Mar 22, 2019 · 21.95 ft · Moderate
  • KadokaSD · Mar 25, 2019 · 16.72 ft · Moderate
  • White RiverSD · Mar 24, 2019 · 15.64 ft · Moderate

June 2, 1997: 17.89 ft here, minor flooding

  • OglalaSD · Jun 3, 1997 · 20.72 ft · Minor
  • OacomaSD · Jun 5, 1997 · 18.53 ft · Minor

Gauges on the White River (NE-SD)

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

Flood gauges on the White River (NE-SD)
Nebraska-South Dakota State Line this gaugeSD15.020.11 ft, May 16, 20153
OglalaSD19.023.61 ft, Jun 16, 19672
InteriorSD14.016.08 ft, May 22, 20191
KadokaSD15.019.50 ft, Mar 8, 19051
White RiverSD14.018.21 ft, Mar 15, 20111
OacomaSD17.025.02 ft, Mar 16, 20111

Other gauges in Oglala Lakota County

Flood gauges in Oglala Lakota County
Oglala19.023.61 ft, Jun 16, 19672

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge NEBS2, 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.