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Willow Creek near Watertown

Highest listed crest 13.55 ftFlood stage 10.0 ft34 crests since 1972

The Willow Creek near Watertown crested above flood stage 9 times among the 34 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1972 to 2025. The highest, 13.55 ft on April 11, 2023, was minor flooding, 3.55 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
13.55 ft
April 11, 2023; 2,660 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
10.0 ft
No major stage set
Crests at major
0
9 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
August 22, 2025
12.86 ft, minor flooding
Location
Codington County
Near Watertown (5.4 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Willow Creek near Watertown
Action stage9.01Mar 19, 2007The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)10.09Aug 22, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat

Every listed crest

34 crests from 1972 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Willow Creek near Watertown, 1972 to 2025 2468101214ft Flood stage 10.0 ft May 29, 1972: 6.23 ft, below flood stage; 952 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1975: 7.20 ft, below flood stage; 250 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1977: 5.57 ft, below flood stage; 658 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1978: 7.02 ft, below flood stage; 1,340 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 1979: 7.22 ft, below flood stage; 1,200 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1980: 5.45 ft, below flood stage; 607 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 1981: 3.99 ft, below flood stageMar 30, 1982: 5.39 ft, below flood stage; 250 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1983: 5.23 ft, below flood stage; 505 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1984: 7.50 ft, below flood stage; 1,590 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1985: 6.76 ft, below flood stage; 1,100 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1986: 8.96 ft, below flood stage; 2,300 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1997: 10.93 ft, minor flooding; 3,650 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 2000: 6.99 ft, below flood stage; 99 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 2001: 12.51 ft, minor flooding; 1,700 cubic feet per secondAug 21, 2002: 8.88 ft, below flood stage; 514 cubic feet per secondJul 2, 2004: 7.42 ft, below flood stage; 177 cubic feet per secondOct 29, 2004: 7.48 ft, below flood stage; 188 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 2006: 7.90 ft, below flood stage; 274 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 2007: 9.77 ft, action stage; 700 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 2008: 8.71 ft, below flood stage; 466 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 2009: 11.70 ft, minor flooding; 1,390 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 2010: 10.76 ft, minor flooding; 566 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 2011: 11.45 ft, minor flooding; 1,040 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 2012: 8.30 ft, below flood stage; 362 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 2013: 8.22 ft, below flood stage; 355 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 2014: 7.82 ft, below flood stage; 257 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 2015: 7.87 ft, below flood stage; 228 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 2016: 6.64 ft, below flood stage; 90 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 2017: 10.46 ft, minor flooding; 400 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 2019: 12.45 ft, minor flooding; 1,700 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 2020: 8.45 ft, below flood stage; 398 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 2023: 13.55 ft, minor flooding; 2,660 cubic feet per secondAug 22, 2025: 12.86 ft, minor flooding; 1,550 cubic feet per second Highest, 13.55 ft, Apr 11, 2023 19801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Willow Creek near Watertown 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 1 2000s: 2 2010s: 4 4 2020s: 2 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.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Willow Creek near Watertown
1Apr 11, 202313.55+3.55Minor2,660
2Aug 22, 202512.86+2.86Minor1,550
3Apr 7, 200112.51+2.51Minor1,700
4Mar 24, 201912.45+2.45Minor1,700
5Mar 16, 200911.70+1.70Minor1,390
6Mar 21, 201111.45+1.45Minor1,040
7Apr 5, 199710.93+0.93Minor3,650
8Mar 15, 201010.76+0.76Minor566
9Feb 18, 201710.46+0.46Minor400
10Mar 19, 20079.77−0.23Action700
11Mar 30, 19868.96−1.04Below flood stage2,300
12Aug 21, 20028.88−1.12Below flood stage514
13Jun 12, 20088.71−1.29Below flood stage466
14Apr 2, 20208.45−1.55Below flood stage398
15Jun 20, 20128.30−1.70Below flood stage362
16Apr 28, 20138.22−1.78Below flood stage355
17Mar 30, 20067.90−2.10Below flood stage274
18Mar 9, 20157.87−2.13Below flood stage228
19Jun 20, 20147.82−2.18Below flood stage257
20Jun 15, 19847.50−2.50Below flood stage1,590
21Oct 29, 20047.48−2.52Below flood stage188
22Jul 2, 20047.42−2.58Below flood stage177
23Apr 12, 19797.22−2.78Below flood stage1,200
24Mar 18, 19757.20−2.80Below flood stage250
25Mar 31, 19787.02−2.98Below flood stage1,340
26Jun 24, 20006.99−3.01Below flood stage99
27Mar 19, 19856.76−3.24Below flood stage1,100
28Mar 8, 20166.64−3.36Below flood stage90
29May 29, 19726.23−3.77Below flood stage952
30Jun 16, 19775.57−4.43Below flood stage658
31Jun 5, 19805.45−4.55Below flood stage607
32Mar 30, 19825.39−4.61Below flood stage250
33Apr 1, 19835.23−4.77Below flood stage505
34Apr 10, 19813.99−6.01Below flood stage—

Other gauges in Codington County

Flood gauges in Codington County
Lake Kampeska21.022.40 ft, Mar 15, 20100
Watertown Broadway Avenue10.513.67 ft, Apr 6, 19971
Watertown Sioux Conifer Road9.011.18 ft, Apr 13, 20230
Watertown11.013.13 ft, Apr 2, 19975
Watertown10.012.33 ft, Apr 7, 20012
Lake Kampeska at Watertown Water Plant21.023.71 ft, Apr 6, 19972
Rauville9.010.70 ft, Apr 11, 20230
Rauville4.05.75 ft, Mar 23, 20190

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge WWCS2, 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.