Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Belle Fourche River near Alva

Highest listed crest 8.54 ftFlood stage 5.0 ft34 crests since 1989

The Belle Fourche River near Alva crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 34 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1989 to 2025. The highest, 8.54 ft on May 23, 2011, was major flooding, 3.54 feet above flood stage. 4 other gauges on the Belle Fourche River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
8.54 ft
May 23, 2011; 5,772 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
5.0 ft
Major flooding from 8.0 ft
Crests at major
1
5th of 73 gauges in Wyoming
Most recent flood crest
May 30, 2019
5.67 ft, minor flooding
Location
Crook County
Wyoming

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Belle Fourche River near Alva
Action stage4.09Jun 26, 2018The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)5.01May 30, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage6.03Jun 1, 2013Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage8.01May 23, 2011Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

34 crests from 1989 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Belle Fourche River near Alva, 1989 to 2025 246810ft Flood stage 5.0 ftMajor 8.0 ft May 14, 1989: 2.91 ft, below flood stage; 277 cubic feet per secondJul 10, 1990: 2.20 ft, below flood stage; 110 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 1991: 4.77 ft, action stage; 1,140 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1992: 2.22 ft, below flood stage; 117 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1993: 4.95 ft, action stage; 1,240 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 1994: 3.51 ft, below flood stage; 478 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1995: 6.76 ft, moderate flooding; 2,690 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1996: 3.42 ft, below flood stage; 434 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 1997: 4.61 ft, action stage; 1,040 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 1998: 3.69 ft, below flood stage; 565 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2001: 4.69 ft, action stage; 1,060 cubic feet per secondAug 8, 2002: 3.23 ft, below flood stage; 287 cubic feet per secondAug 10, 2003: 2.37 ft, below flood stage; 138 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 2004: 2.66 ft, below flood stage; 200 cubic feet per secondAug 25, 2005: 3.31 ft, below flood stage; 390 cubic feet per secondAug 25, 2006: 3.44 ft, below flood stage; 449 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 2007: 4.77 ft, action stage; 1,099 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2008: 6.89 ft, moderate flooding; 2,802 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 2009: 4.50 ft, action stage; 923 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 2010: 4.79 ft, action stage; 1,080 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 2011: 8.54 ft, major flooding; 5,772 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 2012: 2.64 ft, below flood stage; 179 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 2013: 7.54 ft, moderate flooding; 3,520 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 2014: 3.98 ft, below flood stage; 587 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2015: 4.14 ft, action stage; 674 cubic feet per secondAug 4, 2016: 2.33 ft, below flood stage; 128 cubic feet per secondJul 29, 2017: 3.58 ft, below flood stage; 496 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 2018: 4.04 ft, action stage; 912 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 2019: 5.67 ft, minor flooding; 1,516 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 2020: 3.85 ft, below flood stage; 533 cubic feet per secondJul 14, 2021: 2.41 ft, below flood stage; 129 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 2022: 3.15 ft, below flood stage; 338 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 2024: 3.72 ft, below flood stage; 564 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 2025: 2.65 ft, below flood stage; 193 cubic feet per second Highest, 8.54 ft, May 23, 2011 1990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Belle Fourche River near Alva 1980s: 0 1990s: 1 2000s: 1 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, Belle Fourche River near Alva
1May 23, 20118.54+3.54Major5,772
2Jun 1, 20137.54+2.54Moderate3,520
3Jun 6, 20086.89+1.89Moderate2,802
4May 8, 19956.76+1.76Moderate2,690
5May 30, 20195.67+0.67Minor1,516
6Jun 9, 19934.95−0.05Action1,240
7Jun 23, 20104.79−0.21Action1,080
8May 13, 19914.77−0.23Action1,140
9Apr 6, 20074.77−0.23Action1,099
10Jun 6, 20014.69−0.31Action1,060
11Apr 18, 19974.61−0.39Action1,040
12Apr 13, 20094.50−0.50Action923
13Jun 6, 20154.14−0.86Action674
14Jun 26, 20184.04−0.96Action912
15May 9, 20143.98−1.02Below flood stage587
16Apr 8, 20203.85−1.15Below flood stage533
17May 9, 20243.72−1.28Below flood stage564
18Jun 24, 19983.69−1.31Below flood stage565
19Jul 29, 20173.58−1.42Below flood stage496
20May 1, 19943.51−1.49Below flood stage478
21Aug 25, 20063.44−1.56Below flood stage449
22May 28, 19963.42−1.58Below flood stage434
23Aug 25, 20053.31−1.69Below flood stage390
24Aug 8, 20023.23−1.77Below flood stage287
25Apr 30, 20223.15−1.85Below flood stage338
26May 14, 19892.91−2.09Below flood stage277
27May 22, 20042.66−2.34Below flood stage200
28Jun 10, 20252.65−2.35Below flood stage193
29Apr 1, 20122.64−2.36Below flood stage179
30Jul 14, 20212.41−2.59Below flood stage129
31Aug 10, 20032.37−2.63Below flood stage138
32Aug 4, 20162.33−2.67Below flood stage128
33Jun 14, 19922.22−2.78Below flood stage117
34Jul 10, 19902.20−2.80Below flood stage110

The worst floods along the Belle Fourche River

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

May 23, 2011: 8.54 ft here, major flooding

June 6, 2008: 6.89 ft here, moderate flooding

May 8, 1995: 6.76 ft here, moderate flooding

Gauges on the Belle Fourche River

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

Flood gauges on the Belle Fourche River
MoorcroftWY13.014.60 ft, May 19, 19780
Alva this gaugeWY5.08.54 ft, May 23, 20111
Wyoming-South Dakota State LineSD15.016.33 ft, May 10, 19950
FruitdaleSD12.014.32 ft, May 20, 19822
SturgisSD15.020.10 ft, Jun 6, 20082
Elm SpringsSD19.025.80 ft, May 5, 19272

Other gauges in Crook County

Flood gauges in Crook County
Moorcroft13.014.60 ft, May 19, 19780

Crook County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Wyoming

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BFAW4, 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.