Belle Fourche River near Fruitdale, SD
River level and flood forecast · Butte County
Normal1.6 ftas of Mon 2:15 PM
The river is 10.4 ft below flood stage (12 ft).
Flow: 7 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Sun, Dec 31, 5 PM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 14 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 13 ft |
| Flood stage | 12 ft |
| Action stage | 10 ft |
| Record crest (May 20, 1982) | 14.32 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 24 ftWater reaches bottom of Hwy 212 bridge.
- 14 ftMajor Flood Stage. Major agricultural flooding occurs and some secondary roads impassable.
- 13 ftModerate Flood Stage. Moderate agricultural flooding occurs with some secondary roads flooded.
- 12 ftMinor Flood Stage. Lowland agricultural flooding.
Highest crests on record
- 14.32 ft — May 20, 1982
- 14.09 ft — May 10, 1995
- 13.84 ft — May 24, 2011
- 13.18 ft — June 15, 1976
- 12.95 ft — June 6, 2008
Recent crests: 5.47 ft (May 15, 2024) · 9.69 ft (June 24, 2023) · 5.08 ft (June 14, 2022) · 5.15 ft (February 7, 2021) · 3.04 ft (February 6, 2021)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- Redwater River (SD) above Belle Fourche, SD
- Whitewood Creek near Whitewood, SD
- Whitewood Creek above Vale, SD
- Spearfish Creek at Spearfish, SD
- Belle Fourche River at Wyoming-South Dakota State Line, SD
- Redwater Creek (WY) at Wyoming-South Dakota State Line, SD
- Whitewood Creek above Whitewood, SD
- Bear Butte Creek at Avalanche Rd at Sturgis, SD
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (FRUS2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.