Belle Fourche River near Sturgis, SD
River level and flood forecast · Meade County
Normal2.5 ftas of Mon 2:15 PM
The river is 12.5 ft below flood stage (15 ft).
Flow: 37 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 | 19 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 17 ft |
| Flood stage | 15 ft |
| Action stage | 13 ft |
| Record crest (June 6, 2008) | 20.1 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 19 ftMajor flood stage. Extensive flooding of roads and agricultural land along the Belle Fourche River.
- 17 ftModerate flood stage. Some inundation of roads may occur along the Belle Fourche River.
- 15 ftFlood stage. Flooding of agricultural land begins.
- 13 ftLow land flooding along the river.
Highest crests on record
- 20.1 ft — June 6, 2008
- 19.1 ft — May 21, 1982
- 17.39 ft — May 25, 2011
- 17.1 ft — May 10, 1995
- 16.45 ft — May 28, 1996
Recent crests: 5.51 ft (April 17, 2024) · 10.61 ft (May 14, 2023) · 6.57 ft (June 14, 2022) · 4.37 ft (May 25, 2021) · 5.34 ft (February 11, 2021)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- DownstreamBelle Fourche River near Elm Springs, SD
- Whitewood Creek above Vale, SD
- Elk Creek (SD) near Rapid City, SD
- Deadman Gulch at Sturgis, SD
- Bear Butte Creek at Avalanche Rd at Sturgis, SD
- Whitewood Creek near Whitewood, SD
- Stagebarn Canyon Creek near Summerset, SD
- Bear Butte Creek in Boulder Canyon, SD
- Whitewood Creek above Whitewood, SD
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (SBFS2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.