Cheyenne River near Wasta, SD

River level and flood forecast · Pennington County

Normal0.3 ftas of Mon 1:30 PM

The river is 12.7 ft below flood stage (13 ft).

Flow: 61 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	16 ft
Moderate flood stage	15 ft
Flood stage	13 ft
Action stage	11 ft
Record crest (May 15, 1920)	18 ft

What floods at each level

From the National Weather Service, highest first.

18 ftNear record flooding.
17 ftExtensive flooding along the Cheyenne River with inundation of structures and roads.
16 ftFlooding of agricultural land around Wasta. Some inundation of structures and roads are possible.
15.3 ftWater reaches the lower portion of the Jensen Road Bridge.
14 ftWater may cover the parking lot of the westbound I-90 rest area. Widespread flooding of agricultural land.
13.5 ftWater may begin to affect the railbed of the nearby railroad bridge.
13 ftWater may begin to cause flooding around the I-90 westbound rest area. Water may approach the picnic and parking areas.
11 ftThe lowest areas along the river begin to flood.
10 ftWater reaches the lower deck of the railroad bridge.

Highest crests on record

18 ft — May 15, 1920
16.25 ft — March 5, 1982
14.5 ft — June 13, 1915
14.03 ft — May 16, 2015
13.97 ft — March 18, 2019

Recent crests: 8.2 ft (October 13, 2023) · 7.01 ft (May 13, 2023) · 7.6 ft (October 13, 2021) · 4.87 ft (May 24, 2021) · 3.31 ft (March 1, 2020)

Up and down the river, and nearby

See it on the live map →Radar & warnings for Pennington County NWS gauge page USGS gauge 06423500

Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (WASS2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.