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James River near Ashton, SD

River level and flood forecast · Spink County

Normal3.5 ftas of Mon 3:45 PM

The river is 9.5 ft below flood stage (13 ft).

Flow: 44 cubic feet per second (USGS).

The last 7 days and the forecast

05101520TueWedThuFriSatSunMonAction 11 ftFlood 13 ftModerate 14 ftMajor 16 ftNowObserved (ft)NWS forecast

NWS forecast issued Sun, Dec 31, 6 PM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.

Flood stages

Major flood stage16 ft
Moderate flood stage14 ft
Flood stage13 ft
Action stage11 ft
Record crest (April 6, 1997)26.64 ft

What floods at each level

From the National Weather Service, highest first.

  • 24.5 ftThe bridge at the gauge on 165th/County Rd 14 is overtopped. 170th west of the bridge is flooded with most river crossings inaccessible due to flooding. Several additional structures are also flooded.
  • 22.5 ftSeveral outbuildings near and north of the gauge on 165th/County Rd 14 begin to flood. The water reaches the bottom of the bridge on 165th/County Rd 14.
  • 21 ftThe lowest portions of 165th/County Rd 14 begin to flood. At least one house a couple miles north of the gauge begins to flood. Water overtops the bridge on 167th southeast of Ashton.
  • 19.5 ftWater reaches the bottom of the bridge on 167th southeast of Ashton.
  • 16 ft161st begins to flood.
  • 15 ftSignificant amounts of farm land begin flooding.
  • 14 ftWater reaches the bottom of the bridge on 161st northeast of Ashton.
  • 13 ftFlooding begins to affect some crop land along with moderate flooding of pasture and low-lying areas.
  • 11 ftFlooding of low-lying pasture and wooded areas begins.

Highest crests on record

  1. 26.64 ft — April 6, 1997
  2. 25.25 ft — March 22, 2010
  3. 24.4 ft — April 28, 2011
  4. 23.2 ft — April 23, 2019
  5. 22.96 ft — April 30, 2009

Recent crests: 11.23 ft (September 30, 2025) · 19.85 ft (April 21, 2023) · 17.51 ft (June 9, 2022) · 5.45 ft (April 11, 2021) · 18.36 ft (April 20, 2020)

Up and down the river, and nearby

See it on the live map →Radar & warnings for Spink CountyNWS gauge pageUSGS gauge 06473000

Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (ATNS2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.