James River near Columbia, SD
River level and flood forecast · Brown County
Normal4.8 ftas of Mon 2 PM
The river is 8.2 ft below flood stage (13 ft).
Flow: 41 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Sun, Dec 31, 6 PM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 18 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 16 ft |
| Flood stage | 13 ft |
| Action stage | 12 ft |
| Record crest (July 16, 2011) | 19.81 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 23 ftWater begins to enter the south end of Columbia near the ballfield.
- 21 ftThe bridge on 127th/Tacoma Park Rd is overtopped.
- 20 ftThe bridge at the gauge location on 396th/Brown County 16 is overtopped.
- 19.5 ft396th/Brown County 16 and Hamlin Garland Memorial Hwy/Brown County 11 both begin to flood, as does 400th Avenue, 123rd Street, Dakota Ave, Larson Road and Tacoma Loop are flooded. The river reaches the top of the levee at the old location of Columbia Park.
- 18.5 ftThe water reaches the bottom of the bridge at the gauging location on 396th/Brown County 16.
- 18 ft127th/Tacoma Park Rd begins to flood, as does 117th St between 395th and 400th Ave.
- 17 ftWater reaches the base of the levee at the old location of Columbia Park.
- 15 ftWater begins to approach several structures in the Tacoma Park area. Significant amounts of agricultural land are flooded.
- 13 ftFlooding of the lower lying agricultural areas begins.
Highest crests on record
- 19.81 ft — July 16, 2011
- 19.73 ft — April 24, 2009
- 19.08 ft — April 18, 1997
- 19.05 ft — April 2, 2010
- 18.96 ft — April 21, 2019
Recent crests: 14.33 ft (September 4, 2025) · 18.03 ft (May 14, 2023) · 18.57 ft (May 31, 2022) · 8.06 ft (March 8, 2021) · 18.75 ft (November 12, 2019)
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (CMBS2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.