James River near Forestburg, SD
River level and flood forecast · Sanborn County
Normal4.7 ftas of Mon 2:15 PM
The river is 7.3 ft below flood stage (12 ft).
Flow: 85 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 | 14.5 ft |
| Flood stage | 12 ft |
| Action stage | 10 ft |
| Record crest (April 6, 1997) | 20.61 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 20 ft405th Ave is flooded and thus most river crossings are impassible resulting in significant travel disruptions.
- 19 ftPortions of Hwy 34 begin to flood and the bridge on 407th at the gauge is overtopped.
- 18 ftCounty Road 21 in northern Davison County will be flooded and water may begin to impact the gauge house.
- 16 ftWater reaches the bottom of the bridge at the gauge on 407th and the road north of the bridge may be flooded.
- 14.5 ftMany of the county roads in the area are impassible including 407th, 240th, 241st and 243rd and some roads are under water for as much as 1/2 mile.
- 13 ft241st St begins to flood where it crosses the river.
- 12 ftSignificant portions of the floodplain begin to flood and a couple county or township roads may begin to flood.
- 10 ftThe lowest banks begin to flood
Highest crests on record
- 20.61 ft — April 6, 1997
- 20.27 ft — March 25, 2011
- 19.14 ft — March 25, 2010
- 18.93 ft — May 8, 2007
- 18.84 ft — April 10, 2001
Recent crests: 12.28 ft (August 26, 2025) · 12.08 ft (June 25, 2024) · 15.37 ft (April 26, 2023) · 13.98 ft (June 13, 2022) · 6.95 ft (April 13, 2021)
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (FORS2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.