James River near Mitchell, SD
River level and flood forecast · Hanson County
Normal10.1 ftas of Mon 12:45 PM
The river is 6.9 ft below flood stage (17 ft).
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 | 24 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 21.5 ft |
| Flood stage | 17 ft |
| Action stage | 16 ft |
| Record crest (April 11, 2001) | 25.33 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 30.5 ft257th Street at the bridge is flooded.
- 27.5 ftWater reaches the top of the bridge on 416th Ave
- 25 ftHighway 42 east of Ethan will be flooded. Water reaches the bottom of the bridge on 257th Street at the gauge.
- 24 ftHighway 38 east of Mitchell begins flooding. 416th Avenue and 257th Street are flooded.
- 23.5 ft1st Avenue by the golf course is flooded.
- 23 ft416th Avenue is flooded near Rosedale Colony.
- 22 ftWater overtops 257th Street about 100 yards east of the bridge.
- 21.5 ftShannard/Old Mill Road east of Mitchell is flooded.
- 19 ftSizable areas of agricultural land near the river are flooded.
- 17 ftLow lying agricultural land begins to flood.
- 15 ftThe lowest banks begin to be overtopped.
Highest crests on record
- 25.33 ft — April 11, 2001
- 25.2 ft — March 25, 2011
- 25.05 ft — September 13, 2019
- 25.03 ft — June 16, 2010
- 24.38 ft — May 10, 2007
Recent crests: 16.49 ft (August 30, 2025) · 23.73 ft (June 23, 2024) · 21.03 ft (April 28, 2023) · 19.09 ft (June 13, 2022) · 12.85 ft (March 24, 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 (JRMS2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.