James River near Redfield, SD
River level and flood forecast · Spink County
Normal3.1 ftas of Mon 1:45 PM
The river is 16.9 ft below flood stage (20 ft).
Flow: 43 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 | 25 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 22 ft |
| Flood stage | 20 ft |
| Action stage | 19 ft |
| Record crest (April 6, 1997) | 31.1 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 32 ftThe bridge on 182nd St is overtopped.
- 31 ftThe bridge on County Road 15 one mile northwest of the gauge is overtopped. The lowest portions of 396th Street north of 182nd Street may also begin to flood.
- 29 ftImpacts begin at some structures at the colonies along the river.
- 28 ftAt least a couple of homes along this stretch of the river are flooded or in danger of flooding.
- 27 ftSD Highway 28 at the Spink/Beadle county line floods.
- 26 ftWater approaches Highway 212 and may begin to flood the lowest portions just west of the bridge. The water reaches the bottom of the bridge on County Road 15 one mile northwest of the gauge. 182nd St east of the bridge also begins to flood.
- 25 ft390th Ave north of the bridge is flooded and the bridge itself begins to be overtopped.
- 24 ftWater goes over the top of the bridge at the gauging location on 388th Ave as well as on 395th Ave. A few outbuildings a couple miles downstream of the gauge may also begin to flood.
- 23 ftThe water reaches the bottom of the bridge on 390th Ave
- 22 ftSignificant amounts of agricultural and wooded areas begins
- 21 ft179th Street east of the bridge and 396th Ave between 177th and 176th floods. Fishers Ln near Fisher Grove State Park may also begin to flood. The water reaches the bottom of the bridge at the gauging location on 388th Ave.
- 20 ftFlooding of low-lying agricultural and pasture land begins
Highest crests on record
- 31.1 ft — April 6, 1997
- 29.4 ft — March 21, 2010
- 28.09 ft — April 27, 2011
- 26.94 ft — April 22, 2019
- 26.26 ft — May 15, 1995
Recent crests: 10.11 ft (September 29, 2025) · 22.33 ft (April 21, 2023) · 16.53 ft (June 9, 2022) · 5.42 ft (March 21, 2021) · 21.83 ft (March 13, 2020)
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (RFDS2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.