James River near Yankton, SD
River level and flood forecast · Yankton County
Normal3.5 ftas of Mon 3 PM
The river is 8.5 ft below flood stage (12 ft).
Flow: 163 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 | 21 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 16 ft |
| Flood stage | 12 ft |
| Action stage | 10 ft |
| Record crest (September 14, 2019) | 27.84 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 28 ftWater reaches the bottom of the bridge on 309th St.
- 27 ftWater reaches the bottom of the railroad bridge near 309th St.
- 25 ftHwy 81 may be in danger of flooding. The bridge on 303rd St at the gauge will be overtopped
- 22 ft303rd St east of the gauge location begins to flood. Some levees protecting structures along the river may be in danger of being overtopped.
- 21 ftWater approaches Hwy 46 and may begin to overtop it.
- 18.5 ftSW Jim River Road near 305th Street begins flooding as does NE Jim River Rd near 300th St.
- 17 ftSW Jim River Road north of 303rd Street begins flooding.
- 16 ftSW Jim River Road near 301st St floods.
- 14 ftSignificant agricultural flooding with the floodplain roughly a mile wide in some areas.
- 12 ftAgricultural flooding begins off the left bank near the gauge.
Highest crests on record
- 27.84 ft — September 14, 2019
- 24.34 ft — June 23, 1984
- 22.94 ft — April 9, 1997
- 22.75 ft — March 20, 2010
- 22.24 ft — March 28, 2011
Recent crests: 7.19 ft (August 8, 2025) · 22.17 ft (June 25, 2024) · 11.65 ft (May 5, 2023) · 8.6 ft (June 20, 2022) · 4.91 ft (March 27, 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 (YNNS2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.