Rapid Creek at Founders Park, SD

River level and flood forecast · Pennington County

Normal3.2 ftas of Mon 1:30 PM

The river is 7.8 ft below flood stage (11 ft).

Flow: 22 cubic feet per second (USGS).

The last 7 days and the forecast

NWS forecast issued Sun, Dec 31, 5 PM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.

Flood stages

Major flood stage	14 ft
Moderate flood stage	12 ft
Flood stage	11 ft
Action stage	7 ft
Record crest (June 12, 1972)	15.4 ft

What floods at each level

From the National Weather Service, highest first.

14 ftMajor flood stage. Extensive flooding of structures and roads throughout Rapid City.
13 ftFlooding of residences and businesses in and around Rapid City.
12 ftModerate flood stage. Some inundation of structures and roads in and around Rapid City.
11 ftFlood Stage. Parks in Rapid City are flooded. Water begins to reach the bottom of the Bike Path Crossings and bottom of the bridges crossing Rapid Creek.
10 ftAdditional flooding along the Bike Path in within the Greenway.
9 ftPortions of the Bike Path are flooded and water approaches the road behind the fairgrounds.
7 ftAction Stage. Green space south of the fairgrounds start to flood.
6.5 ftFlooding begins in Rapid Valley.

Highest crests on record

15.4 ft — June 12, 1972
11.18 ft — June 2, 1997
10.55 ft — August 22, 1974
8.88 ft — May 24, 2010
8.65 ft — July 25, 1982

Recent crests: 4.91 ft (August 11, 2024) · 4.89 ft (October 12, 2023) · 5.29 ft (July 11, 2023) · 5.34 ft (July 23, 2022) · 4.96 ft (May 23, 2021)

Up and down the river, and nearby

See it on the live map →Radar & warnings for Pennington County NWS gauge page USGS gauge 06414000

Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (RCYS2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.