Skunk Creek near Hartford, SD
River level and flood forecast · Minnehaha County
Normal3.6 ftas of Mon 3:15 PM
The river is 6.4 ft below flood stage (10 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 | 16 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 11 ft |
| Flood stage | 10 ft |
| Action stage | 9 ft |
| Record crest (March 14, 2019) | 15.08 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 19.5 ftThe bridge at the gaging location on Skunk Creek Ave is overtopped as is the bridge on 258th Ave north of the gauge.
- 18.5 ftThe lowest portions of 258th St west of the creek begin to flood
- 18 ftWater reaches the bottom of the bridge at the gauge on Skunk Creek Ave.
- 17 ftSkunk Creek Ave north of the gauge location begins to flood
- 16 ftThe highest right banks are overtopped with major flooding of pasture and crop land.
- 13.5 ftThe bridge on 256th St is overtopped.
- 12 ft254th St begins to flood.
- 11 ftThe higher left banks are overtopped, flooding significant amounts of pasture land.
- 10 ftThe lower banks on both sides of Skunk Creek are overtopped, flooding low lying pasture land. The lowest portions of 256th begin to flood.
- 8.5 ftWater begins to overtop the lowest left banks near the gauge location
Highest crests on record
- 15.08 ft — March 14, 2019
- 14.16 ft — September 12, 2019
- 12.65 ft — June 21, 2024
- 12.28 ft — March 16, 2011
- 11.83 ft — March 13, 2010
Recent crests: 5.51 ft (May 20, 2025) · 12.65 ft (June 21, 2024) · 9.19 ft (April 9, 2023) · 6.99 ft (April 1, 2020) · 14.16 ft (September 12, 2019)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- UpstreamSkunk Creek near Chester, SD
- DownstreamSkunk Creek at Sioux Falls, SD
- Willow Creek near Crooks, SD
- Big Sioux River at Sioux Falls Maple Street, SD
- Silver Creek at Sioux Falls, SD
- Big Sioux River at Sioux Falls N. Cliff Avenue, SD
- Big Sioux River at Sioux Falls Western Avenue, SD
- Big Sioux River near Dell Rapids, SD
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (HTFS2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.