South Fork Bad River near Cottonwood, SD
River level and flood forecast · Jackson County
Normal3.2 ftas of Mon 1:30 PM
The river is 8.8 ft below flood stage (12 ft).
Flow: 0 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 | 18 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 16 ft |
| Flood stage | 12 ft |
| Action stage | 10 ft |
| Record crest (May 31, 1991) | 17.89 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 18 ftMajor flood stage. Extensive flooding of agricultural land and inundation of structures and roads.
- 16 ftModerate flood stage. Extensive flooding of agricultural land with some inundation of structures and roads possible.
- 12 ftFlood stage. Flooding of agricultural land begins.
- 10 ftAction stage. Low land flooding along Cottonwood Creek especially along the east side of the river.
Highest crests on record
- 17.89 ft — May 31, 1991
- 16.71 ft — May 28, 1996
- 16.59 ft — May 22, 2019
- 15.75 ft — February 8, 1997
- 14.39 ft — June 3, 1997
Recent crests: 9.14 ft (April 9, 2024) · 11.3 ft (May 13, 2023) · 7.89 ft (July 5, 2022) · 7.64 ft (May 23, 2021) · 6.92 ft (July 10, 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 (CTTS2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.