Big Sioux River near Dell Rapids, SD

Minnehaha County, South Dakota · USGS gauge 06481000 · NWS DERS2 · Big Sioux River flood status · South Dakota river levels

Is Big Sioux River near Dell Rapids, SD flooding right now?

Big Sioux River near Dell Rapids, SD measured 3.30 ft on 2026-09-11 00:30:00 UTC. That observation was 8.7 ft below its 12 ft flood stage. This is the latest available reading, not a guarantee of current conditions.

Gauge height
3.30 ft
as of 2 hours ago
Streamflow
130 cfs
data refreshed 12 min ago

Minor flooding here begins at 12 ft, with major flooding at 15 ft. The highest crest on record was 16.7 ft on Fri, Sep 13, 2019.

Streamflow outlook

NOAA National Water Model forecast, issued 15 hours ago. The NWM models discharge for every river reach in the country, including the many gauges the National Weather Service does not forecast individually. It is a model, not an official NWS river forecast, and it predicts flow rather than water level.

Flood stages at this gauge

CategoryStageCurrent distance
Action10 ft6.7 ft below
Minor flood12 ft8.7 ft below
Moderate flood14 ft10.7 ft below
Major flood15 ft11.7 ft below

New to these numbers? What does flood stage mean? · How to read a river gauge · Why is the river rising?

Highest crests on record

StageDate
16.7 ft2019-09-13
16.47 ft1969-04-09
16.29 ft2010-09-25
16.02 ft2007-03-15
15.69 ft2019-03-24

Last 7 days

Past 7 days · 3.14–3.62 ft

Nearby gauges

GaugeDistanceCounty
Skunk Creek near Chester, SD6.0 miMinnehaha County
Willow Creek near Crooks, SD11.7 miMinnehaha County
Silver Creek at Sioux Falls, SD13.0 miMinnehaha County
Skunk Creek near Hartford, SD13.1 miMinnehaha County
Split Rock Creek at Corson, SD15.0 miMinnehaha County
Provisional data: Real-time readings are provisional and subject to revision by the USGS — sensors can be affected by ice, debris, or equipment malfunction. Do not rely on this site for decisions involving personal safety; follow official guidance from the National Weather Service and local authorities.

Sources: USGS monitoring location · NWS gauge & forecast