84
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$1.8M
Property damage
Flood in Sanborn County, South Dakota: 84 recorded events between 2007 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #90 nationally and #9 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flood in Sanborn County, South Dakota: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flood in Sanborn County is the 2010s, when 42 of the county's 84 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Sanborn County archive, flood makes up 26.0% of all recorded severe weather across 6 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #90 for this hazard and #9 within South Dakota, putting it in the 96.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for flood in Sanborn County with 18 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 20, 2019 | WOONSOCKET | 0 | 2 | 0 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 26, 2025 | WOONSOCKET | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 1, 2024 | LETCHER | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 25, 2024 | WOONSOCKET | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2024 | CUTHBERT | 0 | $112K |
| Jun 21, 2024 | LETCHER | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 1, 2023 | LETCHER | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 1, 2023 | WOONSOCKET | 0 | $0 |
| May 1, 2023 | LETCHER | 0 | $0 |
| May 1, 2023 | WOONSOCKET | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 18, 2023 | STORLA | 0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Sanborn County
- Hail 128
- Thunderstorm Wind 84
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Snow melt and heavy rainfall (measured 2.47 inches at Forestburg and 1.60 inches at Huron) resulted in extensive flooding of agricultural land and numerous township and county roads. The James River near Forestburg (gage site FORS2) reached a crest of 4.18 feet above flood stage on March 25. The driver and passenger of a garbage truck were (directly) killed when their truck went off the road and into the flood waters at the base of the bridge near the gage site. The river remained at moderate flood stage at the end of the month.
Major flooding of the James River, as well as flooding of small streams and lakes in the county, continued through April. Much farmland remained flooded, both near to and away from the James River. The James River was 5.8 feet above flood stage near Forestburg on April 1st, and fell very slowly during the month. A large area of land and numerous roads were flooded. Water was running over other roads, from flooded streams, creeks, and fields as well as from the James River. Many roads were heavily damaged. Some homes and businesses were also flooded, with the flooding of these places slowly alleviating through the month. High water and groundwater levels from record precipitation in the year 2010, a main reason the flooding onset was so fast in March, was also a main reason that the flooding subsided so slowly during April.
Heavy rainfall caused flooding of low areas including fields, homes, businesses, schools, roads, streams, and bridges. The flooding was a longer term event than flash flooding, which had also resulted. Long term major flooding of the James River also resulted, with the river peaking at 7.0 feet above flood stage near Forestburg on May 9th. Some parks and other recreation areas were affected. A few roads and bridges were washed out by the high water. The flooding delayed planting of crops in some areas.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flood events are on record in Sanborn County, South Dakota?
84 flood events are recorded in Sanborn County between 2007 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flood recorded in Sanborn County?
The strongest flood on record in Sanborn County measured 0.
Where does the flood data for Sanborn County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Flood in Sanborn County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/sanborn-county/flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.