97
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$992K
Property damage
Flood in Brookings County, South Dakota: 97 recorded events between 2006 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #58 nationally and #4 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flood in Brookings County, South Dakota: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flood in Brookings County is the 2010s, when 54 of the county's 97 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 Brookings County archive, flood makes up 19.1% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #58 for this hazard and #4 within South Dakota, putting it in the 98.1 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Apr is the peak month for flood in Brookings County with 20 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.
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 18, 2025 | BRUCE | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 19, 2025 | BRUCE | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 17, 2025 | BRUCE | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 8, 2025 | BRUCE | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 6, 2025 | BRUCE | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 1, 2025 | BRUCE | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 1, 2025 | BRUCE | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 29, 2025 | BRUCE | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 28, 2025 | BRUCE | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 1, 2025 | MEDARY | 0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Brookings County
- Thunderstorm Wind 178
- Hail 163
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Major flooding of the Big Sioux River, as well as flooding of lakes and lowlands in the county, continued through April, though small stream flooding abated. Much farmland remained flooded, both near to and away from the Big Sioux River. Flooding around the south end of Lake Pointsett in the northwest part of the county continued in particular to be damaging. The Big Sioux River crested at 3 feet above flood stage near Brookings on April 6th. Some roads remained closed by the flooding for part of the month. Water was running over other roads, from flooded lowlands, lakes, and the Big Sioux River. Some roads were heavily damaged. Some homes and businesses were still flooded. 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.
Flooding resulted in damage to public infrastructure including county and township roads and culverts. Flooding also resulted in crop losses across the area. Crop loss estimates provided by the United States Department of Agriculture.
After excessive two-day rainfall during September 10-12 (5.76 inches 8 miles north of Aurora, 5.41 inches at Brookings), Sixmile Creek above Brookings (gage site SMCS2) reached the highest stage on record of 1.65 feet above flood stage on September 12. Water flooded numerous city streets on the northwest side of Brookings, along with township roads north and northeast of Brookings.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flood events are on record in Brookings County, South Dakota?
97 flood events are recorded in Brookings County between 2006 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flood recorded in Brookings County?
The strongest flood on record in Brookings County measured 0.
Where does the flood data for Brookings 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 Brookings County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/brookings-county/flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.