44
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$3.9M
Property damage
Flood in Pennington County, South Dakota: 44 recorded events between 1996 and 2023. The strongest on record measured 300. That places the county #290 nationally and #19 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flood in Pennington County, South Dakota: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flood in Pennington County is the 2010s, when 29 of the county's 44 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 Pennington County archive, flood makes up 1.8% of all recorded severe weather across 9 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #290 for this hazard and #19 within South Dakota, putting it in the 90.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for flood in Pennington County with 14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 24, 2023 | RAPID CITY | 0 | $0 |
| May 17, 2023 | HISEGA | 0 | $0 |
| May 12, 2023 | SCENIC | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 25, 2022 | RAPID CITY | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 13, 2022 | CREIGHTON | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 15, 2019 | RAPID CITY | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 6, 2019 | RAPID CITY | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 5, 2019 | RAPID CITY | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 1, 2019 | RAPID CITY | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 1, 2019 | RAPID CITY | 0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Pennington County
- Hail 1,614
- Thunderstorm Wind 631
- Tornado 49
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Runoff from heavy rain caused overland flooding and flooding along Rapid Creek, Box Elder Creek, Spring Creek, and tributaries of the Cheyenne River. A culvert washed out on Nike Road east of the Cobalt Drive intersection, water covered South Ellsworth Road south of Highway 14-16, 154th Avenue near 233rd Street, Creston Road south of SD Highway 44, Base Line Road south of Wasta, Bear Creek Road from SD Highway 44 to Sage Creek Road, and Paulson Road near Quinn. Several roads were inundated between Box Elder and New Underwood; including 155th avenue, 156th Avenue, 159th Avenue, and Sharpe Road. Street flooding was also reported in Rapid City and Rapid Valley along South Valley Drive, Green Valley Road, and Reservoir Road.
Runoff from heavy rain flooded creeks and inundated roads. Water covered part of Winter Street/US Highway 16A in Keystone. Water was reported over Old Hill City Road near Keystone, Grizzly Gulch Road, Mountain Park Road, Spring Creek Road, Lower Spring Creek Road, Rockwood Road, South Valley Drive, Orchard Lane, Reservoir Road, Green Valley Drive, Lamb Road, Anderson Road, Antelope Creek Road three miles south of SD Highway 44, Neva Way, 143rd Avenue, 156th Street south of highway 14-16, and 159th Street.
Many roads were flooded by heavy rain and high stream levels. On the north side of Rapid City, 143rd Avenue was underwater near Neva Way. In Rapid Valley; Reservoir Road, Green Valley Drive between Reservoir Road and Greenfield Road, South Valley Drive, the east end of Dunn Road, Anderson Road, South Radar Hill Road, and Antelope Creek Road were flooded. Around Box Elder; Elk Vale Road just north of Interstate 90, 155th Street south of Highway 14-16, and the South Ellsworth Road bridge were flooded. Hammerquist Road and 157th Street in the Caputa area were closed. Palmer Gulch Road east of Hill City was underwater. Old Hill City Road and the Needles Highway (SD Highway 87) from Playhouse Road to Sylvan Campground were flooded in various areas. At Hart Ranch, the golf course sustained flooding and debris damaged foot bridges. Spring Creek reached the bottom of the bridge at Mulligan Mile Crossing. High water damaged private bridges in Magic Canyon west of Rapid City.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flood events are on record in Pennington County, South Dakota?
44 flood events are recorded in Pennington County between 1996 and 2023, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flood recorded in Pennington County?
The strongest flood on record in Pennington County measured 300.
Where does the flood data for Pennington 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 Pennington County, South Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-dakota/pennington-county/flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.