Boxelder Creek near Rapid City water level

Name: Boxelder Creek near Rapid City water level (U.S. Geological Survey)
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
License: https://www.usgs.gov/information-policies-and-instructions/copyrights-and-credits

River gauge, Boxelder Creek, South Dakota, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

29.71ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 11:40 PM MDT (40 min ago)

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

The gauge at Boxelder Creek near Rapid City reads 29.71 ft, a normal level.

It is 3.79 ft below the flood stage of 33.50 ft.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 29.70 ft and 29.73 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, until steadier rain returns.

Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 34.24 ftJuly 5, 2019

What the stage means on the water

A normal level is usually prime time for floating and wade fishing, as long as the weather holds upstream.

The National Weather Service puts flood stage for this gauge at 33.50 ft, still 3.79 ft away.

What happens at each level

36.00 ft: Major Flood Stage. Extensive flooding along the creek with inundation of structures and roads.
35.00 ft: Moderate Flood Stage. Some inundation of structures and roads near the creek are possible.
33.50 ft: Minor Flood Stage. Minor flooding along the creek and downstream.
32.50 ft: Flooding of low lying areas along the creek continues.
32.00 ft: Action Stage. Flooding of low lying areas along the creek.
29.71 ft: Right now

Impact statements from the U.S. National Weather Service.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	34.24 ft	July 5, 2019
2	33.46 ft	May 31, 1996
3	33.09 ft	May 10, 1995
4	32.69 ft	June 7, 2015
5	32.23 ft	June 6, 2008
6	32.21 ft	June 3, 1997
7	31.80 ft	May 15, 2010
8	31.76 ft	June 19, 1998
9	31.73 ft	June 15, 1999
10	31.64 ft	June 6, 1991

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 73° 50° – Wind 11 mph

21 Wed 66° 47° – Wind 11 mph

22 Thu 80° 52° – Wind 15 mph

23 Fri 80° 59° 0.00 in Wind 26 mph

24 Sat 63° 41° 0.00 in Wind 18 mph

25 Sun 42° 34° 0.18 in Wind 8 mph

26 Mon 34° 31° 0.08 in Wind 6 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:16 AM Sunset 06:01 PM Daylight 10 hr, 45 min Waxing gibbous 75%

Map

Other gauges on Boxelder Creek

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Boxelder Creek near NemoRiver gauge, Boxelder Creek	1.15 ft	Very low	±0	8 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
South Canyon near Rapid CityRiver gauge, South Canyon	3.59 ft	Below flood stage	±0	3.0 mi
Rapid Creek at Rapid CityRiver gauge, Rapid Creek	3.23 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	4.3 mi
Wild Irishman Gulch near Rapid CityRiver gauge, Wild Irishman Gulch	3.55 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	4.8 mi
Cleghorn Springs at Rapid CityRiver gauge, Cleghorn Springs	8.2 cfs	Very low	−0.4 cfs	5.0 mi
Rapid Creek above Canyon Lake near Rapid CityRiver gauge, Rapid Creek	1.55 ft	Below flood stage	−0.07 ft	5.5 mi
Rapid Creek above Victoria Creek near Rapid CityRiver gauge, Rapid Creek	5.23 ft	Below flood stage	+0.02 ft	6 mi
Rapid Creek below Hawthorn Ditch at Rapid CityRiver gauge, Rapid Creek	9.37 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	7 mi
Rapid Creek at Big Bend near Rapid CityRiver gauge, Rapid Creek	2.82 ft	Below flood stage	±0	8 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for Boxelder Creek near Rapid City?

The official flood stage is 33.50 ft. The level is currently 3.79 ft below it.

Is gage height the same as water depth?

No. Gage height is measured from a fixed reference point chosen by the agency, so a reading of 10 ft does not mean the river is 10 ft deep.

What is the water level of Boxelder Creek near Rapid City today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 11:40 PM MDT, the water level was 29.71 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Boxelder Creek near Rapid City rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Steady over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Boxelder Creek near Rapid City normal?

Below flood stage. Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Boxelder Creek near Rapid City?

The highest level on record is 34.24 ft on July 5, 2019.

How often is this data updated?

The U.S. Geological Survey publishes a new reading every 15 minutes. This page refreshes within minutes of each update.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:06423010 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 44.13167, -103.29833 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: NAVD88
Update interval: every 15 minutes
Licence: Public domain. Data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), provisional data subject to revision

Published series

Parameter	Last value	Time (UTC)	Quality
Water level	29.71 ft	2026-10-21 05:40	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Boxelder Creek near Rapid City (usgs:06423010). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/south-dakota/boxelder-creek-near-rapid-city

How we check values

Each reading is stored as published. We hold back values that jump faster than physically plausible and show the measurement time with every value.

Readings are provisional, can be delayed or wrong and are not a flood warning. Read the disclaimer