Elk Creek near Rapid City water level

Name: Elk 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, Elk Creek, South Dakota, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

4.14ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 03:00 PM MDT (2 days ago)

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

Water level Normal range (10–90 %) Minor flood stage

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Elk Creek near Rapid City, where the gauge shows 4.14 ft.

It is 5.86 ft below the flood stage of 10.00 ft. On the same day last year the reading was 5.09 ft, a difference of −0.95 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours.

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

Same day last year: 5.09 ft−0.95 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 4.14 ft – 4.14 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 4.14 ft – 5.29 ft
Highest on record: 14.40 ftJune 9, 1972

Paddling and fishing conditions

Most paddlers and anglers will find the river in good shape at this stage.

For reference, flood stage is 10.00 ft.

What happens at each level

14.40 ft: June 1972 crest as indicated by local residents.
14.00 ft: Major Flood Stage. Major flooding of pasture land. Access to homes may be cut off.
13.00 ft: Moderate Flood Stage. Erosion of banks may begin to occur. Moderate flooding of pasture land. Water may cover portions of Elk Creek Road and Antelope Creek Road.
12.50 ft: Water may begin to cover Antelope Creek Road just north of Elk Creek. It typically takes the water at least 5 hours to get to this location downstream.
12.00 ft: Elk Creek Road just east of Elk Creek may begin to be covered with water. It can take 2-3 hours for the water to reach Elk Creek road downstream from the gage. Minor flooding of pasture land upstream and downstream from the gage will occur.
11.00 ft: Possible flooding of yards and basements along Elk Creek in the Golden Valley Subdivision and along 220th street and Antelope Creek Road.
10.00 ft: Flood Stage: Minor overflow of lower banks downstream from gage.
4.14 ft: Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	14.40 ft	June 9, 1972
2	12.77 ft	May 27, 1996
3	12.71 ft	October 11, 2013
4	12.29 ft	May 25, 2010
5	12.20 ft	March 17, 1978
6	12.16 ft	June 2, 2015
7	12.05 ft	May 9, 1995
8	11.81 ft	April 13, 2009
9	11.80 ft	February 26, 1986
10	11.64 ft	June 6, 2008

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

17 Sat 84° 39° – Wind 6 mph

18 Sun 69° 48° – Wind 15 mph

19 Mon 64° 40° – Wind 14 mph

20 Tue 77° 50° – Wind 19 mph

21 Wed 71° 53° – Wind 12 mph

22 Thu 78° 55° – Wind 23 mph

23 Fri 84° 45° 0.46 in, 36% Wind 33 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:16 AM Sunset 06:00 PM Daylight 10 hr, 44 min Waxing gibbous 76%

Map

Other gauges on Elk Creek

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Elk Creek near Elm SpringsRiver gauge, Elk Creek	3.48 ft	Below flood stage	±0	32 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Boxelder Creek near Rapid CityRiver gauge, Boxelder Creek	29.70 ft	Below flood stage	±0	10 mi
Rapid Creek at Rapid CityRiver gauge, Rapid Creek	3.23 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	12 mi
Rapid Creek below Hawthorn Ditch at Rapid CityRiver gauge, Rapid Creek	9.36 ft	Below flood stage	±0	12 mi
South Canyon near Rapid CityRiver gauge, South Canyon	3.59 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	13 mi
Cleghorn Springs at Rapid CityRiver gauge, Cleghorn Springs	8.2 cfs	Very low	−0.4 cfs	14 mi
Rapid Creek above Wrf near Rapid CityRiver gauge, Rapid Creek	3.40 ft	Below flood stage	+0.04 ft	15 mi
Rapid Creek above Canyon Lake near Rapid CityRiver gauge, Rapid Creek	1.55 ft	Below flood stage	−0.06 ft	15 mi
Wild Irishman Gulch near Rapid CityRiver gauge, Wild Irishman Gulch	3.55 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	15 mi

Questions and answers

Is Elk Creek near Rapid City higher than last year?

No, it is 0.95 ft lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 5.09 ft.

What is flood stage for Elk Creek near Rapid City?

The official flood stage is 10.00 ft. The level is currently 5.86 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 Elk Creek near Rapid City today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 03:00 PM MDT, the water level was 4.14 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Elk Creek near Rapid City rising or falling?

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

Is the level of Elk 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 Elk Creek near Rapid City?

The highest level on record is 14.40 ft on June 9, 1972.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:06425100 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 44.24028, -103.15083 (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	4.14 ft	2026-10-19 21:00	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Elk Creek near Rapid City (usgs:06425100). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/south-dakota/elk-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