How high is the James River at Columbia,sd right now?

The James River at Columbia,sd is currently flowing at 562 cubic feet per second with a gage height of 9.51 feet, based on the most recent USGS instantaneous reading.

Is the flow on the James River at Columbia,sd normal for this time of year?

Current flow is classified as normal for June 11. Today's discharge is at the 54th percentile compared to the long-term historical record at this gauge.

Is the James River at Columbia,sd at flood stage?

No — the gage height is 3.49 feet below the NWS flood-stage threshold of 13.0 feet.

What is the historical median flow for the James River at Columbia,sd on June 11?

The long-term median discharge for this date is 443 cfs based on USGS daily statistics. The 10th–95th percentile range historically is 0 to 2,430 cfs.

Where is the James River at Columbia,sd stream gauge located?

The James River at Columbia,sd stream gauge is operated by the USGS in Brown County, SD on the James River. USGS site number 06471000 (coordinates 45.6036, -98.3104).

James River at Columbia,sd

USGS Site No: 06471000 • James River • Brown County, SD

James River at Columbia,sd on the James River is currently at 562 cfs (Normal — 54th percentile for this date) . Gage height: 9.51 ft.

Reading from 1 week ago

↑ Upstream on James River

James River at ND-SD State Line

Downstream on James River ↓

James River at Cartersville, VA

562

CFS Discharge

9.51

Gage Height (ft)

Normal

Flow Condition

Normal

Flood Status

Historical Percentile Comparison

Today's discharge compared to the long-term record for June 11 at this station. Percentile rank shows what fraction of historical years had lower flow on this date.

Percentile	Label	CFS Threshold	Today's Flow
10th	Very Low threshold	0
25th	Low threshold	119
50th (Median)	Normal (median)	443
75th	High threshold	1,220	Today: 562 cfs
95th	Very High threshold	2,430

30-Day Hydrograph

Recent discharge plotted against the historical 10th–95th percentile envelope for the same calendar days. Source: USGS daily values + long-term statistics.

10th–95th historical Day-of-year median Recent discharge

30-Day Flow History

Date	Discharge (CFS)	Gage Ht (ft)
May 28, 2026	583	9.63
May 27, 2026	596	9.71
May 26, 2026	605	9.76
May 25, 2026	615	9.82
May 24, 2026	621	9.86
May 23, 2026	627	9.89
May 20, 2026	631	9.91
May 19, 2026	651	10.03
May 18, 2026	644	9.99
May 17, 2026	623	9.87
May 16, 2026	619	9.85
Apr 19, 2026	569	10.46
Apr 18, 2026	560	10.41
Apr 17, 2026	554	10.37
Apr 16, 2026	533	10.25
Apr 14, 2026	528	10.17
Apr 13, 2026	512	10.01
Apr 12, 2026	495	9.86
Apr 11, 2026	481	9.72
Apr 10, 2026	476	9.66
Apr 9, 2026	471	9.59
Apr 8, 2026	477	9.64
Apr 7, 2026	496	9.78
Apr 6, 2026	505	9.84
Apr 5, 2026	511	9.88
Apr 4, 2026	518	9.92
Apr 3, 2026	511	9.88
Apr 2, 2026	507	9.86
Apr 1, 2026	507	9.85
Mar 31, 2026	515	9.91

Station Information

USGS Site No: 06471000
State: SD
County: Brown County
Coordinates: 45.6036, -98.3104
Drainage Area: 5,691 mi²
Datum (ft): 1,273.2
HUC Code: 10160003

View on USGS NWIS →

Flood Stage Thresholds

Action Stage: 12.0 ft
Flood Stage: 13.0 ft
Moderate Flood: 16.0 ft
Major Flood: 18.0 ft

Currently 3.49 ft below flood stage.

Recent Extremes

Max discharge: 1,350 cfs

Aug 27, 2025
Min discharge: 135 cfs

Jul 14, 2025
Days at flood stage: 36

Computed from the local daily-values archive.

Nearby Gauges

Elm River at Westport,sd
9.7 mi · 31 cfs

Normal
Foot Creek Near Aberdeen, SD
14.2 mi · 112 cfs

High
James River at ND-SD State Line
23.9 mi · 533 cfs

Normal
Maple River at ND-SD State Line
24.2 mi · 21 cfs

Normal
James River Near Stratford,sd
25.3 mi · 781 cfs

Normal