White River, South Dakota
6 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1955 and the latest in 1985. It stands in White River City. It lies in ZIP code area 57579. The Survey maps it on the White River East quadrangle. 533 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 2,136 feet above sea level.
On record in White River
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 1 record
Population over time
2 figuresWhite River fell from 581 to 533 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 581 | |
| 2020 | 533 | -48 (-8%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
4 surveys from 6 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1955 USGS Martin quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1958 USGS Martin quadrangle1:250000
- 1982 USGS White River East quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS White River quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
137 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 137 fires within 5 miles of White River between 1992 and 2020, burning about 1,416 acres in total. 18 started naturally. 5 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 44 |
| Debris and open burning | 29 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 23 |
| Natural | 18 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 7 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 5 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 4 |
| Fireworks | 4 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 3 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 September 2011 | Natural | 5.5 acres | Rosebud Agency | NLOWER SWIFT BEAR |
| 6 September 2012 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Rosebud Agency | PIT FIRE |
| 3 September 1998 | Equipment and vehicle use | 30 acres | Rosebud Agency | LAWRENCE |
| 29 September 2000 | Misuse of fire by a minor | under an acre | Rosebud Agency | TWO BEARS |
| 27 September 1995 | Debris and open burning | 61 acres | Rosebud Agency | HORSE CK. |
| 24 September 2000 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 1.0 acres | Rosebud Agency | JAMES |
| 21 September 2005 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 20 acres | Rosebud Agency | ALLEN |
| 2 September 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4.0 acres | Rosebud Agency | TAIL GATE |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
60 of 99 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names White River in 99 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 52 hail, 39 thunderstorm wind, 5 flood, 3 tornado. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | White River | $200,000 | High winds of unknown strength destroyed a new hog barn, moved two more off thier foundations and tore siding off another barn. The building that was destroyed was vacant, and no hogs were injured or killed. |
| July 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | White River | $75,000 | Roofs were torn off two houses and a trailer house was rolled three times. No injuries were reported. |
| August 2009 | Hail | White River | $5,000 | A house roof was damaged by large hail. |
| June 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | White River | $5,000 | Strong winds downed numerous trees in White River, including one 20 inches in diameter. |
| June 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | White River | $5,000 | An uprooted tree damaged two vehicles. |
| June 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | White River | $5,000 | A tree was blown over during the evening hours, damaging a nearby car. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | White River | - | SD mesonet recorded wind gust. |
| July 2025 | Hail | White River | - | Public submitted report. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | White River | - | SD Mesonet recorded wind gust. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | White River | - | SD Mesonet recorded wind gust. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | White River | - | SD Mesonet recorded wind gust. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | White River | - | A camper was blown over by the wind. |
| April 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | White River | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| August 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | White River | - | Small hail also fell with the storm. |
| August 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | White River | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | White River | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | White River | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| March 2019 | Flood | White River | - | Ice jams, combined with runoff from melting snow, caused moderate flooding along the White River. On March 22, the rising river forced the closure of US Highway 83. About a three-quarter mile stretch of Highway 83 was inundated when water backed up behind an ice jam downstream. On March 23, a record flow of 21,700 cfs was recorded at the site. This location has a period of record about 20 years. |
| May 2019 | Flood | White River | - | Minor flooding of agricultural land occurred along the White River around the US Highway 83 bridge north of the town of White River. The river crested at 14.82 feet just over flood stage (14 feet) on May 25, with a peak flow around 17,700 cfs. |
| May 2019 | Flood | White River | - | Minor flooding of agricultural land occurred along the White River around the US Highway 83 bridge north of the town of White River. The river crested just over flood stage (14 feet) at 14.92 feet on May 28, with a peak flow around 18,100 cfs. |
| July 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | White River | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| September 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | White River | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| August 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | White River | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | White River | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | White River | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| May 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | White River | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| May 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | White River | - | Wind gusts were estimated around 60 mph. |
| June 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | White River | - | Several trees were blown down in White River. |
| August 2006 | Hail | White River | - | 50 mph wind gusts accompanied the hail. |
| August 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | White River | - | Part of a barn roof was blown off. |
| May 1999 | Tornado (F0) | White River | - | Brief Touchdown. Tornado path and width estimated |
| May 1999 | Tornado (F0) | White River | - | Brief Touchdown. Tornado path and width estimated |
| July 2024 | Hail | White River | - | no account filed |
| July 2024 | Hail | White River | - | no account filed |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | White River | - | no account filed |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | White River | - | no account filed |
| September 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | White River | - | no account filed |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | White River | - | no account filed |
| July 2021 | Hail | White River | - | no account filed |
| August 2021 | Hail | White River | - | no account filed |
| August 2021 | Hail | White River | - | no account filed |
| June 2020 | Hail | White River | - | no account filed |
| August 2019 | Hail | White River | - | no account filed |
| August 2019 | Hail | White River | - | no account filed |
| July 2018 | Hail | White River | - | no account filed |
| July 2016 | Hail | White River | - | no account filed |
| August 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | White River | - | no account filed |
| May 2012 | Hail | White River | - | no account filed |
| May 2012 | Hail | White River | - | no account filed |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | White River | - | no account filed |
| August 2011 | Hail | White River | - | no account filed |
| August 2011 | Hail | White River | - | no account filed |
| June 2010 | Hail | White River | - | no account filed |
| June 2010 | Hail | White River | - | no account filed |
| April 2009 | Flood | White River | - | no account filed |
| May 2009 | Hail | White River | - | no account filed |
| February 2009 | Flood | White River | - | no account filed |
| July 2009 | Hail | White River | - | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Hail | White River | - | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | White River | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar Butte | 14.5 miles | 5 | |
| Wood | 15.0 miles | 5 | |
| Badnation | 20.7 miles | 7 | |
| Corn Creek | 24.1 miles | 5 | |
| Mosher | 24.7 miles | 5 | |
| Norris | 24.8 miles | 5 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on White River | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2269699 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1266934. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.



