Alert archive / Kansas / River Flood Warnings in 2025
River Flood Warning 27, NWS Topeka, KS
NWS Topeka, KS issued this river flood warning at Sep 8, 2025, 1:59 PM CDT for Ottawa County, Saline County, Kansas. It took effect at Sep 8, 2025, 6:46 PM CDT. It was in force for 27 hr.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Sep 8, 2025, 1:59 PM CDT (18:59 UTC)
- In effect from
- Sep 8, 2025, 6:46 PM CDT
- Expired
- Sep 9, 2025, 10:09 PM CDT
- In force
- 27 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Topeka, KS
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
- Flood severity
- Moderate
Counties Ottawa County, KS, Saline County, KS
The radar
The Topeka radar (KTWX), 123 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:00 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.
Open the radar archive at this moment
The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.
The river
Written for the forecast point Saline River (KS) at Tescott (TSCK1). The gauge peaked at 29.78 ft at Sep 9, 2025, 2:00 AM CDT.
- Action stage
- 20 ft
- Minor stage
- 25 ft
- Moderate stage
- 29 ft
- Major stage
- 32 ft
This gauge today: stage, forecast and historic crests
Stage from the USGS instantaneous record for site 06869500, one reading an hour, from a day before the product to a day after it ended. Flood stages are today's.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this river flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Topeka, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before this river flood warning went out at Sep 8, 12:55 PM CDT, 1 hour 4 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
- Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms move through the area today, focused towards central KS this morning and eastern KS tonight.
- Temperatures gradually warm up through the week.
Area forecast discussion, Sep 8, 12:55 PM CDT, 1 hour 4 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Topeka KS 1255 PM CDT Mon Sep 8 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms move through the area today, focused towards central KS this morning and eastern KS tonight. - Temperatures gradually warm up through the week. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 411 AM CDT Mon Sep 8 2025 Northwest flow aloft is transitioning towards zonal flow over the Rockies, and water vapor imagery early this morning shows a subtle shortwave embedded within that flow over the High Plains. This has helped to generate widely scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms in the area of northeast CO, western NE, and northwest KS. Additionally, a few isolated storms in north central KS (just west of the CWA) appear to be aided by a 30-35 kt LLJ and isentropic lift. The shortwave is progged to move east across Nebraska through the day and deepen slightly into MO overnight tonight, setting the stage for our weather for the next 24-30 hours. A majority of CAMs have scattered showers and storms moving into our north central KS counties around 10-11Z this morning, although forecast soundings take until around sunrise or shortly after to saturate through the column. (The 00Z TOP RAOB had abundant dry air through the profile.) So while rain could start as soon as the predawn hours if the activity just to our west can maintain itself, confidence increases after daybreak as low-level moisture improves. By late morning and afternoon, CAMs diverge on how this activity will evolve through the day. The FV3 suggests it will dive south- southeast and eventually die off, the HRRR and ARW keep it going across eastern KS without a break into the afternoon and evening, and the NAM Nest has something in between those solutions. The eastern half of the area doesn't have much instability to work with through the day and moisture quality decreases further east as well, so am not sure about showers being as robust as the HRRR and ARW are showing this afternoon and early evening. Have held onto low PoPs to account for that solution, but if the other CAMs are closer to reality, then there would be a break in the rain this afternoon for most or all of the area. Later this evening and overnight, vertical ascent from the shortwave becomes more prevalent across eastern KS and should be aided by the LLJ restrengthening and veering slightly. This looks to develop additional rain in a north-south corridor across eastern KS, perhaps lining up with the gradient of MUCAPE. Lapse rates look modest at 6- 6.5 C/km, so a few embedded thunderstorms could occur, but instability looks too weak for severe weather as the instability axis is still towards central KS. Some rain may linger past daybreak Tuesday before the wave moves off to the east. From there, a mid- level ridge looks to amplify across the Plains, leading to gradually warming temperatures throughout the week. A couple of weak perturbations bring minor precip chances at times Wednesday into early Thursday with greater confidence in dry weather late in the work week as the ridge strengthens overhead. This leads to high temperatures becoming a few degrees warmer in the 80s each day, possibly reaching 90 by Friday. More widespread rain chances (20- 30%) return late next weekend with an upper trough approaching from the western US. && .AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z TUESDAY/... Issued at 1252 PM CDT Mon Sep 8 2025 High-based showers will move across the area today with some rumbles of thunder possible at KMHK. CIGs should remain VFR and above 6kft with heavier showers possibly bringing down visibilities to MVFR at times. The next round of rain/storm chances come overnight tonight and into early Tuesday morning. Overall confidence on coverage is low to medium, so opted to just keep precipitation mention at VCSH with a PROB30 group in for accompanying thunder. && .TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && DISCUSSION...Picha AVIATION...Griesemer
Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 8, 12:57 PM CDT, 1 hour 2 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Topeka KS 1257 PM CDT Mon Sep 8 2025 KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059-091800- Republic-Washington-Marshall-Nemaha-Brown-Cloud-Clay-Riley- Pottawatomie-Jackson-Jefferson-Ottawa-Dickinson-Geary-Morris- Wabaunsee-Shawnee-Douglas-Lyon-Osage-Franklin-Coffey-Anderson- 1257 PM CDT Mon Sep 8 2025 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for central Kansas, east central Kansas, north central Kansas and northeast Kansas. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight. Localized flash and ariel flooding may occur across portions of Ottawa county as areas have seen between 4-6 inches of rain this morning, some areas possibly seeing higher totals. See the webpage for further details on active flood warnings. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday. The probability for widespread hazardous weather is low. && More detailed information can be found at: www.weather.gov/media/top/DssPacket.pdf
In the hours before
Local storm report, Sep 8, 9:32 AM CDT, 4 hours 27 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Topeka KS
932 AM CDT Mon Sep 8 2025
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0920 AM Rain 1 NNW Tescott 39.02N 97.88W
09/08/2025 M3.45 Inch Ottawa KS Trained Spotter
Still raining.
&&Special weather statement, Sep 8, 11:32 AM CDT, 2 hours 27 minutes before
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Topeka KS
1132 AM CDT Mon Sep 8 2025
KSZ034-081700-
Ottawa-
1132 AM CDT Mon Sep 8 2025
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT SOUTHWESTERN OTTAWA COUNTY
THROUGH NOON CDT...
At 1131 AM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 5
miles southwest of Ada, moving southeast at 15 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 40 mph and nickel size hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down twigs or small limbs and blow
around objects. Hail damage to outdoor objects and
vegetation is possible.
Locations impacted include...
Tescott and Ada.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
&&
LAT...LON 3920 9793 3904 9777 3896 9793
TIME...MOT...LOC 1631Z 316DEG 14KT 3912 9797
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.88 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH
GriesemerLocal storm report, Sep 8, 12:42 PM CDT, 1 hour 17 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Topeka KS
1242 PM CDT Mon Sep 8 2025
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1230 PM Flood Culver 38.97N 97.76W
09/08/2025 Ottawa KS County Official
A few streets flooded.
1230 PM Flood 2 N Culver 39.00N 97.76W
09/08/2025 Ottawa KS County Official
Water over 90th Rd 1/2 mile south of
Coronado Rd.
1230 PM Flood 1 NW Tescott 39.02N 97.89W
09/08/2025 Ottawa KS County Official
K-18 closed.
&&Local storm report, Sep 8, 1:17 PM CDT, 42 minutes before
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</html>The office that day
Everything else NWS Topeka, KS issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 8, 8:50 AM CDT | Areal Flood Advisory | TOP | Ottawa | 3 hr |
| Sep 8, 10:10 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | TOP | Ottawa | 110 min |
| Sep 8, 11:32 AM CDT | Special Weather Statement | TOP | Ottawa | 28 min |
| Sep 8, 11:52 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | TOP | Ottawa | 3 hr |
| Sep 8, 12:20 PM CDT | River Flood Warning | TOP | Ottawa | 4 days |
| Sep 8, 1:09 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | TOP | Ottawa | 111 min |
| Sep 8, 3:02 PM CDT | Areal Flood Warning | TOP | Ottawa | 19 hr |
Nearby
River Flood Warnings in Kansas, 2025Every river flood warning in 2025
Sources
The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive; the gauge from the NWS water service and the USGS.