Rivers in Kansas

Wakarusa River near Lawrence

Douglas County, KansasNWS LAWK1USGS 06891500Topeka office

Below flood stage
4.58ftStage

Observed Sat, Sep 26, 1:30 PM CDT

Flood stage
23.00 ft
Record crest
31.59 ft1951

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood45.00 ft
Moderate flood25.00 ft
Minor flood23.00 ft
Action18.00 ft
  1. 31.00 ftRiver reaches a width of a half mile and continues to spread over cultivated fields.
  2. 25.00 ftRoad 1150 East floods.
  3. 23.00 ftMinor low land flooding begins.

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor flooding5%
Moderate floodingUnder 5%
Major floodingUnder 5%

The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued September 23, 2026.

Crest history

138 crests on NOAA’s list since 1951.

#DateStage
1July 12, 195131.59 ft
2October 11, 197331.01 ft
3June 21, 196730.86 ft
4September 28, 197330.82 ft
5December 4, 197330.65 ft
6July 20, 197330.50 ft
7August 10, 196830.26 ft
8July 19, 197330.12 ft
9June 27, 196829.87 ft
10May 7, 197329.31 ft
11September 25, 197329.26 ft
12March 25, 197328.98 ft
13June 12, 196728.90 ft
14August 1, 201928.90 ft
15June 30, 198828.55 ft
16June 6, 196528.52 ft
17March 31, 197328.40 ft
18September 13, 196128.29 ft
19October 5, 199828.20 ft
20April 28, 196928.17 ft
21February 2, 197328.15 ft
22November 2, 196128.12 ft
23April 17, 197328.07 ft
24June 4, 197027.83 ft
25July 26, 196827.67 ft

Most recent crests

  • May 27, 2021: 20.09 ft
  • August 27, 2020: 16.80 ft
  • August 17, 2019: 23.02 ft
  • August 1, 2019: 28.90 ft
  • August 22, 2017: 24.73 ft
  • May 27, 2016: 25.06 ft
  • June 10, 2015: 19.95 ft
  • June 10, 2014: 11.78 ft
  • May 31, 2013: 13.58 ft
  • February 29, 2012: 7.87 ft

Nearby

Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.

What this means

Forecasts by the Missouri Basin River Forecast Center. Forecasts are issued as needed during times of high water, but are not routinely available. River forecasts for this location take into account past precipitation and the precipitation amounts expected approximately 24 hours into the future from the forecast issuance time. River forecasts for this location take into account past precipitation and the precipitation amounts expected approximately 48 hours into the future from the forecast issuance time. Stage may be affected by ice during winter months.

Sources

Stage, flood stages, impacts and crest history from NOAA’s National Water Prediction Service. Streamflow and the daily record from the U.S. Geological Survey.