Rivers in Kansas

Kansas River at Manhattan

Riley County, KansasNWS MHKK1USGS 06879820Topeka office

Below flood stage
5.37ftStage

Observed Thu, Sep 24, 4:45 AM CDT

Flood stage
18.00 ft
Record crest
40.00 ft1844

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood42.00 ft
Moderate flood26.00 ft
Minor flood18.00 ft
Action14.00 ft
  1. 36.00 ftFlood waters reach the top of levee protecting the city of Manhattan.
  2. 28.00 ftFlood waters reach the top of the levee on the south bank of the river.
  3. 26.00 ftHunter's Island begins to flood.
  4. 18.00 ftLow lands along the river flood.

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor flooding8%
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

60 crests on NOAA’s list since 1844.

#DateStage
1June 1, 184440.00 ft
2July 13, 195133.39 ft
3July 25, 199329.92 ft
4July 15, 195129.84 ft
5June 29, 195126.76 ft
6June 24, 195125.22 ft
7June 9, 195123.04 ft
8July 20, 195023.00 ft
9July 20, 194822.68 ft
10June 28, 194722.40 ft
11October 11, 197322.38 ft
12March 29, 196021.90 ft
13May 17, 199521.84 ft
14June 17, 195121.40 ft
15June 16, 195121.07 ft
16June 26, 194720.70 ft
17September 5, 195120.58 ft
18June 6, 201120.07 ft
19September 13, 195119.94 ft
20August 18, 199319.90 ft
21July 7, 201919.76 ft
22October 4, 195019.74 ft
23May 24, 199519.70 ft
24May 11, 199319.69 ft
25May 10, 199319.67 ft

Most recent crests

  • May 16, 2023: 7.52 ft
  • June 8, 2022: 12.09 ft
  • May 27, 2021: 16.33 ft
  • May 25, 2020: 16.39 ft
  • August 30, 2019: 18.13 ft
  • July 7, 2019: 19.76 ft
  • June 28, 2019: 18.39 ft
  • June 23, 2019: 19.58 ft
  • May 30, 2019: 19.12 ft
  • May 26, 2019: 19.29 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.