Rivers in Kansas

Smoky Hill River near New Cambria

Saline County, KansasNWS NCMK1USGS 06870200Wichita office

Below flood stage
5.28ftStage

Observed Sun, Sep 27, 7:45 PM CDT

Flood stage
27.00 ft
Record crest
31.72 ft1993

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood33.10 ft
Moderate flood30.00 ft
Minor flood27.00 ft
Action25.00 ft
  1. 33.10 ftExpect roads surrounding and within the city of New Cambria to be flooded and along with roads in the vicinity of the river. In addition, expect widespread flooding of low-lying areas.
  2. 31.00 ftAll roads leading into New Cambria become flooded. Old Highway 40 between Marymount Road and Whitmore Road is closed due to flood waters. Dependent on high flows coming down from Saline River the railroad trestle bridge just south of Old Highway 40 may be overtopped.
  3. 30.00 ftNiles Road south of Stimmel Road near the gage site begins to flood. Also expect extensive flooding of low-lying areas and croplands. Within the city the following roads become flooded, Railroad Street and Mill Street, First Street and Second Street and Cunningham. Dependent on high flows coming down from Saline River, Old Highway 40 may flood about a foot deep from Simpson Road to Niles Road.
  4. 29.50 ftWater covers Railroad Street and Mill Street, Cunningham Road and First Street and Second Street.
  5. 28.00 ftFlood waters flow over North Street just east of the intersection of Simpson Road. This location is 2 1/2 miles southwest of New Cambria.
  6. 27.00 ftBoth banks overflow at about this height. Expect flooding of low-lying areas and bottom land along both sides of the river.

Flood outlook

Significant river flooding is possible here through October 3.

Weather conditions indicate that significant flooding could occur; it is neither certain nor imminent.

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor flooding9%
Moderate flooding7%
Major floodingUnder 5%

The five-day outlook is from the Weather Prediction Center with the River Forecast Centers. The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued September 23, 2026.

Crest history

50 crests on NOAA’s list since 1977.

#DateStage
1June 25, 199331.72 ft
2July 22, 199331.60 ft
3July 15, 199331.45 ft
4May 25, 200731.42 ft
5May 7, 200731.12 ft
6May 29, 199531.02 ft
7May 23, 201930.67 ft
8May 12, 199330.64 ft
9March 25, 198730.29 ft
10May 10, 201930.01 ft
11June 24, 201929.94 ft
12May 25, 199529.90 ft
13November 3, 199829.59 ft
14May 28, 201929.50 ft
15March 31, 198028.91 ft
16June 2, 199628.45 ft
17March 25, 200028.10 ft
18July 2, 198228.10 ft
19October 11, 201827.92 ft
20March 29, 198727.60 ft
21July 5, 201927.60 ft
22July 3, 199327.28 ft
23May 19, 199527.13 ft
24September 10, 202527.09 ft
25October 10, 198526.90 ft

Most recent crests

  • September 10, 2025: 27.09 ft
  • July 23, 2025: 23.59 ft
  • June 19, 2025: 15.65 ft
  • June 10, 2024: 9.80 ft
  • July 15, 2023: 8.07 ft
  • May 27, 2022: 18.79 ft
  • May 28, 2021: 23.83 ft
  • May 26, 2020: 26.39 ft
  • July 5, 2019: 27.60 ft
  • June 24, 2019: 29.94 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 and future precipitation. Forecast stages may be different if forecast future rainfall does not occur. 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.