Rivers in Kansas

Marais Des Cygnes River at Ottawa

Franklin County, KansasNWS OTWK1USGS 06913500Topeka office

Below flood stage
3.64ftStage

Observed Wed, Sep 23, 1:30 PM CDT

Flood stage
30.00 ft
Record crest
42.97 ft1951

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood45.00 ft
Moderate flood33.00 ft
Minor flood30.00 ft
Action25.00 ft
  1. 37.00 ftFlood barriers are closed on Main Street in north Ottawa. Also flooding occurs in parts of east and west Ottawa due to backwater from the river along creeks. Homes are threatened by flood waters in parts of west and east Ottawa.
  2. 31.00 ftLowland areas near the river continue to flood.
  3. 30.00 ftNeosho Road east of Ottawa floods.

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor flooding16%
Moderate flooding6%
Major floodingUnder 5%

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

Crest history

106 crests on NOAA’s list since 1844.

#DateStage
1July 11, 195142.97 ft
2July 13, 184441.50 ft
3July 1, 200741.00 ft
4November 17, 192839.05 ft
5November 2, 199838.92 ft
6September 14, 196134.95 ft
7June 27, 196934.58 ft
8May 17, 199534.33 ft
9May 22, 201934.16 ft
10June 24, 201934.03 ft
11October 12, 197334.01 ft
12October 12, 197334.01 ft
13July 22, 199333.87 ft
14July 22, 199333.87 ft
15August 1, 201933.79 ft
16May 1, 201933.73 ft
17June 7, 196533.64 ft
18June 22, 196733.63 ft
19May 24, 201533.31 ft
20May 27, 201633.29 ft
21May 17, 202133.20 ft
22June 6, 199733.16 ft
23May 9, 199333.09 ft
24May 10, 199333.09 ft
25April 29, 199432.84 ft

Most recent crests

  • June 4, 2025: 31.47 ft
  • April 28, 2024: 27.19 ft
  • June 1, 2023: 29.14 ft
  • May 26, 2022: 19.33 ft
  • May 21, 2021: 31.74 ft
  • May 17, 2021: 33.20 ft
  • May 5, 2020: 23.53 ft
  • August 31, 2019: 31.25 ft
  • August 1, 2019: 33.79 ft
  • June 24, 2019: 34.03 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.