Arkansas River at Great Bend, KS
River level and flood forecast · Barton County
Normal0.7 ftas of Mon 2:30 PM
The river is 11.3 ft below flood stage (12 ft).
Flow: 9 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Sun, Dec 31, 6 PM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 18 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 16 ft |
| Flood stage | 12 ft |
| Action stage | 10 ft |
| Record crest (June 15, 1981) | 17.7 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 27.81 ftThe levees on both banks at the Highway 281 Bridge, at the gage site, will begin to overtop.
- 24 ftThe sidewalk openings in the levee at the Highway 281 Bridge will start to flood.
- 14.11 ftWater begins to threaten the City's Sewage Treatment Plant which is southeast of the city. Flooding will affect agricultural communities.
- 12.5 ftMinor overflows begins to affect agricultural communities 3 miles upstream.
- 12 ftMinor flooding of low-lying areas and bottom land can be expected. Minor flooding begins to affect agricultural communities 3 miles upstream.
Highest crests on record
- 17.7 ft — June 15, 1981
- 14.62 ft — April 3, 1973
- 14.46 ft — May 29, 2019
- 13.94 ft — September 29, 1973
- 13.31 ft — July 22, 1993
Recent crests: 5.77 ft (June 27, 2025) · 5.62 ft (November 24, 2024) · 3.09 ft (August 10, 2023) · 1 ft (June 12, 2022) · 6.17 ft (May 21, 2021)
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (GTBK1); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.