Big Blue River near Manhattan, KS
River level and flood forecast · Riley County
Normal11.1 ftas of Mon 2 PM
The river is 7.9 ft below flood stage (19 ft).
Flow: 11,000 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 | 30 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 27 ft |
| Flood stage | 19 ft |
| Action stage | 15 ft |
| Record crest (July 12, 1951) | 36.04 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 37 ftLevee along the Big Blue River is overtopped.
- 30 ftStructures along and north of Prospect Street and along Messenger Road flood.
- 27 ftStructures along Harwood Road flood.
- 19 ftMinor low land flooding begins along the river.
Highest crests on record
- 36.04 ft — July 12, 1951
- 32.71 ft — July 23, 1993
- 22.41 ft — June 1, 2019
- 19.76 ft — July 19, 2019
- 19.28 ft — August 7, 1992
Recent crests: 3.78 ft (May 15, 2023) · 10.33 ft (June 4, 2022) · 11.97 ft (April 2, 2021) · 13.44 ft (November 15, 2019) · 19.76 ft (July 19, 2019)
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (MNTK1); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.