Cottonwood River near Florence, KS
River level and flood forecast · Marion County
Normal3.3 ftas of Mon 2:15 PM
The river is 18.7 ft below flood stage (22 ft).
Flow: 130 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 | 32 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 27 ft |
| Flood stage | 22 ft |
| Action stage | 20 ft |
| Record crest (November 2, 1998) | 28.81 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 48 ftThe southern section of the levee system around the city of Florence may become breeched. If levee is overtopped, flood waters may rise up to four feet deep across most of the city streets of Florence. Expect dozens of homes to be flooded. The levee runs around the city of Florence from the northeast end, east, and along the south.
- 32 ftWater levels can reach nearly 10 inches above ground floors of houses less than 1 mile north of gage site that is 2.5 miles east of Florence.
- 27 ftFlooding is sufficiently extensive to reach driveways of property within 1.0 mile of the gage site. Expect extensive cropland and field flooding.
- 24 ftOutside the levee system in southeast Florence, flood waters flow across Park Ave Road and reach the foundation of a residential home. Northwest of Florence, the bridge on 140th Road and 1/2 mile west of Highway 77 floods.
- 22 ftMinor flooding of the left bank and roads along the north bank will begin.
Highest crests on record
- 28.81 ft — November 2, 1998
- 28.03 ft — June 17, 1975
- 27.85 ft — May 9, 1993
- 27.56999969482 ft — June 10, 1965
- 27.21 ft — July 31, 2013
Recent crests: 20.89 ft (August 31, 2025) · 22.98 ft (June 18, 2025) · 25.15 ft (June 3, 2025) · 22.08 ft (June 10, 2024) · 22.14 ft (June 6, 2022)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- DownstreamCottonwood River above Cottonwood Falls, KS
- West Branch Walnut River at El Dorado, KS
- Cottonwood River near Plymouth, KS
- Whitewater River (KS) near Towanda, KS
- Emma Creek (KS) above Sedgwick, KS
- Neosho River near Americus, KS
- Neosho River near Parkerville, KS
- Little Arkansas River near Sedgwick, KS
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (FLRK1); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.