Kansas River at Topeka, KS
River level and flood forecast · Shawnee County
Normal12.7 ftas of Mon 2:30 PM
The river is 13.3 ft below flood stage (26 ft).
Forecast to rise to 13.0 ft Thu 7 AM, below the 26 ft flood stage.
Flow: 16,800 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 9:24 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 44 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 27 ft |
| Flood stage | 26 ft |
| Action stage | 15 ft |
| Record crest (June 1, 1844) | 47.2 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 43 ftFloodwaters overflow West Waterworks levee top.
- 42 ftWater tops the levees on north and south banks at the Sardou bridge.
- 38 ftFlood waters reach South Topeka Gap at Union Pacific Railroad bridge.
- 37.5 ftFloodwaters overflow Union Pacific Railroad lifting bridge west of Topeka Blvd.
- 37 ftFlood waters reach base of stoplog gap across Union Pacific Railroad near Ward Martin Creek.
- 26 ftRiver Road under the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad bridge begins to flood.
- 23 ftOverflow of low-lying rural areas begins west of topeka.
Highest crests on record
- 47.2 ft — June 1, 1844
- 40.8 ft — July 13, 1951
- 34.97 ft — July 24, 1993
- 33.9 ft — June 30, 1951
- 33 ft — June 9, 1908
Recent crests: 8.37 ft (May 31, 2023) · 20 ft (May 31, 2022) · 18.34 ft (May 17, 2021) · 16.78 ft (May 26, 2020) · 27.15 ft (June 24, 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 (TPAK1); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.