Walnut River at Winfield, KS
River level and flood forecast · Cowley County
Normal0.7 ftas of Mon 1 PM
The river is 17.3 ft below flood stage (18 ft).
Flow: 52 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 | 29 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 22 ft |
| Flood stage | 18 ft |
| Action stage | 16 ft |
| Record crest (November 18, 1928) | 41 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 47 ftMajor flooding can be expected as the river begins to overtop the levees near the Highway 77 Bridge. Most of Winfield will be inundated.
- 45 ftThe levee may become overtopped in the northern part of Winfield.
- 30.5 ftFlood waters cover sections of Highway 77 north of Winfield and the road under Highway 77 bridge south of town.
- 30 ftFlooding occurs along the south bank, inundating the small road leading away from Highway 77 to the Highland Cemetery.
- 28 ftWest 14th Avenue near the fairgrounds, floods from the river on eastward to the levee.
- 22 ftA large portion of the fairgrounds flood along with rural roads about 3 miles northwest of Winfield that are near the river. Then one mile west of the city of Rock, expect 30th Road to be closed due to high water.
- 20 ftFlood waters flow over County Road Cowley 2 west of the city of Rock. Then 4 miles northwest of Winfield, Cowley County Road 18 floods over a section just west of 71st Road.
- 18 ftFlooding of the campgrounds and fairgrounds can be expected.
Highest crests on record
- 41 ft — November 18, 1928
- 38.7 ft — June 10, 1923
- 38.3 ft — April 23, 1944
- 37.81 ft — November 2, 1998
- 37.8 ft — July 1, 1951
Recent crests: 24.61 ft (June 27, 2026) · 23.77 ft (June 26, 2026) · 18.87 ft (June 21, 2026) · 17.01 ft (June 18, 2025) · 25.06 ft (June 6, 2025)
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (WFDK1); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.