Chikaskia River near Blackwell, OK
River level and flood forecast · Kay County
Normal2.4 ftas of Mon 2:30 PM
The river is 26.6 ft below flood stage (29 ft).
Forecast to hold near 2.4 ft through Sat, Oct 17, 7 AM.
Flow: 89 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 8:06 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 32 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 30 ft |
| Flood stage | 29 ft |
| Action stage | 26 ft |
| Record crest (September 14, 2008) | 35.36 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 35 ftFloodwaters cover much of the northeast portions of Blackwell. Residences and businesses suffer significant damages. Street flooding reaches very dangerous depths and speeds. Highway 177 north of Blackwell is closed. Blackwell Avenue east of Blackwell... and Hubbard Road southeast of Blackwell are impassable. Rural lands are covered by floodwaters ranging up to 7 feet in depth in extreme northeastern Grant and Kay counties.
- 34 ftFloodwaters cover much of the northeast portions of Blackwell. Residences and businesses suffer significant damages. Street flooding reaches very dangerous depths and speeds. Highway 177 north of Blackwell is closed. Blackwell Avenue east and Hubbard Road southeast of Blackwell are impassable. Rural lands are covered by floodwaters ranging up to 6 feet in depth in extreme northeastern Grant and Kay counties.
- 33 ftFloodwaters cover several city blocks in northeast Blackwell. Some residences may suffer minor flooding and some will be isolated by depths up to 4 feet in streets. Highway 177 north of Blackwell... and Hubbard Road southeast of Blackwell are closed. Blackwell Avenue is overtopped at the bridge crossing. Rural lands are inundated by floodwaters ranging up to 5 feet in depth in extreme northeastern Grant and Kay counties.
- 32 ftSeveral city blocks in northeast Blackwell are affected. Some residences will be surrounded by depths approaching 3 feet in streets. Highway 177 north of Blackwell... and Hubbard Road southeast of Blackwell are closed. Blackwell Avenue is overtopped. Rural lands are covered by floodwaters ranging up to 4 feet in depth in extreme northeastern Grant and Kay counties.
- 31 ftSeveral city blocks in the northeast portions of Blackwell may be affected. Streets closest to the river may be nearly impassable... with depths approaching 2 feet. Highway 177 north of Blackwell is overtopped... and Hubbard Road southeast of Blackwell is closed. Rural lands are covered by floodwaters ranging up to 3 feet in depth in extreme northeastern Grant and Kay counties.
- 30 ftSeveral residences may be surrounded with street depths approaching 2 feet in the northeast portions of Blackwell. Highway 177 north of Blackwell may be flooded... while Hubbard Road may be impassable southeast of Blackwell. Rural lands are covered by floodwaters ranging up to 2 feet in depth in extreme northeastern Grant and Kay counties.
- 29 ftLow-lying streets in the northeast portions of Blackwell may flood enough to isolate some small areas near the river. Rural areas and local roads in extreme northeastern Grant and Kay counties are under shallow water depths for a few hours. Southeast of Blackwell... Hubbard Road will be briefly covered by shallow depths of water near the river.
- 28 ftLow-lying streets may experience nuisance flooding in the northeastern portions of Blackwell. Farmlands and local roads in extreme northeastern Grant and Kay counties may be under shallow water depths for a few hours. Southeast of Blackwell... Hubbard Road may be briefly covered by shallow depths of water near the river.
- 27 ftShallow... short duration overflows occur on low-lying bottomlands along and low water crossings over the Chikaskia River in extreme northeastern Grant and Kay counties.
- 26 ftShallow... short duration overflows occur on low-lying bottomlands along and low water crossings over the Chikaskia River in extreme northeastern Grant and Kay counties.
- 25 ftShallow... short duration overflows occur on low-lying bottomlands along and low water crossings over the Chikaskia River in extreme northeastern Grant and Kay counties.
Highest crests on record
- 35.36 ft — September 14, 2008
- 34.46 ft — May 9, 2019
- 34.4 ft — November 1, 1998
- 34.35 ft — May 21, 2019
- 34.31 ft — May 10, 1993
Recent crests: 34.19 ft (June 19, 2025) · 29.59 ft (June 8, 2025) · 29.62 ft (June 7, 2025) · 28 ft (March 24, 2021) · 29.36 ft (October 4, 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 (BLKO2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.