Verdigris River near Lenapah, OK
River level and flood forecast · Nowata County
Normal5.1 ftas of Mon 2 PM
The river is 24.9 ft below flood stage (30 ft).
Flow: 722 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 | 36 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 32 ft |
| Flood stage | 30 ft |
| Action stage | 30 ft |
| Record crest (July 2, 2007) | 43.19 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 42 ftdisasterous flooding occurs between the Kansas border and headwaters of Oologah Lake. Highway 10 east of Lenapah is under several feet of swift water. Highway 169 south of the Kansas border is closed. Highway 28 east of Delaware is closed. Some homes around South Coffeyville are flooded. This approaches the record flood of 43.19 feet from July 2, 2007. This is an extremely dangerous and life threatening situation.
- 40 ftdisastrous flooding occurs between the Kansas border and headwaters of Lake Oologah. State Highway 10 east of Lenapah is under several feet of swift water. Highway 169 south of the Kansas border is closed. This is near the second highest flood of 40.44 feet on May 20, 1943. The record flood at this site is 43.19 feet on July 2, 2007. This is an extremely dangerous and life threatening situation.
- 39 ftextreme flooding occurs in Nowata County. Many rural roads are closed. State Highway 10 east of Lenapah is under several feet of water. Highway 169 south of the Kansas border is closed. This exceeds the flood of October 5, 1986 when the river reached 38.3 feet and approach the flood of May 8, 1961 when the river reached 39.78 feet. This is an extremely dangerous and life threatening situation.
- 38 ftextreme flooding occurs in Nowata County. Many rural roads are closed. State Highway 10 east of Lenapah is under several feet of water. Highway 169 south of the Kansas border may be closed. This will be similar to a flood on July 4, 1976 when the river reached 38.6 feet or on October 5, 1986 when the river reached 38.3 feet. This is an extremely dangerous and life threatening situation.
- 36 ftvery serious flooding occurs in Nowata County. This is a dangerous and life threatening situation. Many rural roads are closed. State Highway 10 is impassable at a point 5 miles east of Lenapah.
- 34 ftserious agricultural flooding occurs between the Kansas border and headwaters of Lake Oologah. State Highway 10 is impassable at a point 5 miles east of Lenapah.
- 32 ftmoderate flooding affects mainly farmland and rural roads. State Highway 10 is threatened by high water at a point 5 miles east of Lenapah.
- 30 ftminor flooding affects farmland and rural roads.
Highest crests on record
- 43.19 ft — July 2, 2007
- 40.44 ft — May 20, 1943
- 39.78 ft — May 8, 1961
- 38.66 ft — July 3, 1951
- 38.6 ft — July 4, 1976
Recent crests: 34.52 ft (June 27, 2026) · 28.87 ft (April 21, 2025) · 31.22 ft (May 6, 2022) · 32.86 ft (May 16, 2020) · 29.33 ft (August 9, 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 (LEPO2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.