Arkansas River near Fowler

Highest listed crest 13.65 ftFlood stage 13.5 ft1 crests since 2023

The Arkansas River near Fowler crested above flood stage 1 time among the 1 crests the National Weather Service lists from 2023 to 2023. The highest, 13.65 ft on June 24, 2023, was minor flooding, 0.15 feet above flood stage. 3 other gauges on the Arkansas River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest: 13.65 ft; June 24, 2023; 9,940 cubic feet per second
Flood stage: 13.5 ft; Major flooding from 15.0 ft
Crests at major: 0; 1 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest: June 24, 2023; 13.65 ft, minor flooding
Location: Otero County; Colorado
Identifiers: NWS FWLC2; No USGS station

Flood stages

The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.

Flood categories, Arkansas River near Fowler

Action stage	13.0	0	—	The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)	13.5	1	Jun 24, 2023	Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage	14.0	0	—	Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage	15.0	0	—	Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

1 crests from 2023 to 2023. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

These are the crests the local National Weather Service office lists for the gauge: the highest on record and recent crests. Lesser floods between them may be missing, so counts by decade are a floor.
Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Arkansas River near Fowler

1	Jun 24, 2023	13.65	+0.15	Minor	9,940

The worst floods along the Arkansas River

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Arkansas River that crested above flood stage within a week.

June 24, 2023: 13.65 ft here, minor flooding

AvondaleCO · Jun 22, 2023 · 10.53 ft · Moderate
NepestaCO · Jun 23, 2023 · 16.66 ft · Minor · its highest
La JuntaCO · Jun 24, 2023 · 12.73 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Arkansas River

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Arkansas River

Pueblo	CO	8.0	8.29 ft, Jun 10, 2024	0
Cañon City	CO	10.0	10.90 ft, Jun 18, 1995	0
Catlin Dam	CO	8.0	11.30 ft, May 1, 1999	2
Coolidge	KS	8.0	8.85 ft, Aug 17, 2015	0
Garden City	KS	10.0	22.30 ft, Jun 19, 1965	4
La Junta	CO	11.0	15.55 ft, May 2, 1999	1
Lamar	CO	11.0	13.06 ft, May 27, 1996	0
Parkdale	CO	9.0	9.13 ft, Jun 9, 1985	0
Portland	CO	9.0	12.94 ft, Jul 6, 2006	2
Syracuse	KS	10.0	21.80 ft, Jun 17, 1965	3
Avondale	CO	7.0	10.60 ft, Apr 30, 1999	0
Fowler this gauge	CO	13.5	13.65 ft, Jun 24, 2023	0
Nepesta	CO	16.5	16.66 ft, Jun 23, 2023	0

Other gauges in Otero County

Flood gauges in Otero County

Catlin Dam	8.0	11.30 ft, May 1, 1999	2
La Junta	11.0	15.55 ft, May 2, 1999	1

Otero County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Colorado

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge FWLC2, retrieved October 30, 2026. Stages in feet on the gauge's own datum, not elevation. Crests are as the National Weather Service lists them; preliminary values may be revised.