Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Arkansas River at Great Bend

Highest listed crest 17.70 ftFlood stage 12.0 ft41 crests since 1951

The Arkansas River at Great Bend crested above flood stage 7 times among the 41 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1951 to 2025. The highest, 17.70 ft on June 15, 1981, was moderate flooding, 5.70 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
17.70 ft
June 15, 1981; 14,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
12.0 ft
Major flooding from 18.0 ft
Crests at major
0
7 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
May 29, 2019
14.46 ft, minor flooding
Location
Barton County
Near Great Bend (1.9 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Arkansas River at Great Bend
Action stage10.05May 2, 2017The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)12.06May 29, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage16.01Jun 15, 1981Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage18.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

41 crests from 1951 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Arkansas River at Great Bend, 1951 to 2025 05101520ft Flood stage 12.0 ftMajor 18.0 ft May 25, 1951: 11.06 ft, action stage; 13,900 cubic feet per secondAug 16, 1961: 9.85 ft, below flood stage; 2,550 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 1967: 9.75 ft, below flood stage; 3,400 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1973: 14.62 ft, minor flooding; 16,500 cubic feet per secondSep 29, 1973: 13.94 ft, minor flooding; 14,600 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 1975: 7.34 ft, below flood stage; 1,370 cubic feet per secondSep 24, 1976: 9.16 ft, below flood stage; 2,740 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 1978: 8.32 ft, below flood stage; 1,660 cubic feet per secondJul 29, 1979: 12.81 ft, minor flooding; 4,910 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1980: 9.81 ft, below flood stage; 2,270 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1981: 17.70 ft, moderate flooding; 14,000 cubic feet per secondJul 18, 1982: 7.63 ft, below flood stage; 1,210 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1983: 7.35 ft, below flood stage; 1,110 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 1984: 4.68 ft, below flood stage; 127 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1985: 4.23 ft, below flood stage; 18 cubic feet per secondJul 2, 1986: 10.10 ft, action stage; 2,400 cubic feet per secondJul 10, 1987: 13.20 ft, minor flooding; 5,740 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 1988: 3.99 ft, below flood stage; 136 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1989: 6.84 ft, below flood stage; 1,110 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 1990: 6.48 ft, below flood stage; 1,030 cubic feet per secondOct 17, 1990: 2.72 ft, below flood stage; 9 cubic feet per secondJul 28, 1992: 6.51 ft, below flood stage; 1,060 cubic feet per secondJul 22, 1993: 13.31 ft, minor floodingDec 22, 1993: 3.82 ft, below flood stage; 144 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 1995: 9.61 ft, below flood stage; 2,860 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 1996: 8.75 ft, below flood stage; 3,040 cubic feet per secondNov 18, 1996: 11.00 ft, action stage; 5,930 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 2001: 7.06 ft, below flood stage; 2,770 cubic feet per secondAug 22, 2006: 7.76 ft, below flood stage; 2,620 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 2007: 9.49 ft, below flood stage; 5,320 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 2010: 8.97 ft, below flood stage; 3,950 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 2016: 11.18 ft, action stage; 6,060 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 2017: 10.11 ft, action stage; 4,980 cubic feet per secondOct 12, 2018: 9.84 ft, below flood stage; 3,850 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 2019: 14.46 ft, minor flooding; 10,109 cubic feet per secondJul 29, 2020: 6.59 ft, below flood stage; 1,500 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2021: 6.17 ft, below flood stage; 1,530 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 2022: 1.00 ft, below flood stage; 30 cubic feet per secondAug 10, 2023: 3.09 ft, below flood stage; 219 cubic feet per secondNov 24, 2024: 5.62 ft, below flood stage; 977 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2025: 5.77 ft, below flood stage; 800 cubic feet per second Highest, 17.70 ft, Jun 15, 1981 1960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Arkansas River at Great Bend 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 3 3 1980s: 2 1990s: 1 2000s: 0 2010s: 1 2020s: 0 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  1. 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.
  2. 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 at Great Bend
1Jun 15, 198117.70+5.70Moderate14,000
2Apr 3, 197314.62+2.62Minor16,500
3May 29, 201914.46+2.46Minor10,109
4Sep 29, 197313.94+1.94Minor14,600
5Jul 22, 199313.31+1.31Minor—
6Jul 10, 198713.20+1.20Minor5,740
7Jul 29, 197912.81+0.81Minor4,910
8Jul 4, 201611.18−0.82Action6,060
9May 25, 195111.06−0.94Action13,900
10Nov 18, 199611.00−1.00Action5,930
11May 2, 201710.11−1.89Action4,980
12Jul 2, 198610.10−1.90Action2,400
13Aug 16, 19619.85−2.15Below flood stage2,550
14Oct 12, 20189.84−2.16Below flood stage3,850
15Apr 1, 19809.81−2.19Below flood stage2,270
16Jul 1, 19679.75−2.25Below flood stage3,400
17May 26, 19959.61−2.39Below flood stage2,860
18May 6, 20079.49−2.51Below flood stage5,320
19Sep 24, 19769.16−2.84Below flood stage2,740
20Jun 15, 20108.97−3.03Below flood stage3,950
21Sep 22, 19968.75−3.25Below flood stage3,040
22May 4, 19788.32−3.68Below flood stage1,660
23Aug 22, 20067.76−4.24Below flood stage2,620
24Jul 18, 19827.63−4.37Below flood stage1,210
25Jun 15, 19837.35−4.65Below flood stage1,110
26Jun 27, 19757.34−4.66Below flood stage1,370
27Jun 10, 20017.06−4.94Below flood stage2,770
28Jun 11, 19896.84−5.16Below flood stage1,110
29Jul 29, 20206.59−5.41Below flood stage1,500
30Jul 28, 19926.51−5.49Below flood stage1,060
31Jun 3, 19906.48−5.52Below flood stage1,030
32May 21, 20216.17−5.83Below flood stage1,530
33Jun 27, 20255.77−6.23Below flood stage800
34Nov 24, 20245.62−6.38Below flood stage977
35May 2, 19844.68−7.32Below flood stage127
36Jun 4, 19854.23−7.77Below flood stage18
37Mar 2, 19883.99−8.01Below flood stage136
38Dec 22, 19933.82−8.18Below flood stage144
39Aug 10, 20233.09−8.91Below flood stage219
40Oct 17, 19902.72−9.28Below flood stage9
41Jun 12, 20221.00−11.00Below flood stage30

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.

April 3, 1973: 14.62 ft here, minor flooding

  • HavenKS · Apr 2, 1973 · 12.02 ft · Major
  • DerbyKS · Mar 31, 1973 · 15.51 ft · Moderate
  • HutchinsonKS · Apr 2, 1973 · 13.85 ft · Moderate · its highest
  • RalstonOK · Apr 3, 1973 · 16.92 ft · Minor
  • Kinsley 2EKS · Apr 1, 1973 · 13.66 ft · Minor

May 29, 2019: 14.46 ft here, minor flooding

  • Ozark L/D TailwaterAR · May 30, 2019 · 374.99 ft · Major · its highest
  • Toad Suck Lock and DamAR · Jun 4, 2019 · 285.40 ft · Major · its highest
  • MuskogeeOK · May 26, 2019 · 46.39 ft · Major
  • DardanelleAR · May 30, 2019 · 45.91 ft · Major · its highest
  • MorriltonAR · Jun 4, 2019 · 43.03 ft · Major · its highest
  • Van BurenAR · Jun 1, 2019 · 40.79 ft · Major · its highest
  • Little RockAR · Jun 5, 2019 · 29.71 ft · Major
  • HaskellOK · May 29, 2019 · 24.24 ft · Major
  • TulsaOK · May 29, 2019 · 23.51 ft · Major
  • Ponca CityOK · May 24, 2019 · 22.26 ft · Major · its highest

September 29, 1973: 13.94 ft here, minor flooding

  • HavenKS · Sep 28, 1973 · 12.95 ft · Major
  • DerbyKS · Oct 1, 1973 · 15.51 ft · Moderate
  • Kinsley 2EKS · Sep 27, 1973 · 14.02 ft · Moderate
  • HutchinsonKS · Sep 27, 1973 · 13.10 ft · Moderate

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
Arkansas CityKS11.020.91 ft, May 9, 20190
DardanelleAR32.045.91 ft, May 30, 20195
DerbyKS12.016.60 ft, Nov 2, 19981
Great Bend this gaugeKS12.017.70 ft, Jun 15, 19810
HutchinsonKS8.013.85 ft, Apr 2, 19730
Little RockAR23.034.60 ft, Jun 17, 183329
MorriltonAR30.043.03 ft, Jun 4, 201910
OxfordKS17.026.85 ft, Nov 2, 19982
Ozark L/D TailwaterAR357.0374.99 ft, May 30, 20197
PendletonAR31.037.63 ft, Jun 6, 20194
Pine BluffAR42.052.10 ft, May 28, 19436
RalstonOK16.023.00 ft, Jun 11, 192310
Toad Suck Lock and DamAR275.0285.40 ft, Jun 4, 20195
TulsaOK18.025.21 ft, Oct 5, 19864
Van BurenAR22.040.79 ft, Jun 1, 201918
HaskellOK19.026.02 ft, Jan 1, 19802
HavenKS10.013.08 ft, May 8, 20079
Kinsley 2EKS12.017.60 ft, Jun 21, 19651
MulvaneKS16.520.90 ft, Nov 2, 19980
MuskogeeOK28.048.20 ft, May 21, 194311
Ponca CityOK17.022.26 ft, May 24, 20191

Other gauges in Barton County

Flood gauges in Barton County
Albert24.025.75 ft, Sep 22, 19591

Barton County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Kansas

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge GTBK1, 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.