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Arkansas River at Syracuse

Highest listed crest 21.80 ftFlood stage 10.0 ft93 crests since 1922

The Arkansas River at Syracuse crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 93 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1922 to 2018. The highest, 21.80 ft on June 17, 1965, was major flooding, 11.80 feet above flood stage. 2 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
21.80 ft
June 17, 1965; 170,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
10.0 ft
Major flooding from 14.0 ft
Crests at major
3
18th of 171 gauges in Kansas
Most recent flood crest
June 17, 1965
21.80 ft, major flooding
Location
Hamilton County
Kansas

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 Syracuse
Action stage9.015Aug 19, 2015The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)10.019Jun 22, 1963Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage12.03May 31, 1964Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage14.03Jun 17, 1965Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

93 crests from 1922 to 2018. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Arkansas River at Syracuse, 1922 to 2018 0510152025ft Flood stage 10.0 ftMajor 14.0 ft Apr 30, 1922: 7.70 ft, below flood stage; 700 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1923: 10.40 ft, minor flooding; 14,300 cubic feet per secondAug 23, 1923: 10.80 ft, minor flooding; 17,400 cubic feet per secondJul 24, 1925: 9.70 ft, action stage; 15,400 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 1926: 7.64 ft, below flood stage; 1,600 cubic feet per secondJul 14, 1927: 10.50 ft, minor flooding; 13,500 cubic feet per secondAug 4, 1927: 10.25 ft, minor flooding; 11,200 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1928: 9.65 ft, action stage; 10,400 cubic feet per secondAug 8, 1929: 11.04 ft, minor flooding; 37,000 cubic feet per secondOct 4, 1930: 8.44 ft, below flood stage; 5,650 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1931: 8.50 ft, below flood stage; 5,600 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1932: 9.44 ft, action stage; 12,400 cubic feet per secondAug 28, 1933: 9.56 ft, action stage; 14,000 cubic feet per secondSep 16, 1934: 9.52 ft, action stage; 13,600 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1935: 10.30 ft, minor flooding; 17,400 cubic feet per secondJul 12, 1935: 10.38 ft, minor flooding; 18,300 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 1936: 10.11 ft, minor flooding; 13,200 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1936: 11.58 ft, minor flooding; 19,400 cubic feet per secondJul 31, 1936: 10.72 ft, minor flooding; 18,900 cubic feet per secondAug 9, 1936: 11.01 ft, minor flooding; 18,400 cubic feet per secondSep 8, 1937: 10.68 ft, minor flooding; 17,000 cubic feet per secondSep 5, 1938: 10.55 ft, minor flooding; 16,000 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 1939: 6.92 ft, below flood stage; 1,160 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 1940: 7.70 ft, below flood stage; 2,230 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 1941: 10.44 ft, minor flooding; 7,610 cubic feet per secondOct 25, 1941: 10.30 ft, minor flooding; 7,130 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 1942: 13.46 ft, moderate flooding; 35,500 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 1942: 10.20 ft, minor flooding; 7,780 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 1943: 7.56 ft, below flood stage; 1,700 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1944: 9.40 ft, action stage; 5,280 cubic feet per secondAug 16, 1945: 7.76 ft, below flood stage; 1,760 cubic feet per secondAug 29, 1946: 7.98 ft, below flood stage; 1,890 cubic feet per secondJul 14, 1947: 9.56 ft, action stage; 4,980 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 1948: 8.32 ft, below flood stage; 2,400 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1949: 14.20 ft, major flooding; 38,000 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1950: 8.35 ft, below flood stage; 4,420 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 1951: 15.63 ft, major flooding; 54,300 cubic feet per secondAug 21, 1952: 8.25 ft, below flood stage; 3,510 cubic feet per secondAug 21, 1953: 8.01 ft, below flood stage; 3,160 cubic feet per secondAug 7, 1954: 10.32 ft, minor flooding; 8,200 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 1955: 10.90 ft, minor flooding; 8,930 cubic feet per secondAug 20, 1956: 9.90 ft, action stage; 7,700 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 1957: 12.19 ft, moderate flooding; 13,800 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 1958: 8.80 ft, below flood stage; 5,240 cubic feet per secondSep 25, 1959: 8.70 ft, below flood stage; 4,280 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 1961: 8.99 ft, below flood stage; 4,770 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1962: 9.13 ft, action stage; 4,770 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1963: 10.15 ft, minor flooding; 6,100 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1964: 13.30 ft, moderate flooding; 12,400 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1965: 21.80 ft, major flooding; 170,000 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 1966: 7.05 ft, below flood stage; 2,900 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1967: 7.86 ft, below flood stage; 3,620 cubic feet per secondAug 16, 1968: 6.12 ft, below flood stage; 1,050 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 1969: 9.53 ft, action stage; 4,390 cubic feet per secondAug 22, 1970: 7.33 ft, below flood stage; 2,410 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 1971: 6.76 ft, below flood stage; 1,490 cubic feet per secondAug 25, 1972: 9.13 ft, action stage; 3,830 cubic feet per secondSep 4, 1973: 9.85 ft, action stage; 4,550 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1974: 5.43 ft, below flood stage; 535 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 1975: 8.61 ft, below flood stage; 3,210 cubic feet per secondAug 3, 1976: 7.56 ft, below flood stage; 2,160 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 1977: 7.09 ft, below flood stage; 1,310 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1978: 8.92 ft, below flood stage; 2,670 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1979: 5.16 ft, below flood stage; 418 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 1980: 6.10 ft, below flood stage; 682 cubic feet per secondSep 2, 1981: 5.27 ft, below flood stage; 468 cubic feet per secondJul 10, 1982: 5.98 ft, below flood stage; 619 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 1983: 6.60 ft, below flood stage; 909 cubic feet per secondJul 17, 1984: 9.26 ft, action stage; 2,660 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1985: 8.25 ft, below flood stage; 1,700 cubic feet per secondAug 3, 1986: 8.07 ft, below flood stage; 1,820 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1987: 8.36 ft, below flood stage; 3,330 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1988: 7.20 ft, below flood stage; 1,870 cubic feet per secondAug 13, 1989: 5.90 ft, below flood stage; 993 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 1990: 4.53 ft, below flood stage; 427 cubic feet per secondJul 12, 1991: 4.77 ft, below flood stage; 504 cubic feet per secondAug 10, 1992: 6.92 ft, below flood stage; 1,650 cubic feet per secondJul 15, 1993: 4.90 ft, below flood stage; 549 cubic feet per secondAug 15, 1994: 5.72 ft, below flood stage; 850 cubic feet per secondJul 26, 1995: 8.51 ft, below flood stage; 2,210 cubic feet per secondAug 8, 1997: 8.51 ft, below flood stage; 2,160 cubic feet per secondAug 2, 1998: 8.35 ft, below flood stage; 2,060 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1999: 9.16 ft, action stage; 2,860 cubic feet per secondJul 19, 2000: 6.68 ft, below flood stage; 1,100 cubic feet per secondJul 16, 2001: 6.53 ft, below flood stage; 1,020 cubic feet per secondJul 7, 2002: 6.40 ft, below flood stage; 956 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 2003: 4.38 ft, below flood stage; 224 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 2004: 6.24 ft, below flood stage; 864 cubic feet per secondJul 11, 2006: 5.87 ft, below flood stage; 561 cubic feet per secondAug 2, 2014: 7.92 ft, below flood stage; 1,000 cubic feet per secondAug 19, 2015: 9.03 ft, action stage; 1,770 cubic feet per secondJul 2, 2016: 8.57 ft, below flood stage; 1,390 cubic feet per secondJul 29, 2018: 8.65 ft, below flood stage; 1,400 cubic feet per second Highest, 21.80 ft, Jun 17, 1965 1940196019802000

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Arkansas River at Syracuse 1920s: 5 1930s: 8 8 1940s: 5 1950s: 4 1960s: 3 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 2010s: 0 1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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.
  3. 1 crest measured on an earlier gauge datum is left out: 4.67 ft on Jul 12, 1926.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 93 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Arkansas River at Syracuse
1Jun 17, 196521.80+11.80Major170,000
2May 15, 195115.63+5.63Major54,300
3Jun 5, 194914.20+4.20Major38,000
4Apr 27, 194213.46+3.46Moderate35,500
5May 31, 196413.30+3.30Moderate12,400
6May 29, 195712.19+2.19Moderate13,800
7May 31, 193611.58+1.58Minor19,400
8Aug 8, 192911.04+1.04Minor37,000
9Aug 9, 193611.01+1.01Minor18,400
10May 20, 195510.90+0.90Minor8,930
11Aug 23, 192310.80+0.80Minor17,400
12Jul 31, 193610.72+0.72Minor18,900
13Sep 8, 193710.68+0.68Minor17,000
14Sep 5, 193810.55+0.55Minor16,000
15Jul 14, 192710.50+0.50Minor13,500
16May 4, 194110.44+0.44Minor7,610
17Jun 18, 192310.40+0.40Minor14,300
18Jul 12, 193510.38+0.38Minor18,300
19Aug 7, 195410.32+0.32Minor8,200
20May 28, 193510.30+0.30Minor17,400
21Oct 25, 194110.30+0.30Minor7,130
22Aug 4, 192710.25+0.25Minor11,200
23Jun 25, 194210.20+0.20Minor7,780
24Jun 22, 196310.15+0.15Minor6,100
25May 10, 193610.11+0.11Minor13,200
26Aug 20, 19569.90−0.10Action7,700
27Sep 4, 19739.85−0.15Action4,550
28Jul 24, 19259.70−0.30Action15,400
29Jun 4, 19289.65−0.35Action10,400
30Aug 28, 19339.56−0.44Action14,000
31Jul 14, 19479.56−0.44Action4,980
32Sep 17, 19699.53−0.47Action4,390
33Sep 16, 19349.52−0.48Action13,600
34Jun 4, 19329.44−0.56Action12,400
35May 31, 19449.40−0.60Action5,280
36Jul 17, 19849.26−0.74Action2,660
37May 7, 19999.16−0.84Action2,860
38May 18, 19629.13−0.87Action4,770
39Aug 25, 19729.13−0.87Action3,830
40Aug 19, 20159.03−0.97Action1,770
41Jun 6, 19618.99−1.01Below flood stage4,770
42Jun 5, 19788.92−1.08Below flood stage2,670
43May 15, 19588.80−1.20Below flood stage5,240
44Sep 25, 19598.70−1.30Below flood stage4,280
45Jul 29, 20188.65−1.35Below flood stage1,400
46Jun 29, 19758.61−1.39Below flood stage3,210
47Jul 2, 20168.57−1.43Below flood stage1,390
48Jul 26, 19958.51−1.49Below flood stage2,210
49Aug 8, 19978.51−1.49Below flood stage2,160
50Mar 30, 19318.50−1.50Below flood stage5,600

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 17, 1965: 21.80 ft here, major flooding

  • Garden CityKS · Jun 19, 1965 · 22.30 ft · Major · its highest
  • La JuntaCO · Jun 19, 1965 · 12.90 ft · Minor

May 15, 1951: 15.63 ft here, major flooding

June 5, 1949: 14.20 ft here, major flooding

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
PuebloCO8.08.29 ft, Jun 10, 20240
Cañon CityCO10.010.90 ft, Jun 18, 19950
Catlin DamCO8.011.30 ft, May 1, 19992
CoolidgeKS8.08.85 ft, Aug 17, 20150
Garden CityKS10.022.30 ft, Jun 19, 19654
La JuntaCO11.015.55 ft, May 2, 19991
LamarCO11.013.06 ft, May 27, 19960
ParkdaleCO9.09.13 ft, Jun 9, 19850
PortlandCO9.012.94 ft, Jul 6, 20062
Syracuse this gaugeKS10.021.80 ft, Jun 17, 19653
AvondaleCO7.010.60 ft, Apr 30, 19990
FowlerCO13.513.65 ft, Jun 24, 20230
NepestaCO16.516.66 ft, Jun 23, 20230

Other gauges in Hamilton County

Flood gauges in Hamilton County
Coolidge8.08.85 ft, Aug 17, 20150

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SYRK1, 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.