Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Arkansas River near Kinsley 2E

Highest listed crest 17.60 ftFlood stage 12.0 ft110 crests since 1945

The Arkansas River near Kinsley 2E crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 110 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1945 to 2006. The highest, 17.60 ft on June 21, 1965, was major flooding, 5.60 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Arkansas River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
17.60 ft
June 21, 1965; 49,800 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
12.0 ft
Major flooding from 16.0 ft
Crests at major
1
51st of 171 gauges in Kansas
Most recent flood crest
May 2, 1978
12.85 ft, minor flooding
Location
Edwards 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 near Kinsley 2E
Action stage11.06May 27, 1999The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)12.04May 2, 1978Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage14.04Sep 27, 1973Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage16.01Jun 21, 1965Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

110 crests from 1945 to 2006. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Arkansas River near Kinsley 2E, 1945 to 2006 05101520ft Flood stage 12.0 ftMajor 16.0 ft Feb 8, 1945: 7.20 ft, below flood stage; 350 cubic feet per secondJan 5, 1946: 7.20 ft, below flood stage; 352 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 1947: 11.17 ft, action stage; 4,490 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 1948: 9.34 ft, below flood stage; 1,850 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1949: 14.09 ft, moderate flooding; 11,300 cubic feet per secondOct 10, 1949: 11.86 ft, action stage; 5,050 cubic feet per secondOct 3, 1950: 8.80 ft, below flood stage; 1,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 11, 1951: 7.62 ft, below flood stage; 672 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 1951: 8.13 ft, below flood stage; 991 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1951: 14.20 ft, moderate flooding; 11,700 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1951: 14.05 ft, moderate flooding; 11,100 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1951: 8.88 ft, below flood stage; 1,400 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 1951: 10.13 ft, below flood stage; 2,620 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 1951: 12.33 ft, minor flooding; 6,310 cubic feet per secondJul 11, 1951: 11.07 ft, action stage; 3,930 cubic feet per secondJul 26, 1951: 7.48 ft, below flood stage; 540 cubic feet per secondAug 14, 1951: 7.55 ft, below flood stage; 575 cubic feet per secondSep 10, 1951: 8.82 ft, below flood stage; 1,360 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 1952: 9.52 ft, below flood stage; 1,960 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 1953: 7.30 ft, below flood stage; 460 cubic feet per secondAug 14, 1954: 7.08 ft, below flood stage; 320 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 1955: 11.43 ft, action stage; 4,210 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1955: 9.31 ft, below flood stage; 1,490 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 1955: 9.66 ft, below flood stage; 1,920 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 1955: 8.38 ft, below flood stage; 1,000 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 1956: 7.82 ft, below flood stageMar 5, 1956: 6.05 ft, below flood stage; 206 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 1957: 8.86 ft, below flood stage; 1,190 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 1957: 7.80 ft, below flood stage; 607 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 1957: 9.05 ft, below flood stage; 1,280 cubic feet per secondSep 15, 1957: 8.67 ft, below flood stage; 1,100 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 1958: 8.42 ft, below flood stage; 840 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1958: 8.15 ft, below flood stage; 730 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1958: 8.55 ft, below flood stage; 905 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 1958: 9.72 ft, below flood stage; 1,690 cubic feet per secondJul 11, 1958: 8.73 ft, below flood stage; 970 cubic feet per secondJul 17, 1958: 8.26 ft, below flood stage; 754 cubic feet per secondJul 22, 1958: 7.91 ft, below flood stage; 616 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 1959: 7.87 ft, below flood stage; 616 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 1959: 9.00 ft, below flood stage; 1,150 cubic feet per secondSep 26, 1959: 8.41 ft, below flood stage; 835 cubic feet per secondOct 3, 1959: 8.17 ft, below flood stage; 762 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1960: 9.62 ft, below flood stage; 1,680 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1960: 9.82 ft, below flood stage; 1,930 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1960: 7.78 ft, below flood stage; 612 cubic feet per secondAug 15, 1961: 9.63 ft, below flood stage; 1,700 cubic feet per secondJul 7, 1962: 7.64 ft, below flood stage; 539 cubic feet per secondJul 25, 1962: 9.15 ft, below flood stage; 1,240 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 1962: 10.20 ft, below flood stage; 2,340 cubic feet per secondSep 10, 1963: 6.87 ft, below flood stage; 290 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1964: 9.07 ft, below flood stage; 1,160 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1965: 17.60 ft, major flooding; 49,800 cubic feet per secondJun 30, 1965: 11.37 ft, action stage; 3,200 cubic feet per secondAug 12, 1965: 8.04 ft, below flood stage; 1,020 cubic feet per secondAug 29, 1965: 9.89 ft, below flood stage; 2,310 cubic feet per secondSep 6, 1965: 9.47 ft, below flood stage; 1,980 cubic feet per secondSep 21, 1965: 8.69 ft, below flood stage; 1,080 cubic feet per secondOct 22, 1965: 10.26 ft, below flood stage; 2,610 cubic feet per secondJul 26, 1967: 7.07 ft, below flood stage; 563 cubic feet per secondAug 30, 1968: 7.29 ft, below flood stage; 504 cubic feet per secondOct 18, 1968: 9.94 ft, below flood stage; 1,570 cubic feet per secondOct 8, 1969: 7.45 ft, below flood stage; 569 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 1970: 7.21 ft, below flood stage; 508 cubic feet per secondJul 2, 1971: 7.90 ft, below flood stage; 700 cubic feet per secondNov 18, 1971: 12.77 ft, minor flooding; 4,660 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1973: 9.75 ft, below flood stage; 1,760 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1973: 9.73 ft, below flood stage; 1,740 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1973: 13.66 ft, minor flooding; 6,320 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 1973: 7.33 ft, below flood stage; 677 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1973: 7.53 ft, below flood stage; 758 cubic feet per secondAug 31, 1973: 7.34 ft, below flood stage; 681 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 1973: 14.02 ft, moderate flooding; 5,510 cubic feet per secondAug 11, 1974: 8.85 ft, below flood stage; 1,050 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 1975: 6.66 ft, below flood stage; 445 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 1976: 4.91 ft, below flood stage; 132 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 1977: 7.01 ft, below flood stage; 494 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 1978: 12.85 ft, minor flooding; 3,510 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1978: 8.13 ft, below flood stage; 876 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1978: 7.89 ft, below flood stage; 794 cubic feet per secondJul 26, 1979: 5.70 ft, below flood stage; 248 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 1980: 5.15 ft, below flood stage; 173 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 1981: 3.88 ft, below flood stage; 33 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 1982: 3.83 ft, below flood stage; 22 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1983: 6.09 ft, below flood stage; 238 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 1984: 4.45 ft, below flood stageMay 9, 1984: 4.15 ft, below flood stage; 36 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1985: 4.46 ft, below flood stage; 7 cubic feet per secondSep 13, 1986: 5.20 ft, below flood stage; 31 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 1987: 8.88 ft, below flood stage; 1,030 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 1987: 10.47 ft, below flood stage; 1,980 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 1987: 10.72 ft, below flood stage; 2,170 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 1988: 5.53 ft, below flood stage; 154 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1989: 3.66 ft, below flood stage; 12 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1990: 9.88 ft, below flood stage; 1,580 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1991: 3.64 ft, below flood stage; 5 cubic feet per secondAug 11, 1992: 3.88 ft, below flood stage; 4 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1993: 5.21 ft, below flood stage; 28 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 1993: 4.70 ft, below flood stage; 1 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 1994: 4.70 ft, below flood stage; 1 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1995: 8.39 ft, below flood stage; 2,190 cubic feet per secondAug 6, 1995: 9.63 ft, below flood stage; 828 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1997: 9.77 ft, below flood stage; 1,380 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 1998: 9.18 ft, below flood stage; 1,200 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1999: 11.25 ft, action stage; 1,950 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 2000: 6.87 ft, below flood stage; 396 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 2001: 5.87 ft, below flood stage; 187 cubic feet per secondOct 3, 2001: 3.75 ft, below flood stage; 2 cubic feet per secondAug 10, 2003: 5.46 ft, below flood stage; 5 cubic feet per secondJul 23, 2004: 5.01 ft, below flood stage; 9 cubic feet per secondAug 22, 2006: 6.60 ft, below flood stage; 120 cubic feet per second Highest, 17.60 ft, Jun 21, 1965 195019601970198019902000

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Arkansas River near Kinsley 2E 1940s: 1 1950s: 3 1960s: 1 1970s: 4 4 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s
  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

The 50 highest of 110 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Arkansas River near Kinsley 2E
1Jun 21, 196517.60+5.60Major49,800
2May 19, 195114.20+2.20Moderate11,700
3Jun 10, 194914.09+2.09Moderate11,300
4May 23, 195114.05+2.05Moderate11,100
5Sep 27, 197314.02+2.02Moderate5,510
6Apr 1, 197313.66+1.66Minor6,320
7May 2, 197812.85+0.85Minor3,510
8Nov 18, 197112.77+0.77Minor4,660
9Jul 1, 195112.33+0.33Minor6,310
10Oct 10, 194911.86−0.14Action5,050
11May 20, 195511.43−0.57Action4,210
12Jun 30, 196511.37−0.63Action3,200
13May 27, 199911.25−0.75Action1,950
14Jun 6, 194711.17−0.83Action4,490
15Jul 11, 195111.07−0.93Action3,930
16Jun 29, 198710.72−1.28Below flood stage2,170
17Jun 2, 198710.47−1.53Below flood stage1,980
18Oct 22, 196510.26−1.74Below flood stage2,610
19Sep 17, 196210.20−1.80Below flood stage2,340
20Jun 24, 195110.13−1.87Below flood stage2,620
21Oct 18, 19689.94−2.06Below flood stage1,570
22Aug 29, 19659.89−2.11Below flood stage2,310
23May 31, 19909.88−2.12Below flood stage1,580
24Mar 20, 19609.82−2.18Below flood stage1,930
25May 31, 19979.77−2.23Below flood stage1,380
26Mar 12, 19739.75−2.25Below flood stage1,760
27Mar 25, 19739.73−2.27Below flood stage1,740
28Jun 26, 19589.72−2.28Below flood stage1,690
29Jun 3, 19559.66−2.34Below flood stage1,920
30Aug 15, 19619.63−2.37Below flood stage1,700
31Aug 6, 19959.63−2.37Below flood stage828
32Mar 11, 19609.62−2.38Below flood stage1,680
33Apr 19, 19529.52−2.48Below flood stage1,960
34Sep 6, 19659.47−2.53Below flood stage1,980
35Feb 28, 19489.34−2.66Below flood stage1,850
36May 27, 19559.31−2.69Below flood stage1,490
37Apr 10, 19989.18−2.82Below flood stage1,200
38Jul 25, 19629.15−2.85Below flood stage1,240
39Jun 5, 19649.07−2.93Below flood stage1,160
40Jun 27, 19579.05−2.95Below flood stage1,280
41May 5, 19599.00−3.00Below flood stage1,150
42Jun 11, 19518.88−3.12Below flood stage1,400
43May 1, 19878.88−3.12Below flood stage1,030
44May 21, 19578.86−3.14Below flood stage1,190
45Aug 11, 19748.85−3.15Below flood stage1,050
46Sep 10, 19518.82−3.18Below flood stage1,360
47Oct 3, 19508.80−3.20Below flood stage1,500
48Jul 11, 19588.73−3.27Below flood stage970
49Sep 21, 19658.69−3.31Below flood stage1,080
50Sep 15, 19578.67−3.33Below flood stage1,100

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 21, 1965: 17.60 ft here, major flooding

May 19, 1951: 14.20 ft here, moderate flooding

  • RalstonOK · May 20, 1951 · 19.23 ft · Moderate

June 10, 1949: 14.09 ft here, moderate 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
Arkansas CityKS11.020.91 ft, May 9, 20190
DardanelleAR32.045.91 ft, May 30, 20195
DerbyKS12.016.60 ft, Nov 2, 19981
Great BendKS12.017.70 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 2E this gaugeKS12.017.60 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

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge KNSK1, 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.