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Big Blue River near Manhattan

Highest listed crest 36.04 ftFlood stage 19.0 ft33 crests since 1951

The Big Blue River near Manhattan crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 33 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1951 to 2023. The highest, 36.04 ft on July 12, 1951, was major flooding, 17.04 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Big Blue River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
36.04 ft
July 12, 1951; 93,400 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
19.0 ft
Major flooding from 30.0 ft
Crests at major
2
29th of 171 gauges in Kansas
Most recent flood crest
July 19, 2019
19.76 ft, minor flooding
Location
Riley County
Near Manhattan (3.9 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Big Blue River near Manhattan
Action stage15.05Jun 30, 2015The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)19.03Jul 19, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage27.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage30.02Jul 23, 1993Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

33 crests from 1951 to 2023. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Big Blue River near Manhattan, 1951 to 2023 010203040ft Flood stage 19.0 ftMajor 30.0 ft Jul 12, 1951: 36.04 ft, major flooding; 93,400 cubic feet per secondAug 7, 1992: 19.28 ft, minor flooding; 25,100 cubic feet per secondJul 23, 1993: 32.71 ft, major flooding; 58,800 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1994: 9.86 ft, below flood stage; 7,880 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1995: 18.07 ft, action stage; 21,000 cubic feet per secondJul 9, 1996: 12.60 ft, below flood stage; 12,300 cubic feet per secondNov 22, 1996: 14.76 ft, below flood stage; 17,200 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1998: 14.85 ft, below flood stage; 15,900 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 1999: 14.35 ft, below flood stage; 15,200 cubic feet per secondOct 14, 1999: 6.30 ft, below flood stage; 5,020 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 2001: 17.56 ft, action stage; 22,500 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 2001: 8.89 ft, below flood stage; 7,560 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 2003: 4.72 ft, below flood stage; 3,080 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 2004: 10.24 ft, below flood stage; 9,070 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 2005: 7.52 ft, below flood stage; 6,010 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 2005: 5.53 ft, below flood stage; 3,690 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2007: 17.73 ft, action stage; 23,600 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 2008: 16.87 ft, action stage; 21,800 cubic feet per secondOct 28, 2008: 11.06 ft, below flood stage; 10,600 cubic feet per secondAug 13, 2010: 14.73 ft, below flood stage; 17,200 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2011: 14.98 ft, below flood stage; 17,700 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 2012: 7.89 ft, below flood stage; 6,100 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 2013: 10.76 ft, below flood stage; 10,200 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 2014: 9.68 ft, below flood stage; 8,690 cubic feet per secondJun 30, 2015: 17.85 ft, action stage; 22,600 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 2016: 14.36 ft, below flood stage; 16,225 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 2017: 14.08 ft, below flood stage; 16,062 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 2019: 22.41 ft, minor floodingJul 19, 2019: 19.76 ft, minor floodingNov 15, 2019: 13.44 ft, below flood stage; 14,900 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 2021: 11.97 ft, below flood stage; 12,400 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2022: 10.33 ft, below flood stage; 9,880 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 2023: 3.78 ft, below flood stage; 2,070 cubic feet per second Highest, 36.04 ft, Jul 12, 1951 1960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Big Blue River near Manhattan 1950s: 1 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 2 2 2000s: 0 2010s: 2 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, Big Blue River near Manhattan
1Jul 12, 195136.04+17.04Major93,400
2Jul 23, 199332.71+13.71Major58,800
3Jun 1, 201922.41+3.41Minor—
4Jul 19, 201919.76+0.76Minor—
5Aug 7, 199219.28+0.28Minor25,100
6Jun 13, 199518.07−0.93Action21,000
7Jun 30, 201517.85−1.15Action22,600
8May 24, 200717.73−1.27Action23,600
9Mar 22, 200117.56−1.44Action22,500
10Jun 19, 200816.87−2.13Action21,800
11Jun 4, 201114.98−4.02Below flood stage17,700
12Apr 2, 199814.85−4.15Below flood stage15,900
13Nov 22, 199614.76−4.24Below flood stage17,200
14Aug 13, 201014.73−4.27Below flood stage17,200
15Jun 9, 201614.36−4.64Below flood stage16,225
16Apr 20, 199914.35−4.65Below flood stage15,200
17May 9, 201714.08−4.92Below flood stage16,062
18Nov 15, 201913.44−5.56Below flood stage14,900
19Jul 9, 199612.60−6.40Below flood stage12,300
20Apr 2, 202111.97−7.03Below flood stage12,400
21Oct 28, 200811.06−7.94Below flood stage10,600
22Jun 12, 201310.76−8.24Below flood stage10,200
23Jun 4, 202210.33−8.67Below flood stage9,880
24Mar 6, 200410.24−8.76Below flood stage9,070
25May 18, 19949.86−9.14Below flood stage7,880
26Jun 10, 20149.68−9.32Below flood stage8,690
27Oct 1, 20018.89−10.11Below flood stage7,560
28Apr 22, 20127.89−11.11Below flood stage6,100
29Jun 22, 20057.52−11.48Below flood stage6,010
30Oct 14, 19996.30−12.70Below flood stage5,020
31Oct 1, 20055.53−13.47Below flood stage3,690
32Jun 28, 20034.72−14.28Below flood stage3,080
33May 15, 20233.78−15.22Below flood stage2,070

The worst floods along the Big Blue River

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

July 12, 1951: 36.04 ft here, major flooding

  • MarysvilleKS · Jul 12, 1951 · 39.35 ft · Moderate

July 23, 1993: 32.71 ft here, major flooding

  • Blue RapidsKS · Jul 22, 1993 · 63.30 ft · Moderate · its highest
  • BeatriceNE · Jul 26, 1993 · 28.77 ft · Moderate
  • BarnestonNE · Jul 27, 1993 · 27.87 ft · Moderate
  • Tuttle Creek LakeKS · Jul 23, 1993 · 1,137.76 ft · Minor · its highest
  • MarysvilleKS · Jul 28, 1993 · 36.10 ft · Minor

June 1, 2019: 22.41 ft here, minor flooding

Gauges on the Big Blue River

In USGS station-number order, which runs downstream within a river basin.

Flood gauges on the Big Blue River
SurpriseNE7.011.52 ft, Jul 19, 19650
SewardNE18.024.11 ft, Mar 14, 20190
CreteNE21.030.64 ft, Mar 15, 20190
BeatriceNE18.033.02 ft, Oct 12, 19731
BarnestonNE20.030.21 ft, Jun 14, 19840
MarysvilleKS35.045.39 ft, Jun 9, 19413
Blue RapidsKS26.063.30 ft, Jul 22, 19930
Tuttle Creek LakeKS1,136.01,137.76 ft, Jul 23, 19930
Manhattan this gaugeKS19.036.04 ft, Jul 12, 19512

Other gauges in Riley County

Flood gauges in Riley County
Tuttle Creek Lake1,136.01,137.76 ft, Jul 23, 19930
Manhattan18.040.00 ft, Jun 1, 18440
Keats17.025.97 ft, Sep 3, 20181
Manhattan Scenic Drive14.028.29 ft, Sep 3, 20181

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge MNTK1, 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.