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Cimarron River (KS) near Elkhart

Highest listed crest 14.17 ftFlood stage 12.0 ft32 crests since 1972

The Cimarron River (KS) near Elkhart crested above flood stage 4 times among the 32 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1972 to 2021. The highest, 14.17 ft on May 26, 1977, was minor flooding, 2.17 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Cimarron River (KS) crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
14.17 ft
May 26, 1977; 21,500 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
12.0 ft
No major stage set
Crests at major
0
4 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
May 3, 1999
13.01 ft, minor flooding
Location
Morton County
Kansas

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Cimarron River (KS) near Elkhart
Action stage11.02Jun 5, 1978The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)12.04May 3, 1999Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat

Every listed crest

32 crests from 1972 to 2021. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Cimarron River (KS) near Elkhart, 1972 to 2021 05101520ft Flood stage 12.0 ft Jun 23, 1972: 12.45 ft, minor flooding; 5,100 cubic feet per secondSep 24, 1973: 11.45 ft, action stage; 4,280 cubic feet per secondAug 17, 1974: 9.36 ft, below flood stage; 1,660 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 1975: 10.10 ft, below flood stage; 2,520 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 1976: 10.25 ft, below flood stage; 2,700 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 1977: 14.17 ft, minor flooding; 21,500 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1978: 11.40 ft, action stage; 6,800 cubic feet per secondAug 26, 1979: 9.59 ft, below flood stage; 1,950 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1980: 7.94 ft, below flood stage; 44 cubic feet per secondJul 28, 1981: 10.94 ft, below flood stage; 5,240 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 1982: 9.91 ft, below flood stage; 2,530 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1983: 8.82 ft, below flood stage; 689 cubic feet per secondAug 25, 1984: 8.59 ft, below flood stage; 560 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 1985: 6.50 ft, below flood stageJun 8, 1986: 10.43 ft, below flood stage; 3,770 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 1987: 9.93 ft, below flood stage; 1,770 cubic feet per secondSep 16, 1988: 7.73 ft, below flood stage; 54 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 1989: 8.73 ft, below flood stage; 678 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1990: 7.02 ft, below flood stage; 8 cubic feet per secondAug 13, 1991: 7.39 ft, below flood stage; 24 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 1993: 6.91 ft, below flood stage; 3 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 1996: 9.49 ft, below flood stage; 540 cubic feet per secondAug 13, 1997: 13.00 ft, minor flooding; 7,700 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1998: 7.82 ft, below flood stage; 47 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 1999: 13.01 ft, minor flooding; 5,890 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 2000: 3.78 ft, below flood stageMay 23, 2001: 6.28 ft, below flood stage; 127 cubic feet per secondAug 30, 2002: 4.60 ft, below flood stage; 8 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2003: 7.06 ft, below flood stage; 96 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 2004: 7.51 ft, below flood stage; 20 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 2006: 6.49 ft, below flood stage; 2 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 2021: 10.61 ft, below flood stage; 528 cubic feet per second Highest, 14.17 ft, May 26, 1977 19801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Cimarron River (KS) near Elkhart 1970s: 2 2 1980s: 0 1990s: 2 2000s: 0 2010s: 0 2020s: 0 1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Cimarron River (KS) near Elkhart
1May 26, 197714.17+2.17Minor21,500
2May 3, 199913.01+1.01Minor5,890
3Aug 13, 199713.00+1.00Minor7,700
4Jun 23, 197212.45+0.45Minor5,100
5Sep 24, 197311.45−0.55Action4,280
6Jun 5, 197811.40−0.60Action6,800
7Jul 28, 198110.94−1.06Below flood stage5,240
8Jun 2, 202110.61−1.39Below flood stage528
9Jun 8, 198610.43−1.57Below flood stage3,770
10Apr 28, 197610.25−1.75Below flood stage2,700
11Jun 24, 197510.10−1.90Below flood stage2,520
12May 24, 19879.93−2.07Below flood stage1,770
13Jun 26, 19829.91−2.09Below flood stage2,530
14Aug 26, 19799.59−2.41Below flood stage1,950
15Jun 26, 19969.49−2.51Below flood stage540
16Aug 17, 19749.36−2.64Below flood stage1,660
17Apr 4, 19838.82−3.18Below flood stage689
18Jul 13, 19898.73−3.27Below flood stage678
19Aug 25, 19848.59−3.41Below flood stage560
20Apr 25, 19807.94−4.06Below flood stage44
21Mar 21, 19987.82−4.18Below flood stage47
22Sep 16, 19887.73−4.27Below flood stage54
23Jun 26, 20047.51−4.49Below flood stage20
24Aug 13, 19917.39−4.61Below flood stage24
25Jun 6, 20037.06−4.94Below flood stage96
26May 30, 19907.02−4.98Below flood stage8
27May 5, 19936.91−5.09Below flood stage3
28Dec 31, 19856.50−5.50Below flood stage—
29Jun 22, 20066.49−5.51Below flood stage2
30May 23, 20016.28−5.72Below flood stage127
31Aug 30, 20024.60−7.40Below flood stage8
32Feb 28, 20003.78−8.22Below flood stage—

The worst floods along the Cimarron River (KS)

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

May 26, 1977: 14.17 ft here, minor flooding

  • ForganKS · May 27, 1977 · 5.59 ft · Minor

June 23, 1972: 12.45 ft here, minor flooding

  • ForganKS · Jun 25, 1972 · 5.14 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Cimarron River (KS)

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

Flood gauges on the Cimarron River (KS)
Elkhart this gaugeKS12.014.17 ft, May 26, 19770
ForganKS5.08.10 ft, Oct 20, 19651

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge EHTK1, 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.