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Cimarron River (KS) near Forgan

Highest listed crest 8.10 ftFlood stage 5.0 ft53 crests since 1965

The Cimarron River (KS) near Forgan crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 53 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1965 to 2023. The highest, 8.10 ft on October 20, 1965, was major flooding, 3.10 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
8.10 ft
October 20, 1965; 21,200 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
5.0 ft
Major flooding from 7.0 ft
Crests at major
1
51st of 171 gauges in Kansas
Most recent flood crest
July 9, 2023
5.88 ft, minor flooding
Location
Meade 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 Forgan
Action stage4.017Jun 3, 2023The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)5.011Jul 9, 2023Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage6.02May 30, 1976Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage7.01Oct 20, 1965Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

53 crests from 1965 to 2023. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Cimarron River (KS) near Forgan, 1965 to 2023 246810ft Flood stage 5.0 ftMajor 7.0 ft Oct 20, 1965: 8.10 ft, major flooding; 21,200 cubic feet per secondSep 29, 1966: 6.34 ft, moderate flooding; 6,130 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 1967: 5.62 ft, minor flooding; 3,170 cubic feet per secondAug 9, 1967: 5.75 ft, minor flooding; 3,650 cubic feet per secondAug 12, 1968: 4.60 ft, action stage; 968 cubic feet per secondSep 19, 1969: 5.39 ft, minor flooding; 2,420 cubic feet per secondOct 5, 1969: 4.66 ft, action stage; 1,060 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 1971: 4.27 ft, action stage; 686 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 1972: 5.14 ft, minor flooding; 2,820 cubic feet per secondSep 26, 1973: 4.53 ft, action stage; 1,350 cubic feet per secondAug 24, 1974: 3.80 ft, below flood stage; 440 cubic feet per secondAug 2, 1975: 4.79 ft, action stage; 2,660 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1976: 6.95 ft, moderate flooding; 14,200 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 1977: 4.71 ft, action stage; 3,490 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1977: 5.59 ft, minor flooding; 6,990 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 1978: 5.15 ft, minor flooding; 5,240 cubic feet per secondJul 18, 1979: 4.67 ft, action stage; 2,470 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1980: 3.52 ft, below flood stage; 132 cubic feet per secondJul 9, 1981: 4.73 ft, action stage; 1,590 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1982: 4.68 ft, action stage; 2,790 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1983: 4.34 ft, action stage; 1,240 cubic feet per secondAug 7, 1984: 3.84 ft, below flood stage; 464 cubic feet per secondJul 23, 1985: 3.36 ft, below flood stage; 121 cubic feet per secondJul 20, 1986: 4.95 ft, action stage; 4,440 cubic feet per secondJul 19, 1988: 3.36 ft, below flood stage; 132 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1989: 3.76 ft, below flood stage; 403 cubic feet per secondJul 30, 1990: 3.90 ft, below flood stage; 581 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 1991: 3.33 ft, below flood stage; 121 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 1992: 3.47 ft, below flood stageJun 28, 1992: 3.47 ft, below flood stage; 157 cubic feet per secondNov 30, 1992: 3.97 ft, below flood stageJun 3, 1993: 3.80 ft, below flood stage; 423 cubic feet per secondNov 26, 1993: 3.68 ft, below flood stageDec 13, 1993: 3.02 ft, below flood stage; 64 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1995: 3.51 ft, below flood stage; 273 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 1996: 3.69 ft, below flood stage; 81 cubic feet per secondSep 19, 1996: 3.01 ft, below flood stage; 81 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 1997: 4.07 ft, action stage; 992 cubic feet per secondJul 31, 1998: 3.14 ft, below flood stage; 135 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1999: 4.91 ft, action stage; 1,380 cubic feet per secondAug 11, 2000: 3.41 ft, below flood stage; 228 cubic feet per secondAug 11, 2001: 3.25 ft, below flood stage; 172 cubic feet per secondAug 10, 2002: 5.09 ft, minor flooding; 1,690 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 2003: 5.92 ft, minor flooding; 2,940 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 2004: 5.88 ft, minor flooding; 2,300 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 2006: 2.43 ft, below flood stage; 49 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 2010: 5.70 ft, minor flooding; 2,067 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 2013: 2.71 ft, below flood stage; 51 cubic feet per secondAug 17, 2013: 4.52 ft, action stage; 379 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 2014: 4.26 ft, action stage; 94 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2015: 4.09 ft, action stage; 176 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 2023: 4.62 ft, action stage; 338 cubic feet per secondJul 9, 2023: 5.88 ft, minor flooding; 1,190 cubic feet per second Highest, 8.10 ft, Oct 20, 1965 197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Cimarron River (KS) near Forgan 1960s: 5 5 1970s: 4 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 3 2010s: 1 2020s: 1 1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 53 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Cimarron River (KS) near Forgan
1Oct 20, 19658.10+3.10Major21,200
2May 30, 19766.95+1.95Moderate14,200
3Sep 29, 19666.34+1.34Moderate6,130
4May 16, 20035.92+0.92Minor2,940
5Apr 20, 20045.88+0.88Minor2,300
6Jul 9, 20235.88+0.88Minor1,190
7Aug 9, 19675.75+0.75Minor3,650
8May 26, 20105.70+0.70Minor2,067
9Jun 27, 19675.62+0.62Minor3,170
10May 27, 19775.59+0.59Minor6,990
11Sep 19, 19695.39+0.39Minor2,420
12Jun 7, 19785.15+0.15Minor5,240
13Jun 25, 19725.14+0.14Minor2,820
14Aug 10, 20025.09+0.09Minor1,690
15Jul 20, 19864.95−0.05Action4,440
16May 7, 19994.91−0.09Action1,380
17Aug 2, 19754.79−0.21Action2,660
18Jul 9, 19814.73−0.27Action1,590
19May 16, 19774.71−0.29Action3,490
20May 19, 19824.68−0.32Action2,790
21Jul 18, 19794.67−0.33Action2,470
22Oct 5, 19694.66−0.34Action1,060
23Jun 3, 20234.62−0.38Action338
24Aug 12, 19684.60−0.40Action968
25Sep 26, 19734.53−0.47Action1,350
26Aug 17, 20134.52−0.48Action379
27Jun 10, 19834.34−0.66Action1,240
28Feb 25, 19714.27−0.73Action686
29Jul 1, 20144.26−0.74Action94
30May 24, 20154.09−0.91Action176
31Jun 19, 19974.07−0.93Action992
32Nov 30, 19923.97−1.03Below flood stage—
33Jul 30, 19903.90−1.10Below flood stage581
34Aug 7, 19843.84−1.16Below flood stage464
35Aug 24, 19743.80−1.20Below flood stage440
36Jun 3, 19933.80−1.20Below flood stage423
37May 18, 19893.76−1.24Below flood stage403
38Jan 27, 19963.69−1.31Below flood stage81
39Nov 26, 19933.68−1.32Below flood stage—
40Mar 28, 19803.52−1.48Below flood stage132
41May 7, 19953.51−1.49Below flood stage273
42Jan 16, 19923.47−1.53Below flood stage—
43Jun 28, 19923.47−1.53Below flood stage157
44Aug 11, 20003.41−1.59Below flood stage228
45Jul 23, 19853.36−1.64Below flood stage121
46Jul 19, 19883.36−1.64Below flood stage132
47May 24, 19913.33−1.67Below flood stage121
48Aug 11, 20013.25−1.75Below flood stage172
49Jul 31, 19983.14−1.86Below flood stage135
50Dec 13, 19933.02−1.98Below flood stage64

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)
ElkhartKS12.014.17 ft, May 26, 19770
Forgan this gaugeKS5.08.10 ft, Oct 20, 19651

Other gauges in Meade County

Flood gauges in Meade County
Englewood6.59.00 ft, Aug 31, 19630

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge FRGO2, 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.