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Elk River (KS) at Elk Falls

Highest listed crest 34.85 ftFlood stage 21.0 ft39 crests since 1968

The Elk River (KS) at Elk Falls crested above flood stage 10 times among the 39 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1968 to 2020. The highest, 34.85 ft on July 3, 1976, was minor flooding, 13.85 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
34.85 ft
July 3, 1976; 200,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
21.0 ft
No major stage set
Crests at major
0
10 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
June 19, 2019
21.07 ft, minor flooding
Location
Elk County
Kansas

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Elk River (KS) at Elk Falls
Action stage21.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)21.010Jun 19, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat

Every listed crest

39 crests from 1968 to 2020. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Elk River (KS) at Elk Falls, 1968 to 2020 010203040ft Flood stage 21.0 ft May 25, 1968: 18.21 ft, below flood stage; 9,610 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1969: 21.48 ft, minor flooding; 18,100 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 1970: 27.48 ft, minor flooding; 29,300 cubic feet per secondJan 3, 1971: 11.45 ft, below flood stage; 4,580 cubic feet per secondJul 18, 1972: 20.47 ft, below flood stage; 15,200 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 1973: 17.88 ft, below flood stage; 10,700 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 1974: 20.09 ft, below flood stage; 14,500 cubic feet per secondNov 3, 1974: 24.05 ft, minor flooding; 22,400 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 1976: 34.85 ft, minor flooding; 200,000 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1977: 24.21 ft, minor flooding; 24,100 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1978: 18.69 ft, below flood stage; 11,700 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1979: 15.84 ft, below flood stage; 8,070 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1980: 8.94 ft, below flood stage; 2,790 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1981: 8.14 ft, below flood stage; 2,230 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1982: 18.94 ft, below flood stage; 12,200 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1983: 15.75 ft, below flood stage; 8,000 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1984: 17.11 ft, below flood stage; 9,370 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 1985: 11.54 ft, below flood stage; 4,710 cubic feet per secondOct 3, 1986: 23.31 ft, minor flooding; 21,100 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1988: 19.25 ft, below flood stage; 12,600 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1989: 15.83 ft, below flood stage; 7,960 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1990: 9.15 ft, below flood stage; 3,190 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1991: 6.37 ft, below flood stage; 1,100 cubic feet per secondJul 23, 1992: 9.31 ft, below flood stage; 3,320 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1993: 15.65 ft, below flood stage; 8,140 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 1994: 21.04 ft, minor flooding; 16,500 cubic feet per secondNov 1, 1998: 18.17 ft, below flood stage; 11,400 cubic feet per secondJun 30, 2007: 28.02 ft, minor flooding; 32,229 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 2008: 20.25 ft, below flood stage; 16,900 cubic feet per secondJul 5, 2010: 16.02 ft, below flood stage; 9,540 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 2011: 4.46 ft, below flood stage; 383 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2012: 12.72 ft, below flood stage; 6,390 cubic feet per secondAug 8, 2013: 7.97 ft, below flood stage; 2,920 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 2014: 10.29 ft, below flood stage; 5,520 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2015: 18.04 ft, below flood stage; 11,400 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 2018: 6.94 ft, below flood stage; 1,910 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2019: 21.08 ft, minor flooding; 18,235 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 2019: 21.07 ft, minor flooding; 18,000 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 2020: 18.62 ft, below flood stage; 13,900 cubic feet per second Highest, 34.85 ft, Jul 3, 1976 197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Elk River (KS) at Elk Falls 1960s: 1 1970s: 4 4 1980s: 1 1990s: 1 2000s: 1 2010s: 2 2020s: 0 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

Highest listed crests, Elk River (KS) at Elk Falls
1Jul 3, 197634.85+13.85Minor200,000
2Jun 30, 200728.02+7.02Minor32,229
3Apr 18, 197027.48+6.48Minor29,300
4Jun 22, 197724.21+3.21Minor24,100
5Nov 3, 197424.05+3.05Minor22,400
6Oct 3, 198623.31+2.31Minor21,100
7Jun 1, 196921.48+0.48Minor18,100
8May 21, 201921.08+0.08Minor18,235
9Jun 19, 201921.07+0.07Minor18,000
10Apr 28, 199421.04+0.04Minor16,500
11Jul 18, 197220.47−0.53Below flood stage15,200
12Jun 13, 200820.25−0.75Below flood stage16,900
13Mar 10, 197420.09−0.91Below flood stage14,500
14Apr 1, 198819.25−1.75Below flood stage12,600
15May 31, 198218.94−2.06Below flood stage12,200
16May 19, 197818.69−2.31Below flood stage11,700
17May 15, 202018.62−2.38Below flood stage13,900
18May 25, 196818.21−2.79Below flood stage9,610
19Nov 1, 199818.17−2.83Below flood stage11,400
20May 24, 201518.04−2.96Below flood stage11,400
21Mar 10, 197317.88−3.12Below flood stage10,700
22Jun 9, 198417.11−3.89Below flood stage9,370
23Jul 5, 201016.02−4.98Below flood stage9,540
24Jun 8, 197915.84−5.16Below flood stage8,070
25May 22, 198915.83−5.17Below flood stage7,960
26Apr 1, 198315.75−5.25Below flood stage8,000
27May 9, 199315.65−5.35Below flood stage8,140
28May 1, 201212.72−8.28Below flood stage6,390
29Feb 23, 198511.54−9.46Below flood stage4,710
30Jan 3, 197111.45−9.55Below flood stage4,580
31Jun 29, 201410.29−10.71Below flood stage5,520
32Jul 23, 19929.31−11.69Below flood stage3,320
33Mar 14, 19909.15−11.85Below flood stage3,190
34Mar 30, 19808.94−12.06Below flood stage2,790
35May 30, 19818.14−12.86Below flood stage2,230
36Aug 8, 20137.97−13.03Below flood stage2,920
37May 19, 20186.94−14.06Below flood stage1,910
38Jun 5, 19916.37−14.63Below flood stage1,100
39Mar 9, 20114.46−16.54Below flood stage383

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge ELFK1, 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.