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Kansas River at Lecompton

Highest listed crest 30.23 ftFlood stage 17.0 ft69 crests since 1903

The Kansas River at Lecompton crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 69 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1903 to 2023. The highest, 30.23 ft on July 13, 1951, was major flooding, 13.23 feet above flood stage. 7 other gauges on the Kansas River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 3 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
30.23 ft
July 13, 1951; 483,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
17.0 ft
Major flooding from 27.0 ft
Crests at major
2
29th of 171 gauges in Kansas
Most recent flood crest
June 24, 2019
20.52 ft, minor flooding
Location
Jefferson County
Near Lawrence (9.1 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Kansas River at Lecompton
Action stage13.023May 31, 2022The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)17.024Jun 24, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage23.81Jul 27, 1993Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage27.02Jul 13, 1951Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

69 crests from 1903 to 2023. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Kansas River at Lecompton, 1903 to 2023 010203040ft Flood stage 17.0 ftMajor 27.0 ft May 31, 1903: 27.90 ft, major floodingJul 13, 1951: 30.23 ft, major flooding; 483,000 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1961: 18.05 ft, minor flooding; 80,900 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1962: 16.14 ft, action stage; 60,100 cubic feet per secondOct 7, 1963: 8.00 ft, below flood stage; 16,800 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 1964: 13.49 ft, action stage; 37,900 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 1965: 18.87 ft, minor flooding; 84,400 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1966: 13.00 ft, action stage; 35,000 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1967: 20.57 ft, minor flooding; 109,000 cubic feet per secondAug 3, 1968: 15.72 ft, action stage; 57,000 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 1969: 16.97 ft, action stage; 66,800 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1970: 16.54 ft, action stage; 63,300 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 1971: 12.51 ft, below flood stage; 40,100 cubic feet per secondSep 8, 1972: 13.12 ft, action stage; 41,100 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 1973: 19.13 ft, minor flooding; 90,300 cubic feet per secondOct 12, 1973: 22.73 ft, minor flooding; 140,000 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1974: 14.23 ft, action stage; 52,600 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1975: 13.70 ft, action stage; 48,900 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1976: 11.85 ft, below flood stage; 37,100 cubic feet per secondSep 13, 1977: 15.27 ft, action stage; 60,200 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 1978: 9.41 ft, below flood stage; 22,000 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1979: 12.96 ft, below flood stage; 44,700 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1980: 15.81 ft, action stage; 67,200 cubic feet per secondJul 27, 1981: 14.21 ft, action stage; 56,000 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1982: 18.67 ft, minor flooding; 92,900 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1983: 14.00 ft, action stage; 54,200 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1984: 16.98 ft, action stage; 77,800 cubic feet per secondSep 30, 1985: 11.92 ft, below flood stage; 39,000 cubic feet per secondOct 10, 1985: 17.07 ft, minor flooding; 78,200 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1987: 15.89 ft, action stage; 72,100 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1988: 7.07 ft, below flood stage; 14,250 cubic feet per secondSep 9, 1989: 16.36 ft, action stage; 67,200 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1990: 12.20 ft, below flood stage; 35,200 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 1991: 10.53 ft, below flood stage; 26,600 cubic feet per secondJul 24, 1992: 13.88 ft, action stage; 46,800 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 1993: 18.76 ft, minor floodingJul 27, 1993: 24.65 ft, moderate flooding; 190,000 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 1994: 10.35 ft, below flood stageMay 14, 1995: 17.29 ft, minor floodingMay 18, 1995: 20.86 ft, minor floodingMay 24, 1995: 20.69 ft, minor floodingMay 28, 1995: 17.89 ft, minor floodingApr 11, 1997: 15.66 ft, action stage; 64,500 cubic feet per secondNov 2, 1998: 19.29 ft, minor flooding; 96,400 cubic feet per secondJul 5, 2000: 7.10 ft, below flood stage; 14,800 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2001: 14.64 ft, action stage; 54,200 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 2002: 7.62 ft, below flood stage; 16,800 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 2003: 6.32 ft, below flood stage; 12,600 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 2004: 11.35 ft, below flood stage; 32,900 cubic feet per secondOct 2, 2005: 17.15 ft, minor floodingMay 7, 2007: 21.88 ft, minor flooding; 123,000 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 2008: 12.88 ft, below flood stage; 42,200 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 2009: 17.57 ft, minor flooding; 78,300 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 2010: 13.92 ft, action stage; 48,400 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 2011: 18.80 ft, minor flooding; 858,000 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 2011: 7.48 ft, below flood stage; 15,200 cubic feet per secondAug 4, 2013: 9.75 ft, below flood stage; 24,700 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 2014: 12.53 ft, below flood stage; 38,600 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2015: 19.45 ft, minor floodingApr 27, 2016: 17.45 ft, minor floodingMay 28, 2016: 19.71 ft, minor floodingMay 9, 2019: 18.02 ft, minor floodingMay 21, 2019: 17.65 ft, minor floodingMay 27, 2019: 17.38 ft, minor floodingJun 24, 2019: 20.52 ft, minor floodingJul 30, 2020: 14.59 ft, action stage; 52,300 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 2021: 13.27 ft, action stage; 40,000 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2022: 15.22 ft, action stage; 52,500 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2023: 6.20 ft, below flood stage; 8,720 cubic feet per second Highest, 30.23 ft, Jul 13, 1951 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Kansas River at Lecompton 1900s: 1 1910s: 0 1920s: 0 1930s: 0 1940s: 0 1950s: 1 1960s: 3 1970s: 2 1980s: 2 1990s: 7 2000s: 3 2010s: 8 8 2020s: 0 1900s1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 69 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Kansas River at Lecompton
1Jul 13, 195130.23+13.23Major483,000
2May 31, 190327.90+10.90Major—
3Jul 27, 199324.65+7.65Moderate190,000
4Oct 12, 197322.73+5.73Minor140,000
5May 7, 200721.88+4.88Minor123,000
6May 18, 199520.86+3.86Minor—
7May 24, 199520.69+3.69Minor—
8Jun 21, 196720.57+3.57Minor109,000
9Jun 24, 201920.52+3.52Minor—
10May 28, 201619.71+2.71Minor—
11Jun 6, 201519.45+2.45Minor—
12Nov 2, 199819.29+2.29Minor96,400
13Sep 28, 197319.13+2.13Minor90,300
14Jun 29, 196518.87+1.87Minor84,400
15Jun 3, 201118.80+1.80Minor858,000
16May 10, 199318.76+1.76Minor—
17Jun 10, 198218.67+1.67Minor92,900
18May 23, 196118.05+1.05Minor80,900
19May 9, 201918.02+1.02Minor—
20May 28, 199517.89+0.89Minor—
21May 21, 201917.65+0.65Minor—
22Apr 27, 200917.57+0.57Minor78,300
23Apr 27, 201617.45+0.45Minor—
24May 27, 201917.38+0.38Minor—
25May 14, 199517.29+0.29Minor—
26Oct 2, 200517.15+0.15Minor—
27Oct 10, 198517.07+0.07Minor78,200
28Jun 10, 198416.98−0.02Action77,800
29Apr 27, 196916.97−0.03Action66,800
30Jun 4, 197016.54−0.46Action63,300
31Sep 9, 198916.36−0.64Action67,200
32May 30, 196216.14−0.86Action60,100
33Mar 19, 198715.89−1.11Action72,100
34Mar 30, 198015.81−1.19Action67,200
35Aug 3, 196815.72−1.28Action57,000
36Apr 11, 199715.66−1.34Action64,500
37Sep 13, 197715.27−1.73Action60,200
38May 31, 202215.22−1.78Action52,500
39May 21, 200114.64−2.36Action54,200
40Jul 30, 202014.59−2.41Action52,300
41Jun 9, 197414.23−2.77Action52,600
42Jul 27, 198114.21−2.79Action56,000
43Apr 2, 198314.00−3.00Action54,200
44Jun 17, 201013.92−3.08Action48,400
45Jul 24, 199213.88−3.12Action46,800
46Jun 11, 197513.70−3.30Action48,900
47Jun 24, 196413.49−3.51Action37,900
48May 17, 202113.27−3.73Action40,000
49Sep 8, 197213.12−3.88Action41,100
50Jun 13, 196613.00−4.00Action35,000

The worst floods along the Kansas River

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

July 13, 1951: 30.23 ft here, major flooding

  • 23rd Street - Kansas City - KSKS · Jul 14, 1951 · 61.30 ft · Major · its highest
  • De SotoKS · Jul 13, 1951 · 37.30 ft · Major · its highest
  • Ft. RileyKS · Jul 13, 1951 · 34.50 ft · Major
  • LawrenceKS · Jul 13, 1951 · 29.90 ft · Major
  • TopekaKS · Jul 13, 1951 · 40.80 ft · Moderate
  • ManhattanKS · Jul 13, 1951 · 33.39 ft · Moderate
  • WamegoKS · Jul 13, 1951 · 30.56 ft · Moderate · its highest

May 31, 1903: 27.90 ft here, major flooding

July 27, 1993: 24.65 ft here, moderate flooding

  • 23rd Street - Kansas City - KSKS · Jul 28, 1993 · 54.80 ft · Moderate
  • Turner BridgeKS · Jul 27, 1993 · 53.64 ft · Moderate · its highest
  • TopekaKS · Jul 24, 1993 · 34.97 ft · Moderate
  • ManhattanKS · Jul 25, 1993 · 29.92 ft · Moderate
  • Ft. RileyKS · Jul 26, 1993 · 27.93 ft · Moderate
  • WamegoKS · Jul 26, 1993 · 27.33 ft · Moderate
  • LawrenceKS · Jul 27, 1993 · 26.80 ft · Moderate
  • De SotoKS · Jul 27, 1993 · 26.91 ft · Minor
  • BelvueKS · Jul 26, 1993 · 26.00 ft · Minor · its highest

Gauges on the Kansas River

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Kansas River
23rd Street - Kansas City - KSKS33.061.30 ft, Jul 14, 19511
De SotoKS26.037.30 ft, Jul 13, 19511
Ft. RileyKS21.034.50 ft, Jul 1, 19512
LawrenceKS18.029.90 ft, Jul 1, 18442
Lecompton this gaugeKS17.030.23 ft, Jul 13, 19512
ManhattanKS18.040.00 ft, Jun 1, 18440
TopekaKS26.047.20 ft, Jun 1, 18441
Turner BridgeKS41.053.64 ft, Jul 27, 19930
WamegoKS19.030.56 ft, Jul 13, 19510
BelvueKS20.026.00 ft, Jul 26, 19930
Lake QuiviraKS26.028.14 ft, May 28, 20160

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge LCPK1, 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.