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Kansas River at Manhattan

Highest listed crest 40.00 ftFlood stage 18.0 ft50 crests since 1844

The Kansas River at Manhattan crested above flood stage 41 times among the 50 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1844 to 2023. The highest, 40.00 ft on June 1, 1844, was moderate flooding, 22.00 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Kansas River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
40.00 ft
June 1, 1844
Flood stage
18.0 ft
Major flooding from 42.0 ft
Crests at major
0
41 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
August 30, 2019
18.13 ft, minor flooding
Location
Riley County
Near Manhattan (2.9 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 Manhattan
Action stage14.03May 27, 2021The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)18.037Aug 30, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage26.04Jul 25, 1993Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage42.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

50 crests from 1844 to 2023. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Kansas River at Manhattan, 1844 to 2023 01020304050ft Flood stage 18.0 ftMajor 42.0 ft Jun 1, 1844: 40.00 ft, moderate floodingJun 28, 1947: 22.40 ft, minor floodingMar 20, 1948: 18.78 ft, minor floodingJul 20, 1948: 22.68 ft, minor floodingJun 29, 1949: 18.06 ft, minor floodingJul 11, 1950: 19.61 ft, minor floodingJul 20, 1950: 23.00 ft, minor floodingJul 26, 1950: 18.08 ft, minor floodingOct 4, 1950: 19.74 ft, minor floodingMay 1, 1951: 19.27 ft, minor floodingJun 9, 1951: 23.04 ft, minor floodingJun 17, 1951: 21.40 ft, minor floodingJun 24, 1951: 25.22 ft, minor floodingJun 29, 1951: 26.76 ft, moderate floodingJul 4, 1951: 19.58 ft, minor floodingJul 13, 1951: 33.39 ft, moderate floodingSep 5, 1951: 20.58 ft, minor floodingSep 13, 1951: 19.94 ft, minor floodingJul 21, 1957: 17.58 ft, action stageMar 29, 1960: 21.90 ft, minor floodingJun 28, 1965: 18.26 ft, minor floodingJun 24, 1967: 18.96 ft, minor floodingOct 8, 1967: 18.34 ft, minor floodingOct 11, 1973: 22.38 ft, minor floodingJun 19, 1977: 19.25 ft, minor floodingMay 11, 1993: 19.69 ft, minor floodingJul 25, 1993: 29.92 ft, moderate floodingAug 18, 1993: 19.90 ft, minor floodingMay 17, 1995: 21.84 ft, minor floodingMay 24, 1995: 19.70 ft, minor floodingJun 1, 1995: 18.82 ft, minor floodingMay 24, 1999: 18.85 ft, minor floodingMar 26, 2000: 11.73 ft, below flood stageJun 20, 2001: 13.84 ft, below flood stageOct 1, 2001: 6.63 ft, below flood stageSep 17, 2003: 9.48 ft, below flood stageJun 17, 2010: 18.09 ft, minor flooding; 36,328 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2011: 20.07 ft, minor floodingMay 8, 2019: 18.91 ft, minor floodingMay 22, 2019: 18.26 ft, minor floodingMay 26, 2019: 19.29 ft, minor floodingMay 30, 2019: 19.12 ft, minor floodingJun 23, 2019: 19.58 ft, minor floodingJun 28, 2019: 18.39 ft, minor floodingJul 7, 2019: 19.76 ft, minor floodingAug 30, 2019: 18.13 ft, minor floodingMay 25, 2020: 16.39 ft, action stageMay 27, 2021: 16.33 ft, action stageJun 8, 2022: 12.09 ft, below flood stageMay 16, 2023: 7.52 ft, below flood stage Highest, 40.00 ft, Jun 1, 1844 1880192019602000

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Kansas River at Manhattan 1840s: 1 1850s: 0 1860s: 0 1870s: 0 1880s: 0 1890s: 0 1900s: 0 1910s: 0 1920s: 0 1930s: 0 1940s: 4 1950s: 13 13 1960s: 4 1970s: 2 1980s: 0 1990s: 7 2000s: 0 2010s: 10 2020s: 0 1840s1860s1880s1900s1920s1940s1960s1980s2000s2020s
  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, Kansas River at Manhattan
1Jun 1, 184440.00+22.00Moderate—
2Jul 13, 195133.39+15.39Moderate—
3Jul 25, 199329.92+11.92Moderate—
4Jun 29, 195126.76+8.76Moderate—
5Jun 24, 195125.22+7.22Minor—
6Jun 9, 195123.04+5.04Minor—
7Jul 20, 195023.00+5.00Minor—
8Jul 20, 194822.68+4.68Minor—
9Jun 28, 194722.40+4.40Minor—
10Oct 11, 197322.38+4.38Minor—
11Mar 29, 196021.90+3.90Minor—
12May 17, 199521.84+3.84Minor—
13Jun 17, 195121.40+3.40Minor—
14Sep 5, 195120.58+2.58Minor—
15Jun 6, 201120.07+2.07Minor—
16Sep 13, 195119.94+1.94Minor—
17Aug 18, 199319.90+1.90Minor—
18Jul 7, 201919.76+1.76Minor—
19Oct 4, 195019.74+1.74Minor—
20May 24, 199519.70+1.70Minor—
21May 11, 199319.69+1.69Minor—
22Jul 11, 195019.61+1.61Minor—
23Jul 4, 195119.58+1.58Minor—
24Jun 23, 201919.58+1.58Minor—
25May 26, 201919.29+1.29Minor—
26May 1, 195119.27+1.27Minor—
27Jun 19, 197719.25+1.25Minor—
28May 30, 201919.12+1.12Minor—
29Jun 24, 196718.96+0.96Minor—
30May 8, 201918.91+0.91Minor—
31May 24, 199918.85+0.85Minor—
32Jun 1, 199518.82+0.82Minor—
33Mar 20, 194818.78+0.78Minor—
34Jun 28, 201918.39+0.39Minor—
35Oct 8, 196718.34+0.34Minor—
36Jun 28, 196518.26+0.26Minor—
37May 22, 201918.26+0.26Minor—
38Aug 30, 201918.13+0.13Minor—
39Jun 17, 201018.09+0.09Minor36,328
40Jul 26, 195018.08+0.08Minor—
41Jun 29, 194918.06+0.06Minor—
42Jul 21, 195717.58−0.42Action—
43May 25, 202016.39−1.61Action—
44May 27, 202116.33−1.67Action—
45Jun 20, 200113.84−4.16Below flood stage—
46Jun 8, 202212.09−5.91Below flood stage—
47Mar 26, 200011.73−6.27Below flood stage—
48Sep 17, 20039.48−8.52Below flood stage—
49May 16, 20237.52−10.48Below flood stage—
50Oct 1, 20016.63−11.37Below flood stage—

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.

June 1, 1844: 40.00 ft here, moderate flooding

  • TopekaKS · Jun 1, 1844 · 47.20 ft · Major · its highest

July 13, 1951: 33.39 ft here, moderate 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
  • LecomptonKS · Jul 13, 1951 · 30.23 ft · Major · its highest
  • LawrenceKS · Jul 13, 1951 · 29.90 ft · Major
  • TopekaKS · Jul 13, 1951 · 40.80 ft · Moderate
  • WamegoKS · Jul 13, 1951 · 30.56 ft · Moderate · its highest

July 25, 1993: 29.92 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
  • 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
  • LecomptonKS · Jul 27, 1993 · 24.65 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
LecomptonKS17.030.23 ft, Jul 13, 19512
Manhattan this gaugeKS18.040.00 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

Other gauges in Riley County

Flood gauges in Riley County
Tuttle Creek Lake1,136.01,137.76 ft, Jul 23, 19930
Manhattan19.036.04 ft, Jul 12, 19512
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 MHKK1, 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.