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Little Arkansas River at Alta Mills

Highest listed crest 27.42 ftFlood stage 22.0 ft57 crests since 1973

The Little Arkansas River at Alta Mills crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 57 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1973 to 2025. The highest, 27.42 ft on October 12, 1973, was major flooding, 5.42 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
27.42 ft
October 12, 1973; 30,100 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
22.0 ft
Major flooding from 27.0 ft
Crests at major
3
18th of 171 gauges in Kansas
Most recent flood crest
June 19, 2025
24.22 ft, minor flooding
Location
Harvey County
Near Newton (14.4 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Little Arkansas River at Alta Mills
Action stage20.05May 29, 2021The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)22.019Jun 19, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage25.012May 22, 2019Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage27.03Jul 14, 1993Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

57 crests from 1973 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Little Arkansas River at Alta Mills, 1973 to 2025 51015202530ft Flood stage 22.0 ftMajor 27.0 ft Sep 28, 1973: 26.21 ft, moderate flooding; 12,000 cubic feet per secondOct 12, 1973: 27.42 ft, major flooding; 30,100 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1974: 24.92 ft, minor flooding; 9,140 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 1975: 18.06 ft, below flood stage; 3,360 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 1976: 23.82 ft, minor flooding; 7,520 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 1977: 24.00 ft, minor flooding; 7,700 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 1977: 22.54 ft, minor flooding; 6,290 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 1978: 17.52 ft, below flood stage; 3,150 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1979: 24.02 ft, minor flooding; 7,720 cubic feet per secondOct 31, 1979: 27.34 ft, major flooding; 29,300 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1980: 24.74 ft, minor flooding; 8,810 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 1981: 7.87 ft, below flood stage; 567 cubic feet per secondNov 3, 1981: 18.12 ft, below flood stage; 3,410 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1983: 21.93 ft, action stage; 5,740 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 1984: 20.77 ft, action stage; 4,620 cubic feet per secondAug 24, 1985: 21.56 ft, action stage; 5,190 cubic feet per secondOct 11, 1985: 25.52 ft, moderate flooding; 14,900 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1987: 25.78 ft, moderate flooding; 16,500 cubic feet per secondAug 26, 1987: 23.92 ft, minor flooding; 8,040 cubic feet per secondJul 18, 1988: 12.55 ft, below flood stage; 1,910 cubic feet per secondAug 24, 1989: 18.03 ft, below flood stage; 3,450 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1990: 9.47 ft, below flood stage; 1,030 cubic feet per secondSep 8, 1991: 8.39 ft, below flood stage; 719 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 1993: 25.32 ft, moderate flooding; 10,200 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 1993: 24.34 ft, minor flooding; 7,080 cubic feet per secondJul 8, 1993: 22.74 ft, minor flooding; 5,400 cubic feet per secondJul 14, 1993: 27.30 ft, major flooding; 21,000 cubic feet per secondJul 26, 1994: 10.31 ft, below flood stage; 1,030 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 1995: 25.36 ft, moderate floodingJun 11, 1995: 25.37 ft, moderate floodingJun 3, 1996: 16.92 ft, below flood stage; 3,450 cubic feet per secondNov 2, 1998: 25.87 ft, moderate flooding; 17,300 cubic feet per secondOct 9, 2003: 23.93 ft, minor flooding; 8,193 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 2004: 24.38 ft, minor flooding; 9,808 cubic feet per secondJul 26, 2004: 23.55 ft, minor flooding; 7,024 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2007: 26.11 ft, moderate flooding; 9,470 cubic feet per secondJul 30, 2013: 22.74 ft, minor flooding; 4,859 cubic feet per secondAug 7, 2013: 25.07 ft, moderate flooding; 6,910 cubic feet per secondSep 3, 2014: 18.67 ft, below flood stage; 3,460 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2015: 15.76 ft, below flood stage; 2,810 cubic feet per secondDec 15, 2015: 23.81 ft, minor flooding; 5,724 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 2016: 22.77 ft, minor flooding; 5,620 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 2016: 25.01 ft, moderate flooding; 7,444 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 2017: 20.63 ft, action stage; 4,940 cubic feet per secondOct 11, 2018: 24.00 ft, minor flooding; 5,951 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 2019: 25.81 ft, moderate flooding; 11,400 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 2019: 25.63 ft, moderate flooding; 10,046 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2019: 22.82 ft, minor flooding; 5,688 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 2019: 23.92 ft, minor flooding; 6,512 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 2020: 15.06 ft, below flood stage; 2,710 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 2021: 21.66 ft, action stage; 5,150 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 2022: 17.03 ft, below flood stage; 3,320 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 2023: 6.10 ft, below flood stage; 607 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 2024: 14.26 ft, below flood stage; 2,540 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 2025: 24.22 ft, minor flooding; 6,550 cubic feet per secondJul 23, 2025: 17.77 ft, below flood stage; 3,880 cubic feet per secondJul 27, 2025: 14.62 ft, below flood stage; 2,770 cubic feet per second Highest, 27.42 ft, Oct 12, 1973 19801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Little Arkansas River at Alta Mills 1970s: 8 1980s: 4 1990s: 7 2000s: 4 2010s: 10 10 2020s: 1 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

The 50 highest of 57 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Little Arkansas River at Alta Mills
1Oct 12, 197327.42+5.42Major30,100
2Oct 31, 197927.34+5.34Major29,300
3Jul 14, 199327.30+5.30Major21,000
4Sep 28, 197326.21+4.21Moderate12,000
5May 25, 200726.11+4.11Moderate9,470
6Nov 2, 199825.87+3.87Moderate17,300
7May 9, 201925.81+3.81Moderate11,400
8Mar 25, 198725.78+3.78Moderate16,500
9May 22, 201925.63+3.63Moderate10,046
10Oct 11, 198525.52+3.52Moderate14,900
11Jun 11, 199525.37+3.37Moderate—
12May 29, 199525.36+3.36Moderate—
13May 12, 199325.32+3.32Moderate10,200
14Aug 7, 201325.07+3.07Moderate6,910
15Jul 4, 201625.01+3.01Moderate7,444
16Apr 21, 197424.92+2.92Minor9,140
17Mar 31, 198024.74+2.74Minor8,810
18Mar 6, 200424.38+2.38Minor9,808
19Jun 25, 199324.34+2.34Minor7,080
20Jun 19, 202524.22+2.22Minor6,550
21Mar 19, 197924.02+2.02Minor7,720
22Jun 25, 197724.00+2.00Minor7,700
23Oct 11, 201824.00+2.00Minor5,951
24Oct 9, 200323.93+1.93Minor8,193
25Aug 26, 198723.92+1.92Minor8,040
26Jun 25, 201923.92+1.92Minor6,512
27Apr 29, 197623.82+1.82Minor7,520
28Dec 15, 201523.81+1.81Minor5,724
29Jul 26, 200423.55+1.55Minor7,024
30May 28, 201922.82+0.82Minor5,688
31May 29, 201622.77+0.77Minor5,620
32Jul 8, 199322.74+0.74Minor5,400
33Jul 30, 201322.74+0.74Minor4,859
34Jul 3, 197722.54+0.54Minor6,290
35May 23, 198321.93−0.07Action5,740
36May 29, 202121.66−0.34Action5,150
37Aug 24, 198521.56−0.44Action5,190
38Apr 27, 198420.77−1.23Action4,620
39Apr 7, 201720.63−1.37Action4,940
40Sep 3, 201418.67−3.33Below flood stage3,460
41Nov 3, 198118.12−3.88Below flood stage3,410
42Jun 25, 197518.06−3.94Below flood stage3,360
43Aug 24, 198918.03−3.97Below flood stage3,450
44Jul 23, 202517.77−4.23Below flood stage3,880
45Sep 22, 197817.52−4.48Below flood stage3,150
46May 27, 202217.03−4.97Below flood stage3,320
47Jun 3, 199616.92−5.08Below flood stage3,450
48May 28, 201515.76−6.24Below flood stage2,810
49May 27, 202015.06−6.94Below flood stage2,710
50Jul 27, 202514.62−7.38Below flood stage2,770

The worst floods along the Little Arkansas River

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

July 14, 1993: 27.30 ft here, major flooding

  • SedgwickKS · Jul 17, 1993 · 26.28 ft · Major · its highest

May 25, 2007: 26.11 ft here, moderate flooding

  • HalsteadKS · May 25, 2007 · 27.22 ft · Moderate · its highest

Gauges on the Little Arkansas River

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

Flood gauges on the Little Arkansas River
Alta Mills this gaugeKS22.027.42 ft, Oct 12, 19733
HalsteadKS25.027.22 ft, May 25, 20070
SedgwickKS22.026.28 ft, Jul 17, 19931

Other gauges in Harvey County

Flood gauges in Harvey County
Sedgwick19.022.40 ft, Oct 30, 19790
Halstead25.027.22 ft, May 25, 20070

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge ALMK1, 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.