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Marais Des Cygnes River at Ottawa

Highest listed crest 42.97 ftFlood stage 30.0 ft99 crests since 1951

The Marais Des Cygnes River at Ottawa crested above flood stage 38 times among the 99 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1951 to 2025. The highest, 42.97 ft on July 11, 1951, was moderate flooding, 12.97 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Marais Des Cygnes River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 2 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
42.97 ft
July 11, 1951; 142,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
30.0 ft
Major flooding from 45.0 ft
Crests at major
0
38 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
June 4, 2025
31.47 ft, minor flooding
Location
Franklin County
Near Ottawa (1.4 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Marais Des Cygnes River at Ottawa
Action stage25.026Apr 28, 2024The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)30.019Jun 4, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage33.019May 17, 2021Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage45.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

99 crests from 1951 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Marais Des Cygnes River at Ottawa, 1951 to 2025 1020304050ft Flood stage 30.0 ftMajor 45.0 ft Jul 11, 1951: 42.97 ft, moderate flooding; 142,000 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1961: 29.45 ft, action stage; 13,700 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 1961: 27.34 ft, action stage; 11,100 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1961: 32.63 ft, minor flooding; 19,600 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 1961: 30.95 ft, minor flooding; 15,900 cubic feet per secondSep 14, 1961: 34.95 ft, moderate flooding; 26,800 cubic feet per secondOct 13, 1961: 28.78 ft, action stage; 12,700 cubic feet per secondNov 4, 1961: 31.30 ft, minor flooding; 16,600 cubic feet per secondNov 16, 1961: 26.93 ft, action stage; 10,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 1962: 24.70 ft, below flood stage; 9,120 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1962: 29.60 ft, action stage; 13,900 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1962: 24.40 ft, below flood stage; 8,940 cubic feet per secondJul 15, 1963: 16.60 ft, below flood stage; 4,450 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 1964: 18.17 ft, below flood stage; 5,410 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 1965: 33.64 ft, moderate flooding; 17,600 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1965: 24.59 ft, below flood stage; 8,240 cubic feet per secondSep 4, 1965: 31.53 ft, minor flooding; 13,100 cubic feet per secondSep 21, 1965: 26.29 ft, action stage; 9,040 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 1966: 15.00 ft, below flood stage; 3,970 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 1967: 28.83 ft, action stage; 10,300 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1967: 33.63 ft, moderate flooding; 18,700 cubic feet per secondAug 10, 1968: 24.41 ft, below flood stage; 8,200 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 1969: 34.58 ft, moderate flooding; 24,300 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 1969: 26.29 ft, action stage; 9,040 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 1969: 24.53 ft, below flood stage; 8,210 cubic feet per secondOct 13, 1969: 26.66 ft, action stage; 9,230 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 1970: 24.15 ft, below flood stage; 9,700 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1970: 27.74 ft, action stage; 11,700 cubic feet per secondSep 23, 1970: 22.18 ft, below flood stage; 8,620 cubic feet per secondJan 4, 1971: 20.60 ft, below flood stage; 7,750 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 1972: 31.92 ft, minor flooding; 14,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 2, 1973: 27.12 ft, action stage; 10,400 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1973: 25.01 ft, action stage; 8,900 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1973: 23.82 ft, below flood stage; 8,310 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1973: 25.89 ft, action stage; 9,340 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1973: 30.27 ft, minor flooding; 12,200 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1973: 25.60 ft, action stage; 9,200 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1973: 23.44 ft, below flood stage; 8,120 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 1973: 23.15 ft, below flood stage; 7,980 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1973: 27.83 ft, action stage; 10,400 cubic feet per secondSep 25, 1973: 27.75 ft, action stage; 10,400 cubic feet per secondSep 29, 1973: 32.46 ft, minor flooding; 15,500 cubic feet per secondOct 12, 1973: 34.01 ft, moderate flooding; 21,000 cubic feet per secondDec 5, 1973: 26.03 ft, action stage; 9,420 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 1974: 22.51 ft, below flood stage; 7,660 cubic feet per secondSep 2, 1974: 22.90 ft, below flood stage; 7,850 cubic feet per secondOct 31, 1974: 24.11 ft, below flood stage; 7,100 cubic feet per secondNov 4, 1974: 26.79 ft, action stage; 8,420 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1975: 32.82 ft, minor flooding; 16,400 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1976: 18.65 ft, below flood stage; 5,720 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1977: 31.27 ft, minor flooding; 14,600 cubic feet per secondNov 9, 1977: 29.48 ft, action stage; 12,600 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1978: 22.98 ft, below flood stage; 8,440 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 1978: 28.47 ft, action stage; 11,700 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1979: 19.52 ft, below flood stage; 6,500 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1980: 32.13 ft, minor flooding; 15,600 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1991: 10.79 ft, below flood stage; 2,090 cubic feet per secondNov 20, 1992: 29.47 ft, action stage; 11,300 cubic feet per secondDec 15, 1992: 31.02 ft, minor flooding; 12,900 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1993: 23.70 ft, below flood stage; 8,290 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 1993: 21.76 ft, below flood stage; 7,330 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1993: 33.09 ft, moderate flooding; 15,900 cubic feet per secondJul 7, 1993: 24.11 ft, below flood stage; 8,500 cubic feet per secondJul 22, 1993: 33.87 ft, moderate flooding; 17,100 cubic feet per secondSep 25, 1993: 27.53 ft, action stage; 10,300 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 1994: 32.84 ft, minor flooding; 15,550 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 1995: 34.33 ft, moderate floodingJun 9, 1995: 32.21 ft, minor floodingJun 6, 1997: 33.16 ft, moderate flooding; 15,900 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1998: 23.08 ft, below flood stage; 8,060 cubic feet per secondNov 2, 1998: 38.92 ft, moderate flooding; 41,600 cubic feet per secondDec 10, 1999: 15.62 ft, below flood stage; 4,580 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 2001: 19.83 ft, below flood stage; 6,500 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2002: 21.37 ft, below flood stage; 6,880 cubic feet per secondSep 1, 2003: 23.28 ft, below flood stage; 7,890 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 2007: 41.00 ft, moderate flooding; 51,486 cubic feet per secondSep 14, 2008: 29.22 ft, action stage; 12,900 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 2009: 31.23 ft, minor flooding; 13,505 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 2010: 29.65 ft, action stage; 13,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 2011: 23.44 ft, below flood stage; 8,810 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 2012: 13.99 ft, below flood stage; 3,490 cubic feet per secondAug 13, 2013: 10.98 ft, below flood stage; 2,240 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 2014: 16.04 ft, below flood stage; 4,340 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2015: 33.31 ft, moderate flooding; 16,600 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 2015: 31.52 ft, minor floodingMay 27, 2016: 33.29 ft, moderate floodingAug 22, 2017: 31.40 ft, minor floodingMay 1, 2019: 33.73 ft, moderate floodingMay 22, 2019: 34.16 ft, moderate floodingJun 24, 2019: 34.03 ft, moderate floodingAug 1, 2019: 33.79 ft, moderate floodingAug 31, 2019: 31.25 ft, minor floodingMay 5, 2020: 23.53 ft, below flood stage; 7,940 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 2021: 33.20 ft, moderate flooding; 18,200 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2021: 31.74 ft, minor flooding; 13,600 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 2022: 19.33 ft, below flood stage; 6,440 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 2023: 29.14 ft, action stage; 7,520 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 2024: 27.19 ft, action stage; 9,310 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2025: 31.47 ft, minor flooding; 14,546 cubic feet per second Highest, 42.97 ft, Jul 11, 1951 1960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Marais Des Cygnes River at Ottawa 1950s: 1 1960s: 8 1970s: 6 1980s: 1 1990s: 8 2000s: 2 2010s: 9 9 2020s: 3 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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.
  3. 2 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 41.50 ft on Jul 13, 1844; 39.05 ft on Nov 17, 1928.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 99 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Marais Des Cygnes River at Ottawa
1Jul 11, 195142.97+12.97Moderate142,000
2Jul 1, 200741.00+11.00Moderate51,486
3Nov 2, 199838.92+8.92Moderate41,600
4Sep 14, 196134.95+4.95Moderate26,800
5Jun 27, 196934.58+4.58Moderate24,300
6May 17, 199534.33+4.33Moderate—
7May 22, 201934.16+4.16Moderate—
8Jun 24, 201934.03+4.03Moderate—
9Oct 12, 197334.01+4.01Moderate21,000
10Jul 22, 199333.87+3.87Moderate17,100
11Aug 1, 201933.79+3.79Moderate—
12May 1, 201933.73+3.73Moderate—
13Jun 7, 196533.64+3.64Moderate17,600
14Jun 22, 196733.63+3.63Moderate18,700
15May 24, 201533.31+3.31Moderate16,600
16May 27, 201633.29+3.29Moderate—
17May 17, 202133.20+3.20Moderate18,200
18Jun 6, 199733.16+3.16Moderate15,900
19May 9, 199333.09+3.09Moderate15,900
20Apr 29, 199432.84+2.84Minor15,550
21Jun 18, 197532.82+2.82Minor16,400
22May 7, 196132.63+2.63Minor19,600
23Sep 29, 197332.46+2.46Minor15,500
24Jun 9, 199532.21+2.21Minor—
25Mar 30, 198032.13+2.13Minor15,600
26May 1, 197231.92+1.92Minor14,300
27May 21, 202131.74+1.74Minor13,600
28Sep 4, 196531.53+1.53Minor13,100
29Jun 5, 201531.52+1.52Minor—
30Jun 4, 202531.47+1.47Minor14,546
31Aug 22, 201731.40+1.40Minor—
32Nov 4, 196131.30+1.30Minor16,600
33Jun 22, 197731.27+1.27Minor14,600
34Aug 31, 201931.25+1.25Minor—
35Apr 28, 200931.23+1.23Minor13,505
36Dec 15, 199231.02+1.02Minor12,900
37May 25, 196130.95+0.95Minor15,900
38Mar 25, 197330.27+0.27Minor12,200
39Apr 23, 201029.65−0.35Action13,200
40Mar 22, 196229.60−0.40Action13,900
41Nov 9, 197729.48−0.52Action12,600
42Nov 20, 199229.47−0.53Action11,300
43Mar 29, 196129.45−0.55Action13,700
44Sep 14, 200829.22−0.78Action12,900
45Jun 1, 202329.14−0.86Action7,520
46Jun 12, 196728.83−1.17Action10,300
47Oct 13, 196128.78−1.22Action12,700
48May 24, 197828.47−1.53Action11,700
49May 7, 197327.83−2.17Action10,400
50Sep 25, 197327.75−2.25Action10,400

The worst floods along the Marais Des Cygnes River

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

July 11, 1951: 42.97 ft here, moderate flooding

  • OsawatomieKS · Jul 12, 1951 · 50.30 ft · Major · its highest
  • La CygneKS · Jul 13, 1951 · 36.19 ft · Major · its highest

July 1, 2007: 41.00 ft here, moderate flooding

  • OsawatomieKS · Jul 1, 2007 · 49.19 ft · Major
  • La CygneKS · Jul 2, 2007 · 36.07 ft · Major
  • QuenemoKS · Jun 30, 2007 · 29.71 ft · Moderate · its highest

November 2, 1998: 38.92 ft here, moderate flooding

  • La CygneKS · Nov 4, 1998 · 33.49 ft · Moderate
  • QuenemoKS · Nov 1, 1998 · 27.38 ft · Moderate
  • ReadingKS · Nov 2, 1998 · 24.49 ft · Moderate
  • OsawatomieKS · Nov 3, 1998 · 43.30 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Marais Des Cygnes River

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

Flood gauges on the Marais Des Cygnes River
La CygneKS25.036.19 ft, Jul 13, 19512
OsawatomieKS28.050.30 ft, Jul 12, 19512
Ottawa this gaugeKS30.042.97 ft, Jul 11, 19510
QuenemoKS17.029.71 ft, Jun 30, 20070
ReadingKS19.027.47 ft, May 29, 19820
Trading PostKS27.038.55 ft, May 26, 20190

Other gauges in Franklin County

Flood gauges in Franklin County
Lane23.035.28 ft, Jul 1, 20079

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge OTWK1, 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.