Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Neosho River at Oswego

Highest listed crest 34.10 ftFlood stage 17.0 ft169 crests since 1885

The Neosho River at Oswego crested at major flood stage 22 times among the 169 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1885 to 2026. The highest, 34.10 ft on July 20, 1948, was major flooding, 17.10 feet above flood stage. 4 other gauges on the Neosho River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
34.10 ft
July 20, 1948
Flood stage
17.0 ft
Major flooding from 25.0 ft
Crests at major
22
2nd of 171 gauges in Kansas
Most recent flood crest
June 28, 2026
21.25 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Labette County
Kansas
Identifiers
NWS OSWK1
No USGS station

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Neosho River at Oswego
Action stage15.02Jun 7, 2014The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)17.058Jun 22, 2026Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage20.086Jun 28, 2026Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage25.022May 29, 2019Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

169 crests from 1885 to 2026. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Neosho River at Oswego, 1885 to 2026 101520253035ft Flood stage 17.0 ftMajor 25.0 ft Jan 1, 1885: 25.23 ft, major floodingSep 19, 1926: 25.10 ft, major floodingApr 23, 1927: 25.40 ft, major floodingNov 24, 1928: 25.30 ft, major floodingApr 17, 1941: 22.30 ft, moderate floodingJun 8, 1941: 21.90 ft, moderate floodingSep 11, 1941: 23.00 ft, moderate floodingOct 6, 1941: 23.65 ft, moderate floodingOct 18, 1941: 20.40 ft, moderate floodingOct 31, 1941: 25.04 ft, major floodingJan 1, 1943: 25.90 ft, major floodingMar 20, 1944: 22.05 ft, moderate floodingApr 28, 1944: 25.90 ft, major floodingApr 21, 1945: 26.00 ft, major floodingApr 9, 1947: 19.10 ft, minor floodingApr 19, 1947: 21.10 ft, moderate floodingApr 26, 1947: 18.53 ft, minor floodingMar 24, 1948: 17.03 ft, minor floodingJun 23, 1948: 25.60 ft, major floodingJul 20, 1948: 34.10 ft, major floodingJul 27, 1948: 27.40 ft, major floodingJul 20, 1950: 22.95 ft, moderate floodingMay 8, 1951: 17.50 ft, minor floodingMay 23, 1951: 18.40 ft, minor floodingJun 15, 1951: 17.00 ft, minor floodingJun 28, 1951: 19.30 ft, minor floodingJul 2, 1951: 22.40 ft, moderate floodingJul 6, 1951: 22.85 ft, moderate floodingJul 15, 1951: 32.50 ft, major floodingAug 29, 1951: 18.20 ft, minor floodingSep 14, 1951: 24.70 ft, moderate floodingJun 15, 1964: 22.65 ft, moderate floodingApr 4, 1965: 20.80 ft, moderate floodingJul 6, 1967: 19.58 ft, minor floodingMay 27, 1968: 22.00 ft, moderate floodingJul 29, 1968: 17.47 ft, minor floodingMar 15, 1969: 19.36 ft, minor floodingJun 3, 1969: 20.00 ft, moderate floodingJul 5, 1969: 19.72 ft, minor floodingOct 16, 1969: 20.60 ft, moderate floodingApr 18, 1973: 20.65 ft, moderate floodingApr 23, 1973: 21.90 ft, moderate floodingOct 1, 1973: 20.19 ft, moderate floodingOct 16, 1973: 20.30 ft, moderate floodingNov 22, 1973: 17.55 ft, minor floodingDec 6, 1973: 19.55 ft, minor floodingDec 25, 1973: 18.70 ft, minor floodingJan 20, 1974: 17.25 ft, minor floodingMar 11, 1974: 25.90 ft, major floodingJun 9, 1974: 21.00 ft, moderate floodingSep 4, 1974: 18.60 ft, minor floodingNov 5, 1974: 24.85 ft, moderate floodingFeb 1, 1975: 21.15 ft, moderate floodingJun 19, 1975: 21.70 ft, moderate floodingJul 5, 1976: 22.35 ft, moderate floodingJun 23, 1977: 25.10 ft, major floodingNov 4, 1977: 20.80 ft, moderate floodingNov 11, 1977: 19.45 ft, minor floodingMar 26, 1978: 21.10 ft, moderate floodingJun 12, 1979: 19.05 ft, minor floodingJul 9, 1979: 19.00 ft, minor floodingNov 23, 1979: 21.75 ft, moderate floodingApr 1, 1980: 20.75 ft, moderate floodingMay 26, 1982: 18.20 ft, minor floodingJun 5, 1982: 22.80 ft, moderate floodingApr 3, 1983: 20.80 ft, moderate floodingApr 7, 1983: 20.90 ft, moderate floodingApr 24, 1983: 22.75 ft, moderate floodingJun 5, 1983: 17.55 ft, minor floodingApr 10, 1984: 19.90 ft, minor floodingApr 22, 1984: 19.50 ft, minor floodingJun 11, 1984: 18.10 ft, minor floodingFeb 24, 1985: 25.30 ft, major floodingMar 6, 1985: 21.10 ft, moderate floodingJun 7, 1985: 21.20 ft, moderate floodingJun 23, 1985: 20.50 ft, moderate floodingAug 25, 1985: 23.00 ft, moderate floodingNov 19, 1985: 23.60 ft, moderate floodingMay 19, 1986: 17.60 ft, minor floodingOct 5, 1986: 27.70 ft, major floodingMar 2, 1987: 21.70 ft, moderate floodingMar 17, 1987: 21.00 ft, moderate floodingMay 30, 1987: 20.30 ft, moderate floodingDec 22, 1987: 20.90 ft, moderate floodingApr 3, 1988: 24.00 ft, moderate floodingApr 20, 1988: 19.90 ft, minor floodingJun 12, 1989: 19.40 ft, minor floodingMay 19, 1990: 23.20 ft, moderate floodingMay 29, 1990: 25.30 ft, major floodingJun 12, 1990: 18.00 ft, minor floodingJun 24, 1990: 17.20 ft, minor floodingMay 31, 1993: 19.40 ft, minor floodingJul 8, 1993: 17.50 ft, minor floodingSep 26, 1993: 26.50 ft, major floodingApr 12, 1994: 26.60 ft, major floodingApr 30, 1994: 24.60 ft, moderate floodingMay 8, 1994: 18.30 ft, minor floodingNov 22, 1994: 21.80 ft, moderate floodingMay 9, 1995: 21.10 ft, moderate floodingMay 19, 1995: 22.00 ft, moderate floodingMay 28, 1995: 21.00 ft, moderate floodingJun 6, 1995: 19.80 ft, minor floodingJun 11, 1995: 25.90 ft, major floodingJun 30, 1995: 17.00 ft, minor floodingNov 7, 1998: 23.30 ft, moderate floodingMar 6, 2004: 22.40 ft, moderate flooding; 31,514 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 2004: 21.00 ft, moderate flooding; 27,761 cubic feet per secondJan 7, 2005: 22.30 ft, moderate flooding; 31,246 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 2005: 21.80 ft, moderate flooding; 31,018 cubic feet per secondAug 29, 2005: 20.40 ft, moderate flooding; 27,697 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 2007: 17.50 ft, minor flooding; 21,169 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 2007: 22.50 ft, moderate flooding; 32,660 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 2007: 19.30 ft, minor flooding; 25,053 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 2007: 21.90 ft, moderate flooding; 31,255 cubic feet per secondJul 2, 2007: 30.00 ft, major flooding; 138,531 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 2008: 20.20 ft, moderate flooding; 27,216 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 2008: 22.60 ft, moderate flooding; 32,891 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2008: 20.70 ft, moderate flooding; 28,408 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 2008: 17.70 ft, minor flooding; 21,561 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 2008: 22.60 ft, moderate flooding; 32,891 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 2008: 22.10 ft, moderate flooding; 31,729 cubic feet per secondSep 16, 2008: 22.30 ft, moderate flooding; 32,197 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2009: 24.80 ft, moderate flooding; 44,499 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 2009: 18.20 ft, minor flooding; 22,541 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 2009: 20.40 ft, moderate flooding; 27,697 cubic feet per secondSep 13, 2009: 22.40 ft, moderate flooding; 32,428 cubic feet per secondOct 10, 2009: 23.60 ft, moderate flooding; 36,127 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 2010: 17.05 ft, minor flooding; 20,582 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 2010: 15.15 ft, action stage; 18,284 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 2012: 22.10 ft, moderate flooding; 31,729 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2012: 21.60 ft, moderate flooding; 30,543 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 2013: 21.50 ft, moderate flooding; 30,306 cubic feet per secondJul 31, 2013: 19.80 ft, minor flooding; 26,255 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 2014: 13.75 ft, below flood stage; 16,742 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2014: 16.02 ft, action stageMay 19, 2015: 18.50 ft, minor flooding; 21,982 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 2015: 21.50 ft, moderate flooding; 26,696 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2015: 20.30 ft, moderate flooding; 24,424 cubic feet per secondDec 14, 2015: 17.20 ft, minor flooding; 20,488 cubic feet per secondDec 28, 2015: 17.30 ft, minor flooding; 20,603 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2016: 18.20 ft, minor flooding; 21,637 cubic feet per secondSep 13, 2016: 20.00 ft, moderate flooding; 23,855 cubic feet per secondOct 9, 2016: 20.80 ft, moderate flooding; 25,371 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 2017: 17.60 ft, minor flooding; 20,947 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2017: 24.70 ft, moderate flooding; 43,807 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 2017: 17.70 ft, minor flooding; 21,062 cubic feet per secondSep 9, 2018: 17.00 ft, minor flooding; 20,258 cubic feet per secondOct 13, 2018: 22.60 ft, moderate flooding; 31,339 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 2019: 22.30 ft, moderate floodingMay 10, 2019: 22.00 ft, moderate flooding; 28,733 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 2019: 27.00 ft, major flooding; 66,560 cubic feet per secondAug 10, 2019: 21.10 ft, moderate flooding; 25,939 cubic feet per secondSep 24, 2019: 19.20 ft, minor flooding; 22,787 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 2020: 19.00 ft, minor flooding; 22,557 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 2020: 19.10 ft, minor flooding; 22,672 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 2020: 19.50 ft, minor flooding; 23,132 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2021: 19.50 ft, minor flooding; 23,132 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 2022: 22.25 ft, moderate flooding; 29,888 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 2022: 21.50 ft, moderate flooding; 26,696 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2022: 17.49 ft, minor flooding; 20,821 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2024: 24.00 ft, moderate flooding; 38,922 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2025: 21.00 ft, moderate flooding; 25,700 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 2025: 18.41 ft, minor flooding; 21,879 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 2026: 17.90 ft, minor flooding; 21,292 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 2026: 19.00 ft, minor flooding; 22,557 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 2026: 22.50 ft, moderate flooding; 30,949 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 2026: 20.00 ft, moderate flooding; 23,855 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 2026: 19.80 ft, minor flooding; 23,477 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 2026: 21.25 ft, moderate flooding; 26,223 cubic feet per second Highest, 34.10 ft, Jul 20, 1948 1900192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Neosho River at Oswego 1880s: 1 1890s: 0 1900s: 0 1910s: 0 1920s: 3 1930s: 0 1940s: 17 1950s: 10 1960s: 9 1970s: 22 1980s: 25 25 1990s: 18 2000s: 22 2010s: 23 2020s: 16 1880s1900s1920s1940s1960s1980s2000s2020s
  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 169 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Neosho River at Oswego
1Jul 20, 194834.10+17.10Major—
2Jul 15, 195132.50+15.50Major—
3Jul 2, 200730.00+13.00Major138,531
4Oct 5, 198627.70+10.70Major—
5Jul 27, 194827.40+10.40Major—
6May 29, 201927.00+10.00Major66,560
7Apr 12, 199426.60+9.60Major—
8Sep 26, 199326.50+9.50Major—
9Apr 21, 194526.00+9.00Major—
10Jan 1, 194325.90+8.90Major—
11Apr 28, 194425.90+8.90Major—
12Mar 11, 197425.90+8.90Major—
13Jun 11, 199525.90+8.90Major—
14Jun 23, 194825.60+8.60Major—
15Apr 23, 192725.40+8.40Major—
16Nov 24, 192825.30+8.30Major—
17Feb 24, 198525.30+8.30Major—
18May 29, 199025.30+8.30Major—
19Jan 1, 188525.23+8.23Major—
20Sep 19, 192625.10+8.10Major—
21Jun 23, 197725.10+8.10Major—
22Oct 31, 194125.04+8.04Major—
23Nov 5, 197424.85+7.85Moderate—
24May 1, 200924.80+7.80Moderate44,499
25Sep 14, 195124.70+7.70Moderate—
26May 1, 201724.70+7.70Moderate43,807
27Apr 30, 199424.60+7.60Moderate—
28Apr 3, 198824.00+7.00Moderate—
29May 1, 202424.00+7.00Moderate38,922
30Oct 6, 194123.65+6.65Moderate—
31Nov 19, 198523.60+6.60Moderate—
32Oct 10, 200923.60+6.60Moderate36,127
33Nov 7, 199823.30+6.30Moderate—
34May 19, 199023.20+6.20Moderate—
35Sep 11, 194123.00+6.00Moderate—
36Aug 25, 198523.00+6.00Moderate—
37Jul 20, 195022.95+5.95Moderate—
38Jul 6, 195122.85+5.85Moderate—
39Jun 5, 198222.80+5.80Moderate—
40Apr 24, 198322.75+5.75Moderate—
41Jun 15, 196422.65+5.65Moderate—
42May 9, 200822.60+5.60Moderate32,891
43Jun 11, 200822.60+5.60Moderate32,891
44Oct 13, 201822.60+5.60Moderate31,339
45May 10, 200722.50+5.50Moderate32,660
46Jun 9, 202622.50+5.50Moderate30,949
47Jul 2, 195122.40+5.40Moderate—
48Mar 6, 200422.40+5.40Moderate31,514
49Sep 13, 200922.40+5.40Moderate32,428
50Jul 5, 197622.35+5.35Moderate—

The worst floods along the Neosho River

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

July 20, 1948: 34.10 ft here, major flooding

  • ParsonsKS · Jul 25, 1948 · 30.80 ft · Moderate
  • Le RoyKS · Jul 22, 1948 · 30.73 ft · Moderate
  • BurlingtonKS · Jul 21, 1948 · 36.80 ft · Minor
  • CommerceOK · Jul 13, 1948 · 17.34 ft · Minor

July 15, 1951: 32.50 ft here, major flooding

  • ParsonsKS · Jul 14, 1951 · 40.20 ft · Major · its highest
  • CommerceOK · Jul 16, 1951 · 34.03 ft · Major · its highest
  • IolaKS · Jul 13, 1951 · 33.26 ft · Major · its highest
  • BurlingtonKS · Jul 12, 1951 · 41.53 ft · Moderate · its highest
  • Le RoyKS · Jul 12, 1951 · 34.48 ft · Moderate · its highest
  • Neosho RapidsKS · Jul 11, 1951 · 34.30 ft · Moderate · its highest

July 2, 2007: 30.00 ft here, major flooding

  • ErieKS · Jul 2, 2007 · 40.60 ft · Major · its highest
  • ChanuteKS · Jul 1, 2007 · 36.82 ft · Major · its highest
  • ParsonsKS · Jul 2, 2007 · 35.05 ft · Major
  • CommerceOK · Jul 5, 2007 · 29.25 ft · Major
  • Le RoyKS · Jul 1, 2007 · 28.70 ft · Moderate
  • IolaKS · Jul 1, 2007 · 26.90 ft · Moderate
  • Neosho RapidsKS · Jul 1, 2007 · 24.18 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Neosho River

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

Flood gauges on the Neosho River
BurlingtonKS27.041.53 ft, Jul 12, 19510
EmporiaKS19.026.00 ft, Oct 11, 19850
IolaKS15.033.26 ft, Jul 13, 19511
John Redmond LakeKS1,068.01,081.90 ft, May 14, 20091
Le RoyKS23.034.48 ft, Jul 12, 19510
Neosho RapidsKS22.034.30 ft, Jul 11, 19510
Oswego this gaugeKS17.034.10 ft, Jul 20, 194822
AmericusKS26.028.30 ft, Jun 27, 19690
ChanuteKS23.036.82 ft, Jul 1, 20072
CommerceOK15.034.03 ft, Jul 16, 19519
ErieKS29.040.60 ft, Jul 2, 20075
OswegoKS28.034.70 ft, May 29, 20191
ParsonsKS21.040.20 ft, Jul 14, 19512

Other gauges in Labette County

Flood gauges in Labette County
Parsons21.040.20 ft, Jul 14, 19512

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge OSWK1, 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.