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Ninnescah River near Murdock

Highest listed crest 12.84 ftFlood stage 8.0 ft112 crests since 1951

The Ninnescah River near Murdock crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 112 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1951 to 2026. The highest, 12.84 ft on October 31, 1979, was major flooding, 4.84 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Ninnescah River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
12.84 ft
October 31, 1979; 28,700 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
8.0 ft
Major flooding from 12.0 ft
Crests at major
1
51st of 171 gauges in Kansas
Most recent flood crest
June 26, 2026
10.31 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Kingman County
Kansas

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Ninnescah River near Murdock
Action stage6.026Oct 2, 2026The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)8.059Jun 18, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage10.022Jun 26, 2026Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage12.01Oct 31, 1979Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

112 crests from 1951 to 2026. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Ninnescah River near Murdock, 1951 to 2026 468101214ft Flood stage 8.0 ftMajor 12.0 ft May 17, 1951: 9.76 ft, minor flooding; 6,400 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 1951: 9.20 ft, minor flooding; 5,200 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 1951: 8.16 ft, minor flooding; 3,240 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 1951: 8.01 ft, minor flooding; 3,020 cubic feet per secondJul 15, 1951: 8.15 ft, minor flooding; 3,220 cubic feet per secondSep 5, 1951: 10.03 ft, moderate flooding; 7,080 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 1952: 7.98 ft, action stage; 2,970 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1954: 8.13 ft, minor flooding; 3,200 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1955: 8.77 ft, minor flooding; 4,340 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 1957: 11.86 ft, moderate flooding; 23,600 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 1957: 11.87 ft, moderate flooding; 25,900 cubic feet per secondSep 16, 1958: 8.86 ft, minor flooding; 7,040 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 1959: 8.92 ft, minor flooding; 7,280 cubic feet per secondOct 2, 1959: 8.39 ft, minor flooding; 5,610 cubic feet per secondOct 8, 1960: 8.97 ft, minor flooding; 7,600 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1962: 9.47 ft, minor flooding; 9,480 cubic feet per secondSep 2, 1963: 8.72 ft, minor flooding; 7,000 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 1964: 8.14 ft, minor flooding; 5,300 cubic feet per secondNov 16, 1964: 8.04 ft, minor flooding; 4,550 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1965: 8.70 ft, minor flooding; 6,200 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 1965: 8.31 ft, minor flooding; 5,220 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 1965: 10.25 ft, moderate flooding; 14,700 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 1967: 9.87 ft, minor flooding; 14,000 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1968: 7.72 ft, action stage; 3,600 cubic feet per secondOct 16, 1968: 10.38 ft, moderate flooding; 20,800 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 1969: 8.38 ft, minor flooding; 4,760 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1969: 8.04 ft, minor flooding; 4,080 cubic feet per secondSep 2, 1969: 9.35 ft, minor flooding; 7,250 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1970: 11.25 ft, moderate flooding; 17,400 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1971: 6.15 ft, action stage; 1,170 cubic feet per secondAug 31, 1972: 6.38 ft, action stage; 1,210 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 1973: 8.87 ft, minor flooding; 6,010 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1973: 8.49 ft, minor flooding; 5,470 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1973: 9.91 ft, minor flooding; 10,600 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 1973: 8.85 ft, minor flooding; 6,550 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 1973: 10.15 ft, moderate flooding; 11,600 cubic feet per secondOct 11, 1973: 11.93 ft, moderate flooding; 22,400 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1974: 10.09 ft, moderate floodingJun 16, 1975: 9.57 ft, minor flooding; 10,300 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 1976: 8.67 ft, minor flooding; 6,840 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1977: 9.69 ft, minor flooding; 10,800 cubic feet per secondSep 1, 1977: 8.77 ft, minor flooding; 7,200 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 1978: 9.62 ft, minor flooding; 10,500 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 1978: 8.18 ft, minor flooding; 5,340 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1979: 8.27 ft, minor floodingOct 31, 1979: 12.84 ft, major flooding; 28,700 cubic feet per secondSep 1, 1981: 5.92 ft, below flood stage; 1,100 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1982: 8.07 ft, minor floodingJun 16, 1982: 8.25 ft, minor flooding; 4,770 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 1983: 8.34 ft, minor flooding; 5,230 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1984: 7.52 ft, action stage; 3,310 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1985: 7.52 ft, action stage; 3,230 cubic feet per secondOct 10, 1985: 10.60 ft, moderate flooding; 15,030 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1986: 8.42 ft, minor flooding; 6,790 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1986: 8.63 ft, minor flooding; 7,430 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1987: 8.57 ft, minor flooding; 7,450 cubic feet per secondJun 30, 1987: 8.52 ft, minor flooding; 7,300 cubic feet per secondJul 5, 1987: 10.07 ft, moderate flooding; 12,700 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1988: 6.46 ft, action stage; 2,370 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1989: 6.96 ft, action stage; 2,340 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1990: 7.98 ft, action stage; 4,220 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 1991: 10.20 ft, moderate flooding; 13,040 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1992: 7.62 ft, action stage; 3,480 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 1993: 9.19 ft, minor floodingJun 29, 1993: 8.03 ft, minor flooding; 4,330 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1994: 4.92 ft, below flood stage; 430 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1995: 8.38 ft, minor floodingMay 27, 1995: 10.72 ft, moderate flooding; 16,300 cubic feet per secondSep 20, 1996: 8.24 ft, minor flooding; 4,810 cubic feet per secondJul 21, 1997: 8.98 ft, minor flooding; 5,640 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1998: 6.89 ft, action stage; 2,330 cubic feet per secondOct 31, 1998: 11.21 ft, moderate flooding; 19,800 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 2000: 10.40 ft, moderate flooding; 14,200 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 2002: 6.93 ft, action stage; 2,300 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 2003: 8.08 ft, minor flooding; 4,560 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 2004: 7.99 ft, action stage; 4,390 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 2005: 7.40 ft, action stage; 3,430 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 2007: 8.92 ft, minor flooding; 7,070 cubic feet per secondSep 12, 2008: 7.29 ft, action stage; 2,800 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 2009: 7.63 ft, action stage; 3,400 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 2010: 8.20 ft, minor flooding; 5,840 cubic feet per secondNov 13, 2010: 4.90 ft, below flood stage; 520 cubic feet per secondFeb 3, 2012: 7.31 ft, action stage; 3,710 cubic feet per secondAug 10, 2013: 7.98 ft, action stage; 3,060 cubic feet per secondJul 11, 2014: 6.85 ft, action stage; 2,070 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 2015: 8.53 ft, minor flooding; 4,590 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2015: 7.45 ft, action stage; 2,852 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 2015: 7.03 ft, action stage; 2,297 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 2016: 8.56 ft, minor flooding; 4,643 cubic feet per secondAug 8, 2016: 9.53 ft, minor flooding; 4,872 cubic feet per secondSep 9, 2016: 10.33 ft, moderate flooding; 9,050 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 2017: 9.29 ft, minor flooding; 4,920 cubic feet per secondSep 5, 2018: 10.37 ft, moderate flooding; 9,440 cubic feet per secondOct 10, 2018: 11.51 ft, moderate flooding; 13,500 cubic feet per secondDec 27, 2018: 8.47 ft, minor flooding; 3,750 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 2019: 10.77 ft, moderate flooding; 11,010 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2019: 11.05 ft, moderate flooding; 11,965 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2019: 9.03 ft, minor flooding; 4,733 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 2019: 8.52 ft, minor flooding; 3,806 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 2020: 5.14 ft, below flood stage; 614 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 2021: 6.67 ft, action stage; 1,880 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 2022: 9.36 ft, minor flooding; 6,640 cubic feet per secondJul 8, 2023: 8.74 ft, minor flooding; 5,220 cubic feet per secondNov 2, 2024: 8.39 ft, minor flooding; 4,000 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 2025: 6.22 ft, action stage; 1,340 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2025: 8.89 ft, minor flooding; 4,540 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 2025: 9.00 ft, minor flooding; 4,810 cubic feet per secondJul 27, 2025: 6.96 ft, action stage; 1,940 cubic feet per secondAug 11, 2025: 7.40 ft, action stage; 2,360 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 2026: 11.54 ft, moderate flooding; 14,189 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 2026: 10.31 ft, moderate flooding; 7,277 cubic feet per secondOct 2, 2026: 6.44 ft, action stage; 1,535 cubic feet per second Highest, 12.84 ft, Oct 31, 1979 1960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Ninnescah River near Murdock 1950s: 13 1960s: 13 1970s: 16 16 1980s: 9 1990s: 8 2000s: 3 2010s: 13 2020s: 7 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.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 112 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Ninnescah River near Murdock
1Oct 31, 197912.84+4.84Major28,700
2Oct 11, 197311.93+3.93Moderate22,400
3Jun 26, 195711.87+3.87Moderate25,900
4May 16, 195711.86+3.86Moderate23,600
5Jun 21, 202611.54+3.54Moderate14,189
6Oct 10, 201811.51+3.51Moderate13,500
7Jun 11, 197011.25+3.25Moderate17,400
8Oct 31, 199811.21+3.21Moderate19,800
9May 21, 201911.05+3.05Moderate11,965
10May 9, 201910.77+2.77Moderate11,010
11May 27, 199510.72+2.72Moderate16,300
12Oct 10, 198510.60+2.60Moderate15,030
13Mar 23, 200010.40+2.40Moderate14,200
14Oct 16, 196810.38+2.38Moderate20,800
15Sep 5, 201810.37+2.37Moderate9,440
16Sep 9, 201610.33+2.33Moderate9,050
17Jun 26, 202610.31+2.31Moderate7,277
18Jun 26, 196510.25+2.25Moderate14,700
19Apr 14, 199110.20+2.20Moderate13,040
20Sep 27, 197310.15+2.15Moderate11,600
21Apr 21, 197410.09+2.09Moderate—
22Jul 5, 198710.07+2.07Moderate12,700
23Sep 5, 195110.03+2.03Moderate7,080
24Mar 31, 19739.91+1.91Minor10,600
25Jun 12, 19679.87+1.87Minor14,000
26May 17, 19519.76+1.76Minor6,400
27May 23, 19779.69+1.69Minor10,800
28May 26, 19789.62+1.62Minor10,500
29Jun 16, 19759.57+1.57Minor10,300
30Aug 8, 20169.53+1.53Minor4,872
31May 28, 19629.47+1.47Minor9,480
32Jun 1, 20229.36+1.36Minor6,640
33Sep 2, 19699.35+1.35Minor7,250
34May 12, 20179.29+1.29Minor4,920
35May 21, 19519.20+1.20Minor5,200
36May 10, 19939.19+1.19Minor—
37May 25, 20199.03+1.03Minor4,733
38Jun 18, 20259.00+1.00Minor4,810
39Jul 21, 19978.98+0.98Minor5,640
40Oct 8, 19608.97+0.97Minor7,600
41May 11, 19598.92+0.92Minor7,280
42May 7, 20078.92+0.92Minor7,070
43Jun 7, 20258.89+0.89Minor4,540
44Mar 10, 19738.87+0.87Minor6,010
45Sep 16, 19588.86+0.86Minor7,040
46Sep 22, 19738.85+0.85Minor6,550
47Jun 5, 19558.77+0.77Minor4,340
48Sep 1, 19778.77+0.77Minor7,200
49Jul 8, 20238.74+0.74Minor5,220
50Sep 2, 19638.72+0.72Minor7,000

The worst floods along the Ninnescah River

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

October 31, 1979: 12.84 ft here, major flooding

  • PeckKS · Oct 31, 1979 · 19.12 ft · Minor

October 11, 1973: 11.93 ft here, moderate flooding

  • PeckKS · Oct 12, 1973 · 19.72 ft · Minor

June 26, 1957: 11.87 ft here, moderate flooding

  • PeckKS · Jun 27, 1957 · 19.56 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Ninnescah River

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

Flood gauges on the Ninnescah River
Belle PlaineKS23.030.00 ft, Sep 10, 20167
Murdock this gaugeKS8.012.84 ft, Oct 31, 19791
PeckKS17.026.40 ft, Jun 9, 19231

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge MDKK1, 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.