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Pawnee River near Sanford

Highest listed crest 28.74 ftFlood stage 24.0 ft23 crests since 1949

The Pawnee River near Sanford crested above flood stage 14 times among the 23 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1949 to 2019. The highest, 28.74 ft on July 25, 1979, was moderate flooding, 4.74 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
28.74 ft
July 25, 1979; 9,780 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
24.0 ft
Major flooding from 30.0 ft
Crests at major
0
14 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
May 25, 2019
24.40 ft, minor flooding
Location
Pawnee County
Kansas
Identifiers
NWS SANK1
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, Pawnee River near Sanford
Action stage20.06Mar 26, 1973The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)24.010May 25, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage27.04Jul 25, 1979Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage30.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

23 crests from 1949 to 2019. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Pawnee River near Sanford, 1949 to 2019 15202530ft Flood stage 24.0 ftMajor 30.0 ft Jun 14, 1949: 22.09 ft, action stageAug 13, 1950: 26.86 ft, minor floodingOct 3, 1950: 26.17 ft, minor floodingMay 18, 1951: 20.11 ft, action stageMay 23, 1951: 26.68 ft, minor floodingJun 13, 1951: 26.06 ft, minor floodingJun 23, 1951: 27.54 ft, moderate floodingJul 1, 1951: 26.98 ft, minor floodingJul 11, 1951: 27.52 ft, moderate floodingAug 3, 1953: 25.89 ft, minor floodingJun 28, 1957: 22.82 ft, action stageJul 7, 1958: 20.15 ft, action stageJul 28, 1958: 28.22 ft, moderate flooding; 16,330 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1960: 24.66 ft, minor floodingJun 15, 1970: 22.35 ft, action stageMar 26, 1973: 20.10 ft, action stageApr 2, 1973: 24.96 ft, minor floodingJul 25, 1979: 28.74 ft, moderate flooding; 9,780 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 1992: 15.20 ft, below flood stageJul 22, 1993: 25.77 ft, minor floodingSep 22, 1996: 16.10 ft, below flood stageNov 17, 1996: 19.90 ft, below flood stageMay 25, 2019: 24.40 ft, minor flooding Highest, 28.74 ft, Jul 25, 1979 19501960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Pawnee River near Sanford 1940s: 0 1950s: 9 9 1960s: 1 1970s: 2 1980s: 0 1990s: 1 2000s: 0 2010s: 1 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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, Pawnee River near Sanford
1Jul 25, 197928.74+4.74Moderate9,780
2Jul 28, 195828.22+4.22Moderate16,330
3Jun 23, 195127.54+3.54Moderate—
4Jul 11, 195127.52+3.52Moderate—
5Jul 1, 195126.98+2.98Minor—
6Aug 13, 195026.86+2.86Minor—
7May 23, 195126.68+2.68Minor—
8Oct 3, 195026.17+2.17Minor—
9Jun 13, 195126.06+2.06Minor—
10Aug 3, 195325.89+1.89Minor—
11Jul 22, 199325.77+1.77Minor—
12Apr 2, 197324.96+0.96Minor—
13Mar 22, 196024.66+0.66Minor—
14May 25, 201924.40+0.40Minor—
15Jun 28, 195722.82−1.18Action—
16Jun 15, 197022.35−1.65Action—
17Jun 14, 194922.09−1.91Action—
18Jul 7, 195820.15−3.85Action—
19May 18, 195120.11−3.89Action—
20Mar 26, 197320.10−3.90Action—
21Nov 17, 199619.90−4.10Below flood stage—
22Sep 22, 199616.10−7.90Below flood stage—
23Jul 1, 199215.20−8.80Below flood stage—

Gauges on the Pawnee River

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

Flood gauges on the Pawnee River
RozelKS31.034.53 ft, May 25, 20190
Sanford this gaugeKS24.028.74 ft, Jul 25, 19790

Other gauges in Pawnee County

Flood gauges in Pawnee County
Rozel31.034.53 ft, May 25, 20190

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SANK1, 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.