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Pottawatomie Creek at Lane

Highest listed crest 35.28 ftFlood stage 23.0 ft54 crests since 1961

The Pottawatomie Creek at Lane crested at major flood stage 9 times among the 54 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1961 to 2025. The highest, 35.28 ft on July 1, 2007, was major flooding, 12.28 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
35.28 ft
July 1, 2007
Flood stage
23.0 ft
Major flooding from 28.5 ft
Crests at major
9
5th of 171 gauges in Kansas
Most recent flood crest
June 4, 2025
25.21 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Franklin County
Near Ottawa (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, Pottawatomie Creek at Lane
Action stage18.07Jun 1, 2022The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)23.010Jun 10, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage24.027Jun 4, 2025Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage28.59Jul 1, 2007Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

54 crests from 1961 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Pottawatomie Creek at Lane, 1961 to 2025 10203040ft Flood stage 23.0 ftMajor 28.5 ft Sep 14, 1961: 33.90 ft, major flooding; 75,000 cubic feet per secondNov 16, 1961: 23.63 ft, minor flooding; 8,000 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 1963: 19.30 ft, action stage; 4,500 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 1964: 22.19 ft, action stage; 5,700 cubic feet per secondSep 5, 1965: 25.70 ft, moderate flooding; 10,000 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 1966: 19.88 ft, action stage; 5,000 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1967: 24.00 ft, moderate flooding; 6,600 cubic feet per secondAug 10, 1968: 22.52 ft, action stage; 5,500 cubic feet per secondJul 2, 1969: 27.08 ft, moderate flooding; 14,000 cubic feet per secondOct 13, 1969: 29.35 ft, major flooding; 35,000 cubic feet per secondJan 4, 1971: 18.16 ft, action stage; 6,800 cubic feet per secondDec 15, 1971: 26.73 ft, moderate flooding; 12,000 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1973: 27.04 ft, moderate flooding; 14,000 cubic feet per secondOct 11, 1973: 31.65 ft, major flooding; 50,000 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1975: 28.71 ft, major flooding; 20,000 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1976: 21.18 ft, action stage; 5,000 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1978: 27.11 ft, moderate flooding; 15,000 cubic feet per secondJul 7, 1979: 28.52 ft, major flooding; 26,500 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1980: 28.83 ft, major flooding; 29,000 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1981: 27.76 ft, moderate flooding; 18,500 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1982: 26.54 ft, moderate flooding; 11,000 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1983: 26.87 ft, moderate flooding; 12,000 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1984: 27.26 ft, moderate flooding; 14,000 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 1993: 27.80 ft, moderate floodingJul 8, 1993: 29.00 ft, major floodingJul 23, 1993: 28.90 ft, major floodingSep 26, 1993: 26.05 ft, moderate floodingApr 12, 1994: 27.00 ft, moderate floodingApr 29, 1994: 25.40 ft, moderate floodingMay 18, 1995: 23.45 ft, minor floodingJun 10, 1995: 23.00 ft, minor floodingJul 2, 1998: 24.00 ft, moderate floodingSep 26, 1998: 24.60 ft, moderate floodingOct 5, 1998: 28.00 ft, moderate floodingNov 2, 1998: 27.00 ft, moderate floodingApr 16, 1999: 23.00 ft, minor floodingMay 6, 1999: 23.00 ft, minor floodingMar 6, 2004: 26.40 ft, moderate floodingJun 5, 2005: 24.39 ft, moderate floodingJun 13, 2005: 25.25 ft, moderate floodingJul 1, 2007: 35.28 ft, major floodingApr 29, 2009: 25.40 ft, moderate flooding; 13,046 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2015: 23.18 ft, minor floodingMay 1, 2017: 23.05 ft, minor floodingMay 1, 2019: 23.72 ft, minor floodingMay 21, 2019: 27.45 ft, moderate floodingMay 26, 2019: 24.99 ft, moderate floodingJun 24, 2019: 23.74 ft, minor floodingMay 21, 2021: 24.37 ft, moderate flooding; 15,800 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 2022: 21.73 ft, action stage; 7,800 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 2023: 14.80 ft, below flood stage; 4,620 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2024: 24.31 ft, moderate floodingJun 10, 2024: 23.93 ft, minor flooding; 12,600 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2025: 25.21 ft, moderate flooding; 17,883 cubic feet per second Highest, 35.28 ft, Jul 1, 2007 197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Pottawatomie Creek at Lane 1960s: 6 1970s: 6 1980s: 5 1990s: 14 14 2000s: 5 2010s: 6 2020s: 4 1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 54 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Pottawatomie Creek at Lane
1Jul 1, 200735.28+12.28Major—
2Sep 14, 196133.90+10.90Major75,000
3Oct 11, 197331.65+8.65Major50,000
4Oct 13, 196929.35+6.35Major35,000
5Jul 8, 199329.00+6.00Major—
6Jul 23, 199328.90+5.90Major—
7Mar 30, 198028.83+5.83Major29,000
8Jun 17, 197528.71+5.71Major20,000
9Jul 7, 197928.52+5.52Major26,500
10Oct 5, 199828.00+5.00Moderate—
11May 10, 199327.80+4.80Moderate—
12Jun 16, 198127.76+4.76Moderate18,500
13May 21, 201927.45+4.45Moderate—
14Mar 19, 198427.26+4.26Moderate14,000
15May 23, 197827.11+4.11Moderate15,000
16Jul 2, 196927.08+4.08Moderate14,000
17Mar 31, 197327.04+4.04Moderate14,000
18Apr 12, 199427.00+4.00Moderate—
19Nov 2, 199827.00+4.00Moderate—
20Apr 2, 198326.87+3.87Moderate12,000
21Dec 15, 197126.73+3.73Moderate12,000
22Jun 1, 198226.54+3.54Moderate11,000
23Mar 6, 200426.40+3.40Moderate—
24Sep 26, 199326.05+3.05Moderate—
25Sep 5, 196525.70+2.70Moderate10,000
26Apr 29, 199425.40+2.40Moderate—
27Apr 29, 200925.40+2.40Moderate13,046
28Jun 13, 200525.25+2.25Moderate—
29Jun 4, 202525.21+2.21Moderate17,883
30May 26, 201924.99+1.99Moderate—
31Sep 26, 199824.60+1.60Moderate—
32Jun 5, 200524.39+1.39Moderate—
33May 21, 202124.37+1.37Moderate15,800
34Apr 29, 202424.31+1.31Moderate—
35Jun 16, 196724.00+1.00Moderate6,600
36Jul 2, 199824.00+1.00Moderate—
37Jun 10, 202423.93+0.93Minor12,600
38Jun 24, 201923.74+0.74Minor—
39May 1, 201923.72+0.72Minor—
40Nov 16, 196123.63+0.63Minor8,000
41May 18, 199523.45+0.45Minor—
42May 25, 201523.18+0.18Minor—
43May 1, 201723.05+0.05Minor—
44Jun 10, 199523.000.00Minor—
45Apr 16, 199923.000.00Minor—
46May 6, 199923.000.00Minor—
47Aug 10, 196822.52−0.48Action5,500
48Jun 6, 196422.19−0.81Action5,700
49Jun 1, 202221.73−1.27Action7,800
50May 31, 197621.18−1.82Action5,000

The worst floods along the Pottawatomie Creek

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

September 14, 1961: 33.90 ft here, major flooding

  • GarnettKS · Sep 13, 1961 · 35.38 ft · Major · its highest

October 11, 1973: 31.65 ft here, major flooding

  • GarnettKS · Oct 11, 1973 · 32.90 ft · Moderate

October 13, 1969: 29.35 ft here, major flooding

  • GarnettKS · Oct 13, 1969 · 31.93 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Pottawatomie Creek

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

Flood gauges on the Pottawatomie Creek
GarnettKS26.035.38 ft, Sep 13, 19611
Lane this gaugeKS23.035.28 ft, Jul 1, 20079

Other gauges in Franklin County

Flood gauges in Franklin County
Ottawa30.042.97 ft, Jul 11, 19510

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge LNEK1, 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.