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Salt Creek (KS) near Ada

Highest listed crest 23.42 ftFlood stage 18.0 ft122 crests since 1960

The Salt Creek (KS) near Ada crested above flood stage 41 times among the 122 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1960 to 2023. The highest, 23.42 ft on May 25, 2017, was moderate flooding, 5.42 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Salt Creek (KS) crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
23.42 ft
May 25, 2017
Flood stage
18.0 ft
Major flooding from 24.0 ft
Crests at major
0
41 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
May 24, 2019
20.68 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Ottawa County
Kansas

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Salt Creek (KS) near Ada
Action stage13.063Aug 2, 2020The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)18.019May 10, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage20.022May 24, 2019Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage24.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

122 crests from 1960 to 2023. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Salt Creek (KS) near Ada, 1960 to 2023 0510152025ft Flood stage 18.0 ftMajor 24.0 ft Mar 27, 1960: 21.08 ft, moderate flooding; 8,400 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 1961: 11.50 ft, below flood stage; 665 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1961: 23.25 ft, moderate flooding; 16,000 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 1961: 17.80 ft, action stage; 1,660 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 1961: 13.10 ft, action stage; 868 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1961: 12.10 ft, below flood stage; 742 cubic feet per secondAug 18, 1961: 16.37 ft, action stage; 1,380 cubic feet per secondSep 13, 1961: 13.32 ft, action stage; 899 cubic feet per secondOct 29, 1961: 15.21 ft, action stage; 1,180 cubic feet per secondJan 28, 1962: 17.69 ft, action stage; 1,640 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 1962: 13.83 ft, action stage; 974 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 1962: 14.34 ft, action stage; 1,050 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 1963: 4.20 ft, below flood stage; 46 cubic feet per secondAug 18, 1964: 7.20 ft, below flood stage; 238 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1965: 13.12 ft, action stage; 672 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 1965: 18.87 ft, minor flooding; 1,830 cubic feet per secondAug 21, 1966: 6.52 ft, below flood stage; 183 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1967: 14.93 ft, action stage; 814 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1967: 13.17 ft, action stage; 607 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 1967: 16.27 ft, action stage; 1,020 cubic feet per secondJul 30, 1967: 15.39 ft, action stage; 884 cubic feet per secondSep 3, 1967: 18.27 ft, minor flooding; 1,540 cubic feet per secondSep 19, 1967: 20.70 ft, moderate flooding; 4,440 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1968: 8.64 ft, below flood stage; 233 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 1969: 17.40 ft, action stage; 1,250 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1970: 9.29 ft, below flood stage; 275 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1971: 15.12 ft, action stage; 837 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1971: 21.97 ft, moderate flooding; 3,940 cubic feet per secondNov 19, 1971: 17.89 ft, action stage; 1,380 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1973: 18.39 ft, minor flooding; 1,620 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 1973: 20.20 ft, moderate flooding; 3,100 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1973: 21.72 ft, moderate flooding; 8,000 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1973: 17.43 ft, action stage; 1,370 cubic feet per secondJul 22, 1973: 16.58 ft, action stage; 1,190 cubic feet per secondSep 26, 1973: 21.44 ft, moderate flooding; 6,660 cubic feet per secondOct 12, 1973: 21.66 ft, moderate flooding; 7,700 cubic feet per secondNov 21, 1973: 12.86 ft, below flood stage; 675 cubic feet per secondJan 21, 1974: 15.78 ft, action stage; 1,050 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1975: 17.71 ft, action stage; 1,010 cubic feet per secondAug 16, 1975: 14.44 ft, action stage; 705 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1976: 13.54 ft, action stage; 732 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 1976: 16.39 ft, action stage; 1,050 cubic feet per secondOct 4, 1976: 19.28 ft, minor flooding; 1,960 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1977: 17.04 ft, action stage; 947 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 1978: 15.56 ft, action stage; 799 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 1978: 15.88 ft, action stage; 831 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1978: 16.76 ft, action stage; 919 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1979: 14.21 ft, action stage; 822 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1979: 18.01 ft, minor flooding; 1,380 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 1979: 14.11 ft, action stage; 811 cubic feet per secondJul 9, 1979: 16.92 ft, action stage; 1,140 cubic feet per secondJul 20, 1979: 15.38 ft, action stage; 955 cubic feet per secondJul 25, 1979: 17.19 ft, action stage; 1,190 cubic feet per secondOct 31, 1979: 15.21 ft, action stage; 935 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1980: 19.82 ft, minor flooding; 2,500 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 1981: 16.13 ft, action stage; 994 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1981: 15.30 ft, action stage; 881 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1982: 16.05 ft, action stage; 984 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1982: 18.77 ft, minor flooding; 1,580 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1982: 14.82 ft, action stage; 819 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1982: 16.76 ft, action stage; 1,080 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1982: 13.54 ft, action stage; 708 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 1982: 22.81 ft, moderate flooding; 12,800 cubic feet per secondJul 11, 1982: 19.58 ft, minor flooding; 1,540 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1983: 13.74 ft, action stage; 723 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 1984: 14.93 ft, action stage; 856 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 1985: 19.14 ft, minor flooding; 1,410 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1986: 11.21 ft, below flood stage; 474 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1987: 13.89 ft, action stage; 658 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1987: 22.17 ft, moderate flooding; 8,340 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1987: 17.34 ft, action stage; 1,120 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 1987: 21.97 ft, moderate flooding; 7,410 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1987: 16.82 ft, action stage; 1,050 cubic feet per secondJul 8, 1987: 17.80 ft, action stage; 1,180 cubic feet per secondJul 16, 1988: 9.78 ft, below flood stage; 326 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1989: 15.26 ft, action stage; 789 cubic feet per secondJul 19, 1989: 15.46 ft, action stage; 816 cubic feet per secondJul 26, 1990: 15.90 ft, action stage; 961 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1991: 16.46 ft, action stage; 1,030 cubic feet per secondJul 19, 1992: 14.40 ft, action stage; 672 cubic feet per secondJul 23, 1992: 17.79 ft, action stage; 1,060 cubic feet per secondJul 27, 1992: 18.54 ft, minor flooding; 1,200 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 1993: 19.20 ft, minor floodingJun 26, 1993: 21.24 ft, moderate floodingJul 9, 1993: 21.78 ft, moderate floodingJul 19, 1993: 22.43 ft, moderate flooding; 9,170 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 1994: 19.32 ft, minor floodingJul 27, 1994: 19.80 ft, minor floodingMay 13, 1995: 20.87 ft, moderate floodingMay 18, 1995: 18.15 ft, minor floodingMay 27, 1995: 21.66 ft, moderate flooding; 4,810 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1995: 19.01 ft, minor floodingJun 7, 1996: 20.64 ft, moderate flooding; 2,980 cubic feet per secondNov 19, 1996: 13.60 ft, action stage; 621 cubic feet per secondJul 30, 1998: 15.92 ft, action stage; 1,140 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1999: 21.08 ft, moderate flooding; 4,270 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 2000: 13.27 ft, action stage; 741 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2001: 14.41 ft, action stage; 922 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 2002: 5.98 ft, below flood stage; 63 cubic feet per secondSep 13, 2003: 20.89 ft, moderate flooding; 2,060 cubic feet per secondJul 11, 2004: 15.25 ft, action stage; 906 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 2005: 15.78 ft, action stage; 1,010 cubic feet per secondAug 19, 2006: 6.23 ft, below flood stage; 99 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 2007: 18.04 ft, minor flooding; 1,330 cubic feet per secondAug 10, 2008: 15.42 ft, action stage; 906 cubic feet per secondAug 26, 2009: 16.67 ft, action stage; 1,270 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 2010: 17.56 ft, action stage; 1,400 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 2011: 20.98 ft, moderate flooding; 3,600 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 2012: 10.42 ft, below flood stage; 397 cubic feet per secondJul 29, 2013: 14.59 ft, action stage; 890 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 2014: 10.14 ft, below flood stage; 395 cubic feet per secondAug 6, 2015: 11.91 ft, below flood stage; 617 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 2016: 19.92 ft, minor floodingSep 7, 2016: 18.21 ft, minor floodingMay 25, 2017: 23.42 ft, moderate floodingMay 3, 2018: 17.14 ft, action stage; 1,300 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 2019: 19.75 ft, minor floodingMay 24, 2019: 20.68 ft, moderate floodingAug 2, 2020: 15.65 ft, action stage; 1,130 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 2021: 12.96 ft, below flood stage; 815 cubic feet per secondJul 28, 2022: 12.05 ft, below flood stage; 713 cubic feet per secondAug 4, 2023: 8.33 ft, below flood stage; 328 cubic feet per second Highest, 23.42 ft, May 25, 2017 1960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Salt Creek (KS) near Ada 1960s: 5 1970s: 8 1980s: 7 1990s: 13 13 2000s: 2 2010s: 6 2020s: 0 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.
  3. 1 crest measured on an earlier gauge datum is left out: 21.00 ft on Jan 1, 1942.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 122 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Salt Creek (KS) near Ada
1May 25, 201723.42+5.42Moderate—
2May 23, 196123.25+5.25Moderate16,000
3Jul 3, 198222.81+4.81Moderate12,800
4Jul 19, 199322.43+4.43Moderate9,170
5Mar 24, 198722.17+4.17Moderate8,340
6May 22, 197121.97+3.97Moderate3,940
7Apr 15, 198721.97+3.97Moderate7,410
8Jul 9, 199321.78+3.78Moderate—
9Apr 1, 197321.72+3.72Moderate8,000
10Oct 12, 197321.66+3.66Moderate7,700
11May 27, 199521.66+3.66Moderate4,810
12Sep 26, 197321.44+3.44Moderate6,660
13Jun 26, 199321.24+3.24Moderate—
14Mar 27, 196021.08+3.08Moderate8,400
15May 23, 199921.08+3.08Moderate4,270
16Jun 3, 201120.98+2.98Moderate3,600
17Sep 13, 200320.89+2.89Moderate2,060
18May 13, 199520.87+2.87Moderate—
19Sep 19, 196720.70+2.70Moderate4,440
20May 24, 201920.68+2.68Moderate—
21Jun 7, 199620.64+2.64Moderate2,980
22Mar 26, 197320.20+2.20Moderate3,100
23May 29, 201619.92+1.92Minor—
24Apr 1, 198019.82+1.82Minor2,500
25Jul 27, 199419.80+1.80Minor—
26May 10, 201919.75+1.75Minor—
27Jul 11, 198219.58+1.58Minor1,540
28May 11, 199419.32+1.32Minor—
29Oct 4, 197619.28+1.28Minor1,960
30May 12, 199319.20+1.20Minor—
31May 17, 198519.14+1.14Minor1,410
32Jun 8, 199519.01+1.01Minor—
33Jun 29, 196518.87+0.87Minor1,830
34Mar 22, 198218.77+0.77Minor1,580
35Jul 27, 199218.54+0.54Minor1,200
36Mar 11, 197318.39+0.39Minor1,620
37Sep 3, 196718.27+0.27Minor1,540
38Sep 7, 201618.21+0.21Minor—
39May 18, 199518.15+0.15Minor—
40May 7, 200718.04+0.04Minor1,330
41Mar 25, 197918.01+0.01Minor1,380
42Nov 19, 197117.89−0.11Action1,380
43Jun 2, 196117.80−0.20Action1,660
44Jul 8, 198717.80−0.20Action1,180
45Jul 23, 199217.79−0.21Action1,060
46Jun 22, 197517.71−0.29Action1,010
47Jan 28, 196217.69−0.31Action1,640
48Jun 5, 201017.56−0.44Action1,400
49May 8, 197317.43−0.57Action1,370
50Feb 28, 196917.40−0.60Action1,250

The worst floods along the Salt Creek (KS)

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

May 25, 2017: 23.42 ft here, moderate flooding

  • BarnardKS · May 20, 2017 · 23.45 ft · Moderate

May 23, 1961: 23.25 ft here, moderate flooding

  • BarnardKS · May 22, 1961 · 24.20 ft · Moderate

July 3, 1982: 22.81 ft here, moderate flooding

  • BarnardKS · Jul 2, 1982 · 24.90 ft · Major

Gauges on the Salt Creek (KS)

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

Flood gauges on the Salt Creek (KS)
BarnardKS21.025.57 ft, Sep 9, 20252
Ada this gaugeKS18.023.42 ft, May 25, 20170

Other gauges in Ottawa County

Flood gauges in Ottawa County
Tescott25.030.14 ft, Jul 25, 19930
Minneapolis26.034.10 ft, Jul 13, 19510
Niles24.031.76 ft, Jul 14, 19510

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge ADAK1, 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.