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Sappa Creek near Oberlin

Highest listed crest 18.16 ftFlood stage 11.0 ft48 crests since 1956

The Sappa Creek near Oberlin crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 48 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1956 to 2008. The highest, 18.16 ft on June 15, 1996, was major flooding, 7.16 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
18.16 ft
June 15, 1996; 1,850 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
11.0 ft
Major flooding from 17.0 ft
Crests at major
1
51st of 171 gauges in Kansas
Most recent flood crest
May 24, 2008
13.00 ft, minor flooding
Location
Decatur County
Kansas

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Sappa Creek near Oberlin
Action stage9.011Apr 29, 2003The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)11.018May 24, 2008Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage14.07Jul 3, 1982Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage17.01Jun 15, 1996Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

48 crests from 1956 to 2008. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Sappa Creek near Oberlin, 1956 to 2008 5101520ft Flood stage 11.0 ftMajor 17.0 ft Jul 6, 1956: 16.57 ft, moderate flooding; 4,780 cubic feet per secondJul 31, 1956: 10.40 ft, action stage; 400 cubic feet per secondAug 7, 1956: 12.53 ft, minor flooding; 718 cubic feet per secondAug 12, 1956: 8.15 ft, below flood stage; 202 cubic feet per secondAug 19, 1956: 12.73 ft, minor flooding; 771 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1957: 14.70 ft, moderate floodingMay 26, 1957: 8.05 ft, below flood stage; 236 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1957: 10.43 ft, action stage; 422 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1957: 13.83 ft, minor flooding; 1,260 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 1957: 14.82 ft, moderate flooding; 2,010 cubic feet per secondJul 2, 1957: 13.21 ft, minor flooding; 934 cubic feet per secondJul 22, 1957: 9.00 ft, action stage; 306 cubic feet per secondAug 29, 1957: 10.38 ft, action stage; 417 cubic feet per secondSep 13, 1957: 9.90 ft, action stage; 378 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 1957: 7.95 ft, below flood stage; 228 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 1958: 7.95 ft, below flood stage; 228 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1960: 16.38 ft, moderate floodingJun 11, 1960: 13.50 ft, minor floodingAug 1, 1962: 11.40 ft, minor floodingJun 12, 1965: 15.65 ft, moderate flooding; 888 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 1965: 8.11 ft, below flood stage; 588 cubic feet per secondJul 11, 1965: 12.90 ft, minor flooding; 681 cubic feet per secondSep 23, 1965: 10.27 ft, action stageOct 1, 1965: 12.85 ft, minor flooding; 944 cubic feet per secondOct 6, 1965: 9.21 ft, action stage; 944 cubic feet per secondOct 20, 1965: 12.55 ft, minor flooding; 880 cubic feet per secondAug 28, 1968: 13.00 ft, minor floodingOct 16, 1968: 12.35 ft, minor flooding; 704 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 1970: 8.37 ft, below flood stage; 748 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1972: 9.23 ft, action stageJun 19, 1975: 16.53 ft, moderate floodingJul 16, 1979: 13.00 ft, minor floodingJun 24, 1982: 10.70 ft, action stageJul 3, 1982: 14.14 ft, moderate floodingJun 13, 1983: 13.80 ft, minor floodingMar 10, 1993: 11.50 ft, minor floodingJun 15, 1996: 18.16 ft, major flooding; 1,850 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 1996: 13.75 ft, minor floodingSep 17, 1997: 7.48 ft, below flood stage; 23 cubic feet per secondAug 5, 1998: 11.82 ft, minor flooding; 284 cubic feet per secondAug 1, 1999: 11.72 ft, minor flooding; 272 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 2000: 6.62 ft, below flood stageApr 22, 2001: 10.57 ft, action stage; 169 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2003: 10.48 ft, action stage; 164 cubic feet per secondJul 23, 2004: 8.72 ft, below flood stage; 50 cubic feet per secondAug 28, 2005: 8.14 ft, below flood stage; 39 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 2006: 7.98 ft, below flood stage; 33 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2008: 13.00 ft, minor flooding Highest, 18.16 ft, Jun 15, 1996 19601970198019902000

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Sappa Creek near Oberlin 1950s: 7 1960s: 9 9 1970s: 2 1980s: 2 1990s: 5 2000s: 1 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s
  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, Sappa Creek near Oberlin
1Jun 15, 199618.16+7.16Major1,850
2Jul 6, 195616.57+5.57Moderate4,780
3Jun 19, 197516.53+5.53Moderate—
4Mar 21, 196016.38+5.38Moderate—
5Jun 12, 196515.65+4.65Moderate888
6Jun 28, 195714.82+3.82Moderate2,010
7May 18, 195714.70+3.70Moderate—
8Jul 3, 198214.14+3.14Moderate—
9Jun 18, 195713.83+2.83Minor1,260
10Jun 13, 198313.80+2.80Minor—
11Jun 23, 199613.75+2.75Minor—
12Jun 11, 196013.50+2.50Minor—
13Jul 2, 195713.21+2.21Minor934
14Aug 28, 196813.00+2.00Minor—
15Jul 16, 197913.00+2.00Minor—
16May 24, 200813.00+2.00Minor—
17Jul 11, 196512.90+1.90Minor681
18Oct 1, 196512.85+1.85Minor944
19Aug 19, 195612.73+1.73Minor771
20Oct 20, 196512.55+1.55Minor880
21Aug 7, 195612.53+1.53Minor718
22Oct 16, 196812.35+1.35Minor704
23Aug 5, 199811.82+0.82Minor284
24Aug 1, 199911.72+0.72Minor272
25Mar 10, 199311.50+0.50Minor—
26Aug 1, 196211.40+0.40Minor—
27Jun 24, 198210.70−0.30Action—
28Apr 22, 200110.57−0.43Action169
29Apr 29, 200310.48−0.52Action164
30Jun 4, 195710.43−0.57Action422
31Jul 31, 195610.40−0.60Action400
32Aug 29, 195710.38−0.62Action417
33Sep 23, 196510.27−0.73Action—
34Sep 13, 19579.90−1.10Action378
35Jun 10, 19729.23−1.77Action—
36Oct 6, 19659.21−1.79Action944
37Jul 22, 19579.00−2.00Action306
38Jul 23, 20048.72−2.28Below flood stage50
39Jun 19, 19708.37−2.63Below flood stage748
40Aug 12, 19568.15−2.85Below flood stage202
41Aug 28, 20058.14−2.86Below flood stage39
42Jun 26, 19658.11−2.89Below flood stage588
43May 26, 19578.05−2.95Below flood stage236
44Jun 16, 20067.98−3.02Below flood stage33
45Sep 17, 19577.95−3.05Below flood stage228
46May 2, 19587.95−3.05Below flood stage228
47Sep 17, 19977.48−3.52Below flood stage23
48Jan 24, 20006.62−4.38Below flood stage—

Gauges on the Sappa Creek

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

Flood gauges on the Sappa Creek
Oberlin this gaugeKS11.018.16 ft, Jun 15, 19961
NorcaturKS17.017.87 ft, May 24, 20080
StamfordNE19.022.13 ft, Jun 24, 19660

Other gauges in Decatur County

Flood gauges in Decatur County
Cedar Bluffs16.018.71 ft, Jun 11, 19600

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge OBNK1, 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.