Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Smoky Hill River at Enterprise

Highest listed crest 33.95 ftFlood stage 26.0 ft85 crests since 1903

The Smoky Hill River at Enterprise crested above flood stage 22 times among the 85 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1903 to 2023. The highest, 33.95 ft on July 22, 1993, was moderate flooding, 7.95 feet above flood stage. 6 other gauges on the Smoky Hill River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 3 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
33.95 ft
July 22, 1993; 47,600 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
26.0 ft
Major flooding from 40.0 ft
Crests at major
0
22 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
July 6, 2019
30.98 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Dickinson County
Kansas

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Smoky Hill River at Enterprise
Action stage21.018May 17, 2021The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)26.05May 30, 2016Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage27.017Jul 6, 2019Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage40.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

85 crests from 1903 to 2023. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Smoky Hill River at Enterprise, 1903 to 2023 010203040ft Flood stage 26.0 ftMajor 40.0 ft May 1, 1903: 32.00 ft, moderate flooding; 90,000 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1961: 23.40 ft, action stage; 26,500 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 1962: 18.74 ft, below flood stage; 15,200 cubic feet per secondJul 12, 1963: 14.60 ft, below flood stage; 10,600 cubic feet per secondOct 22, 1963: 7.72 ft, below flood stage; 3,150 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 1965: 21.08 ft, action stage; 18,600 cubic feet per secondAug 22, 1966: 11.36 ft, below flood stage; 7,560 cubic feet per secondSep 21, 1967: 23.24 ft, action stage; 23,200 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1968: 7.89 ft, below flood stage; 3,760 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 1969: 14.96 ft, below flood stage; 10,300 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 1970: 9.75 ft, below flood stage; 5,520 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1971: 22.56 ft, action stage; 20,300 cubic feet per secondNov 20, 1971: 8.68 ft, below flood stage; 4,510 cubic feet per secondJul 18, 1972: 13.70 ft, below flood stage; 8,350 cubic feet per secondSep 4, 1972: 13.26 ft, below flood stage; 8,160 cubic feet per secondFeb 2, 1973: 15.95 ft, below flood stage; 10,900 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1973: 16.76 ft, below flood stage; 11,900 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1973: 22.40 ft, action stage; 19,600 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 1973: 21.72 ft, action stage; 16,900 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1973: 24.49 ft, action stage; 26,000 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 1973: 16.43 ft, below flood stage; 10,200 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 1973: 10.39 ft, below flood stage; 5,270 cubic feet per secondJul 21, 1973: 15.59 ft, below flood stage; 9,390 cubic feet per secondAug 8, 1973: 9.79 ft, below flood stage; 4,830 cubic feet per secondSep 30, 1973: 26.45 ft, minor flooding; 43,000 cubic feet per secondOct 13, 1973: 26.82 ft, minor flooding; 47,100 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1974: 18.88 ft, below flood stage; 12,700 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 1975: 18.77 ft, below flood stage; 14,800 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1976: 13.71 ft, below flood stage; 9,410 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1977: 17.34 ft, below flood stage; 13,400 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1978: 10.39 ft, below flood stage; 6,350 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1979: 20.74 ft, below flood stage; 17,100 cubic feet per secondOct 31, 1979: 22.74 ft, action stage; 21,400 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1981: 13.70 ft, below flood stage; 9,400 cubic feet per secondJul 9, 1982: 18.15 ft, below flood stage; 14,000 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1983: 10.34 ft, below flood stage; 6,410 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 1984: 17.29 ft, below flood stage; 13,000 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1985: 13.45 ft, below flood stage; 9,350 cubic feet per secondOct 11, 1985: 20.01 ft, below flood stage; 17,000 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1987: 22.22 ft, action stage; 20,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 1988: 4.61 ft, below flood stage; 1,210 cubic feet per secondSep 9, 1989: 10.17 ft, below flood stage; 5,540 cubic feet per secondAug 16, 1990: 13.05 ft, below flood stage; 7,140 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1991: 11.04 ft, below flood stage; 6,070 cubic feet per secondJul 26, 1992: 24.82 ft, action stage; 13,600 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 1993: 23.03 ft, action stageMay 12, 1993: 30.02 ft, moderate floodingJun 24, 1993: 30.12 ft, moderate floodingJul 1, 1993: 27.90 ft, moderate floodingJul 5, 1993: 27.89 ft, moderate floodingJul 16, 1993: 32.62 ft, moderate floodingJul 22, 1993: 33.95 ft, moderate flooding; 47,600 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 1993: 19.23 ft, below flood stageMay 18, 1995: 29.49 ft, moderate floodingMay 30, 1995: 30.36 ft, moderate floodingJun 11, 1995: 26.03 ft, minor floodingJun 2, 1996: 26.28 ft, minor flooding; 18,100 cubic feet per secondNov 17, 1996: 19.94 ft, below flood stage; 10,100 cubic feet per secondNov 4, 1998: 28.99 ft, moderate flooding; 26,300 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1999: 28.55 ft, moderate floodingMar 26, 2000: 22.71 ft, action stage; 12,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 2001: 20.21 ft, below flood stage; 11,300 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 2002: 9.80 ft, below flood stage; 1,700 cubic feet per secondSep 16, 2003: 18.63 ft, below flood stage; 8,520 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2005: 24.33 ft, action stage; 15,200 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 2006: 10.61 ft, below flood stage; 2,570 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 2007: 29.71 ft, moderate floodingMay 26, 2007: 29.91 ft, moderate flooding; 28,600 cubic feet per secondSep 15, 2008: 16.88 ft, below flood stage; 7,140 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2009: 21.63 ft, action stage; 11,900 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 2010: 19.18 ft, below flood stage; 9,650 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 2011: 23.37 ft, action stage; 13,800 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 2012: 13.79 ft, below flood stage; 4,660 cubic feet per secondAug 2, 2013: 27.64 ft, moderate flooding; 21,300 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 2014: 21.29 ft, action stage; 11,100 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2015: 18.72 ft, below flood stage; 8,380 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 2016: 26.95 ft, minor floodingMay 11, 2019: 29.47 ft, moderate floodingMay 25, 2019: 30.52 ft, moderate floodingJul 6, 2019: 30.98 ft, moderate flooding; 30,700 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 2020: 23.41 ft, action stage; 12,100 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 2020: 8.80 ft, below flood stageMay 17, 2021: 23.26 ft, action stage; 12,000 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 2022: 20.10 ft, below flood stage; 9,480 cubic feet per secondJul 6, 2023: 8.03 ft, below flood stage; 898 cubic feet per second Highest, 33.95 ft, Jul 22, 1993 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Smoky Hill River at Enterprise 1900s: 1 1910s: 0 1920s: 0 1930s: 0 1940s: 0 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 2 1980s: 0 1990s: 12 12 2000s: 2 2010s: 5 2020s: 0 1900s1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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: 33.96 ft on Jul 14, 1951.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 85 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Smoky Hill River at Enterprise
1Jul 22, 199333.95+7.95Moderate47,600
2Jul 16, 199332.62+6.62Moderate—
3May 1, 190332.00+6.00Moderate90,000
4Jul 6, 201930.98+4.98Moderate30,700
5May 25, 201930.52+4.52Moderate—
6May 30, 199530.36+4.36Moderate—
7Jun 24, 199330.12+4.12Moderate—
8May 12, 199330.02+4.02Moderate—
9May 26, 200729.91+3.91Moderate28,600
10May 9, 200729.71+3.71Moderate—
11May 18, 199529.49+3.49Moderate—
12May 11, 201929.47+3.47Moderate—
13Nov 4, 199828.99+2.99Moderate26,300
14May 23, 199928.55+2.55Moderate—
15Jul 1, 199327.90+1.90Moderate—
16Jul 5, 199327.89+1.89Moderate—
17Aug 2, 201327.64+1.64Moderate21,300
18May 30, 201626.95+0.95Minor—
19Oct 13, 197326.82+0.82Minor47,100
20Sep 30, 197326.45+0.45Minor43,000
21Jun 2, 199626.28+0.28Minor18,100
22Jun 11, 199526.03+0.03Minor—
23Jul 26, 199224.82−1.18Action13,600
24Apr 3, 197324.49−1.51Action26,000
25Jun 4, 200524.33−1.67Action15,200
26May 27, 202023.41−2.59Action12,100
27May 23, 196123.40−2.60Action26,500
28Jun 8, 201123.37−2.63Action13,800
29May 17, 202123.26−2.74Action12,000
30Sep 21, 196723.24−2.76Action23,200
31May 4, 199323.03−2.97Action—
32Oct 31, 197922.74−3.26Action21,400
33Mar 26, 200022.71−3.29Action12,400
34May 23, 197122.56−3.44Action20,300
35Mar 11, 197322.40−3.60Action19,600
36Mar 30, 198722.22−3.78Action20,600
37Mar 27, 197321.72−4.28Action16,900
38Apr 29, 200921.63−4.37Action11,900
39Jun 12, 201421.29−4.71Action11,100
40Jun 27, 196521.08−4.92Action18,600
41Mar 24, 197920.74−5.26Below flood stage17,100
42Feb 25, 200120.21−5.79Below flood stage11,300
43Jul 3, 202220.10−5.90Below flood stage9,480
44Oct 11, 198520.01−5.99Below flood stage17,000
45Nov 17, 199619.94−6.06Below flood stage10,100
46Oct 1, 199319.23−6.77Below flood stage—
47Jun 16, 201019.18−6.82Below flood stage9,650
48May 22, 197418.88−7.12Below flood stage12,700
49Jun 25, 197518.77−7.23Below flood stage14,800
50Sep 22, 196218.74−7.26Below flood stage15,200

The worst floods along the Smoky Hill River

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

July 22, 1993: 33.95 ft here, moderate flooding

  • EllsworthKS · Jul 22, 1993 · 30.07 ft · Major · its highest
  • SchoenchenKS · Jul 21, 1993 · 17.60 ft · Major · its highest
  • AbileneKS · Jul 22, 1993 · 32.10 ft · Moderate · its highest
  • New CambriaKS · Jul 22, 1993 · 31.60 ft · Moderate
  • LindsborgKS · Jul 29, 1993 · 25.63 ft · Minor
  • ArnoldKS · Jul 20, 1993 · 7.95 ft · Minor

July 16, 1993: 32.62 ft here, moderate flooding

  • EllsworthKS · Jul 22, 1993 · 30.07 ft · Major · its highest
  • SchoenchenKS · Jul 21, 1993 · 17.60 ft · Major · its highest
  • AbileneKS · Jul 22, 1993 · 32.10 ft · Moderate · its highest
  • New CambriaKS · Jul 22, 1993 · 31.60 ft · Moderate
  • LindsborgKS · Jul 14, 1993 · 25.71 ft · Minor
  • ArnoldKS · Jul 20, 1993 · 7.95 ft · Minor

July 6, 2019: 30.98 ft here, moderate flooding

  • AbileneKS · Jul 5, 2019 · 30.00 ft · Moderate
  • MentorKS · Jul 4, 2019 · 24.05 ft · Moderate
  • New CambriaKS · Jul 5, 2019 · 27.60 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Smoky Hill River

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

Flood gauges on the Smoky Hill River
EllsworthKS20.030.07 ft, Jul 22, 19932
Enterprise this gaugeKS26.033.95 ft, Jul 22, 19930
LindsborgKS21.033.90 ft, May 28, 19031
RussellKS18.020.43 ft, May 25, 20190
SchoenchenKS11.017.60 ft, Jul 21, 19931
AbileneKS27.032.10 ft, Jul 22, 19930
ArnoldKS7.019.00 ft, May 30, 19381
Junction CityKS22.035.90 ft, Jul 12, 19510
MentorKS20.024.65 ft, Jun 24, 20190
New CambriaKS27.031.72 ft, Jun 25, 19930
OakleyKS9.015.20 ft, May 30, 19381

Other gauges in Dickinson County

Flood gauges in Dickinson County
Chapman19.025.50 ft, Jul 12, 19510
Abilene15.019.50 ft, May 24, 20070
Abilene27.032.10 ft, Jul 22, 19930

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge ENTK1, 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.