Smoky Hill River near Junction City
Highest listed crest 35.90 ftFlood stage 22.0 ft11 crests since 1951
The Smoky Hill River near Junction City crested above flood stage 7 times among the 11 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1951 to 2019. The highest, 35.90 ft on July 12, 1951, was moderate flooding, 13.90 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Smoky Hill River crested above flood stage within a week of it.
The gauge
- Highest listed crest
- 35.90 ft
- July 12, 1951
- Flood stage
- 22.0 ft
- Major flooding from 44.0 ft
- Crests at major
- 0
- 7 above flood stage
- Most recent flood crest
- May 25, 2019
- 23.46 ft, minor flooding
Flood stages
The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.
| Action stage | 17.0 | 3 | May 8, 2007 |
| Flood stage (minor) | 22.0 | 6 | May 25, 2019 |
| Moderate flood stage | 32.0 | 1 | Jul 12, 1951 |
| Major flood stage | 44.0 | 0 | — |
Every listed crest
11 crests from 1951 to 2019. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.
Crests at or above flood stage, by decade
- 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.
- 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
| 1 | Jul 12, 1951 | 35.90 | +13.90 | Moderate |
| 2 | Jun 5, 2005 | 23.80 | +1.80 | Minor |
| 3 | May 24, 1995 | 23.50 | +1.50 | Minor |
| 4 | May 25, 2019 | 23.46 | +1.46 | Minor |
| 5 | May 12, 1993 | 23.20 | +1.20 | Minor |
| 6 | May 28, 1995 | 22.75 | +0.75 | Minor |
| 7 | May 18, 1995 | 22.62 | +0.62 | Minor |
| 8 | Nov 3, 1998 | 21.45 | −0.55 | Action |
| 9 | May 8, 2007 | 20.30 | −1.70 | Action |
| 10 | Jun 28, 1957 | 17.00 | −5.00 | Action |
| 11 | Apr 1, 1998 | 15.33 | −6.67 | Below flood stage |
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 12, 1951: 35.90 ft here, moderate flooding
- LindsborgKS · Jul 12, 1951 · 29.32 ft · Moderate
May 24, 1995: 23.50 ft here, minor flooding
- New CambriaKS · May 29, 1995 · 31.02 ft · Moderate
- EnterpriseKS · May 30, 1995 · 30.36 ft · Moderate
- AbileneKS · May 30, 1995 · 29.85 ft · Minor
- LindsborgKS · May 27, 1995 · 25.99 ft · Minor
May 25, 2019: 23.46 ft here, minor flooding
- New CambriaKS · May 23, 2019 · 30.67 ft · Moderate
- EnterpriseKS · May 25, 2019 · 30.52 ft · Moderate
- RussellKS · May 25, 2019 · 20.43 ft · Moderate · its highest
- AbileneKS · May 23, 2019 · 29.75 ft · Minor
- LindsborgKS · May 22, 2019 · 24.00 ft · Minor
- MentorKS · May 22, 2019 · 21.47 ft · Minor
- EllsworthKS · May 26, 2019 · 20.90 ft · Minor
- SchoenchenKS · May 22, 2019 · 12.22 ft · Minor
Gauges on the Smoky Hill River
Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.
| Ellsworth | KS | 30.07 ft, Jul 22, 1993 | 2 |
| Enterprise | KS | 33.95 ft, Jul 22, 1993 | 0 |
| Lindsborg | KS | 33.90 ft, May 28, 1903 | 1 |
| Russell | KS | 20.43 ft, May 25, 2019 | 0 |
| Schoenchen | KS | 17.60 ft, Jul 21, 1993 | 1 |
| Abilene | KS | 32.10 ft, Jul 22, 1993 | 0 |
| Arnold | KS | 19.00 ft, May 30, 1938 | 1 |
| Junction City this gauge | KS | 35.90 ft, Jul 12, 1951 | 0 |
| Mentor | KS | 24.65 ft, Jun 24, 2019 | 0 |
| New Cambria | KS | 31.72 ft, Jun 25, 1993 | 0 |
| Oakley | KS | 15.20 ft, May 30, 1938 | 1 |
Other gauges in Geary County
| Ft. Riley | 34.50 ft, Jul 1, 1951 | 2 |
| Junction City | 28.17 ft, May 9, 2019 | 0 |
Geary County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Kansas
NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge JUCK1, 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.