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Soldier Creek near Topeka

Highest listed crest 34.67 ftFlood stage 29.0 ft113 crests since 1951

The Soldier Creek near Topeka crested above flood stage 2 times among the 113 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1951 to 2023. The highest, 34.67 ft on October 2, 2005, was moderate flooding, 5.67 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Soldier Creek crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
34.67 ft
October 2, 2005; 46,600 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
29.0 ft
Major flooding from 40.0 ft
Crests at major
0
2 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
October 2, 2005
34.67 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Shawnee County
Near Topeka (4.7 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Soldier Creek near Topeka
Action stage24.04May 7, 2007The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)29.01Jun 22, 1951Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage34.01Oct 2, 2005Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage40.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

113 crests from 1951 to 2023. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Soldier Creek near Topeka, 1951 to 2023 010203040ft Flood stage 29.0 ftMajor 40.0 ft Jun 22, 1951: 33.06 ft, minor flooding; 11,400 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 1961: 7.32 ft, below flood stage; 3,520 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1961: 7.37 ft, below flood stage; 3,560 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 1961: 7.20 ft, below flood stage; 3,420 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 1961: 7.05 ft, below flood stage; 3,300 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 1961: 7.47 ft, below flood stage; 3,640 cubic feet per secondSep 13, 1961: 12.49 ft, below flood stage; 6,090 cubic feet per secondOct 11, 1961: 11.47 ft, below flood stage; 5,100 cubic feet per secondOct 30, 1961: 11.51 ft, below flood stage; 5,130 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1962: 9.60 ft, below flood stage; 3,680 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1962: 8.94 ft, below flood stage; 3,160 cubic feet per secondOct 7, 1962: 7.31 ft, below flood stage; 2,090 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 1964: 9.55 ft, below flood stage; 3,480 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 1964: 9.10 ft, below flood stage; 3,030 cubic feet per secondJan 2, 1965: 10.21 ft, below flood stage; 4,040 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 1965: 13.19 ft, below flood stage; 6,940 cubic feet per secondSep 21, 1965: 13.56 ft, below flood stage; 5,950 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1966: 8.24 ft, below flood stage; 2,140 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1967: 10.30 ft, below flood stage; 3,410 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 1967: 20.11 ft, below flood stage; 18,600 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1967: 19.98 ft, below flood stage; 18,300 cubic feet per secondJul 25, 1968: 14.44 ft, below flood stage; 7,400 cubic feet per secondAug 2, 1968: 13.48 ft, below flood stage; 6,350 cubic feet per secondAug 10, 1968: 18.90 ft, below flood stage; 15,600 cubic feet per secondOct 17, 1968: 12.97 ft, below flood stage; 5,790 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 1969: 14.18 ft, below flood stage; 7,310 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1969: 10.06 ft, below flood stage; 3,270 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1970: 13.63 ft, below flood stage; 6,750 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 1970: 10.53 ft, below flood stage; 4,270 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1971: 8.52 ft, below flood stage; 2,760 cubic feet per secondSep 7, 1972: 11.76 ft, below flood stage; 5,260 cubic feet per secondNov 14, 1972: 11.20 ft, below flood stage; 4,460 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 1972: 13.50 ft, below flood stage; 6,500 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 1973: 9.25 ft, below flood stage; 3,080 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 1973: 13.78 ft, below flood stage; 6,840 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1973: 9.98 ft, below flood stage; 3,590 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1973: 9.97 ft, below flood stage; 3,580 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1973: 9.39 ft, below flood stage; 3,170 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1973: 12.42 ft, below flood stage; 5,110 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1973: 12.58 ft, below flood stage; 5,340 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1973: 10.41 ft, below flood stage; 3,890 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1973: 10.18 ft, below flood stage; 3,730 cubic feet per secondJul 20, 1973: 15.80 ft, below flood stage; 10,000 cubic feet per secondJul 25, 1973: 9.72 ft, below flood stage; 3,400 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 1973: 17.85 ft, below flood stage; 11,000 cubic feet per secondOct 11, 1973: 23.91 ft, below flood stage; 20,800 cubic feet per secondNov 20, 1973: 10.14 ft, below flood stage; 3,710 cubic feet per secondDec 4, 1973: 11.51 ft, below flood stage; 4,860 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1974: 9.86 ft, below flood stage; 3,500 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 1974: 9.14 ft, below flood stage; 3,030 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 1974: 15.16 ft, below flood stage; 9,120 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1974: 10.47 ft, below flood stage; 3,980 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1975: 12.06 ft, below flood stage; 5,370 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 1975: 9.34 ft, below flood stage; 3,000 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1975: 11.74 ft, below flood stage; 5,040 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 1976: 11.32 ft, below flood stage; 4,460 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 1976: 13.76 ft, below flood stage; 6,910 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1977: 11.26 ft, below flood stage; 4,410 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1977: 11.38 ft, below flood stage; 4,500 cubic feet per secondSep 1, 1977: 12.19 ft, below flood stage; 5,190 cubic feet per secondSep 13, 1977: 21.31 ft, below flood stage; 21,900 cubic feet per secondOct 7, 1977: 10.53 ft, below flood stage; 4,070 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1978: 10.50 ft, below flood stage; 4,050 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1978: 13.52 ft, below flood stage; 6,670 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 1978: 11.95 ft, below flood stage; 5,110 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1979: 9.07 ft, below flood stage; 3,050 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1979: 11.54 ft, below flood stage; 4,780 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 1979: 10.45 ft, below flood stage; 4,020 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1980: 16.21 ft, below flood stage; 10,600 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1980: 11.20 ft, below flood stage; 4,540 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1980: 10.34 ft, below flood stage; 3,940 cubic feet per secondJul 27, 1981: 25.90 ft, action stage; 25,000 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1982: 27.44 ft, action stage; 30,400 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1983: 14.05 ft, below flood stage; 6,770 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1984: 16.34 ft, below flood stage; 9,390 cubic feet per secondSep 21, 1985: 16.07 ft, below flood stage; 9,120 cubic feet per secondOct 10, 1985: 18.11 ft, below flood stage; 11,300 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1987: 20.68 ft, below flood stage; 14,300 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1988: 9.14 ft, below flood stage; 3,220 cubic feet per secondSep 6, 1989: 17.50 ft, below flood stage; 10,300 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1990: 15.68 ft, below flood stage; 8,510 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 1991: 16.24 ft, below flood stage; 9,060 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1992: 16.17 ft, below flood stage; 8,900 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1993: 18.15 ft, below flood stageJul 10, 1993: 23.42 ft, below flood stage; 18,900 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1994: 10.12 ft, below flood stage; 3,810 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 1995: 19.04 ft, below flood stage; 12,000 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1996: 12.63 ft, below flood stage; 5,690 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 1997: 20.13 ft, below flood stage; 13,200 cubic feet per secondJul 26, 1998: 15.15 ft, below flood stage; 7,950 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 1999: 25.24 ft, action stage; 24,000 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 2000: 15.15 ft, below flood stage; 7,340 cubic feet per secondSep 18, 2001: 17.43 ft, below flood stage; 9,290 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 2002: 11.65 ft, below flood stage; 4,730 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 2003: 8.83 ft, below flood stage; 2,970 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 2004: 11.72 ft, below flood stage; 4,770 cubic feet per secondOct 2, 2005: 34.67 ft, moderate flooding; 46,600 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 2007: 27.75 ft, action stage; 29,600 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 2009: 21.77 ft, below flood stage; 15,400 cubic feet per secondJul 5, 2010: 17.09 ft, below flood stage; 10,400 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 2011: 18.63 ft, below flood stage; 12,100 cubic feet per secondDec 20, 2011: 5.87 ft, below flood stage; 1,720 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 2013: 7.67 ft, below flood stage; 2,390 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 2014: 7.88 ft, below flood stage; 2,610 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 2015: 23.58 ft, below flood stage; 19,400 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 2016: 22.48 ft, below flood stage; 17,300 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 2017: 19.21 ft, below flood stage; 12,900 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 2018: 4.84 ft, below flood stage; 1,160 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 2019: 20.63 ft, below flood stage; 14,700 cubic feet per secondJul 30, 2020: 17.04 ft, below flood stage; 10,100 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 2021: 12.38 ft, below flood stage; 5,680 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2022: 18.93 ft, below flood stage; 11,500 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2023: 10.21 ft, below flood stage; 3,840 cubic feet per second Highest, 34.67 ft, Oct 2, 2005 1960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Soldier Creek near Topeka 1950s: 1 1 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 1 2010s: 0 2020s: 0 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 113 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Soldier Creek near Topeka
1Oct 2, 200534.67+5.67Moderate46,600
2Jun 22, 195133.06+4.06Minor11,400
3May 7, 200727.75−1.25Action29,600
4Jun 9, 198227.44−1.56Action30,400
5Jul 27, 198125.90−3.10Action25,000
6Jun 28, 199925.24−3.76Action24,000
7Oct 11, 197323.91−5.09Below flood stage20,800
8Jun 5, 201523.58−5.42Below flood stage19,400
9Jul 10, 199323.42−5.58Below flood stage18,900
10May 27, 201622.48−6.52Below flood stage17,300
11Apr 27, 200921.77−7.23Below flood stage15,400
12Sep 13, 197721.31−7.69Below flood stage21,900
13Mar 18, 198720.68−8.32Below flood stage14,300
14Jun 23, 201920.63−8.37Below flood stage14,700
15Apr 11, 199720.13−8.87Below flood stage13,200
16Jun 12, 196720.11−8.89Below flood stage18,600
17Jun 21, 196719.98−9.02Below flood stage18,300
18May 19, 201719.21−9.79Below flood stage12,900
19May 24, 199519.04−9.96Below flood stage12,000
20May 31, 202218.93−10.07Below flood stage11,500
21Aug 10, 196818.90−10.10Below flood stage15,600
22Jun 2, 201118.63−10.37Below flood stage12,100
23May 9, 199318.15−10.85Below flood stage—
24Oct 10, 198518.11−10.89Below flood stage11,300
25Sep 28, 197317.85−11.15Below flood stage11,000
26Sep 6, 198917.50−11.50Below flood stage10,300
27Sep 18, 200117.43−11.57Below flood stage9,290
28Jul 5, 201017.09−11.91Below flood stage10,400
29Jul 30, 202017.04−11.96Below flood stage10,100
30Jun 10, 198416.34−12.66Below flood stage9,390
31Apr 27, 199116.24−12.76Below flood stage9,060
32Mar 30, 198016.21−12.79Below flood stage10,600
33Mar 18, 199216.17−12.83Below flood stage8,900
34Sep 21, 198516.07−12.93Below flood stage9,120
35Jul 20, 197315.80−13.20Below flood stage10,000
36Jun 15, 199015.68−13.32Below flood stage8,510
37May 17, 197415.16−13.84Below flood stage9,120
38Jul 26, 199815.15−13.85Below flood stage7,950
39Jun 20, 200015.15−13.85Below flood stage7,340
40Jul 25, 196814.44−14.56Below flood stage7,400
41Apr 27, 196914.18−14.82Below flood stage7,310
42Apr 1, 198314.05−14.95Below flood stage6,770
43Feb 1, 197313.78−15.22Below flood stage6,840
44May 6, 197613.76−15.24Below flood stage6,910
45Jun 4, 197013.63−15.37Below flood stage6,750
46Sep 21, 196513.56−15.44Below flood stage5,950
47May 31, 197813.52−15.48Below flood stage6,670
48Dec 30, 197213.50−15.50Below flood stage6,500
49Aug 2, 196813.48−15.52Below flood stage6,350
50Jun 28, 196513.19−15.81Below flood stage6,940

The worst floods along the Soldier Creek

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

October 2, 2005: 34.67 ft here, moderate flooding

  • DeliaKS · Oct 2, 2005 · 33.00 ft · Major · its highest

Gauges on the Soldier Creek

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

Flood gauges on the Soldier Creek
DeliaKS26.033.00 ft, Oct 2, 20052
Topeka this gaugeKS29.034.67 ft, Oct 2, 20050

Other gauges in Shawnee County

Flood gauges in Shawnee County
Rossville25.032.66 ft, Jun 9, 19823
Topeka26.047.20 ft, Jun 1, 18441
Topeka16.023.28 ft, May 7, 20071
Topeka Gage Blvd15.019.70 ft, Jul 30, 20200
Wakarusa15.028.60 ft, May 8, 20071

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge TOPK1, 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.