Blue River at 12th Street in Kansas City water level

Name: Blue River at 12th Street in Kansas City water level (U.S. Geological Survey)
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
License: https://www.usgs.gov/information-policies-and-instructions/copyrights-and-credits

River gauge, Blue River, Missouri, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

2.58ft Down 0.16 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 05:45 PM CDT (50 min ago)

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Blue River at 12th Street in Kansas City, where the gauge shows 2.58 ft.

It is 27.42 ft below the flood stage of 30.00 ft.

It is still going down, by 0.16 ft over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 2.58 ft – 6.00 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, until steadier rain returns.

Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 38.00 ftSeptember 13, 1961

Paddling and fishing conditions

Most paddlers and anglers will find the river in good shape at this stage.

For reference, flood stage is 30.00 ft.

What happens at each level

51.00 ft: Flood waters overtop the 12th Street bridge.
39.00 ft: Water reaches the bottom of the 12th Street bridge.
38.00 ft: Extensive flooding of industrial areas along the river.
36.10 ft: 12th Street begins to flood about 300 yards west of the bridge.
36.00 ft: Railroad tracks around 1,000 ft northwest of the gage begin to flood.
35.00 ft: Water begins to affect several commercial buildings along the river.
31.00 ft: Low-lying areas of Manchester Trafficway begin to flood just south of Truman Road.
30.00 ft: Low-lying areas near 12th Street begin to flood. When the Missouri River is high, the flood waters from the Blue river may approach the top of the flood wall on the west bank of the Blue River near the Wilson Avenue bridge.
2.58 ft: Right now

Impact statements from the U.S. National Weather Service.

Highest crests on record

Chance of at least minor flooding in October to December: < 5 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	38.00 ft	September 13, 1961
2	37.42 ft	May 16, 1990
3	36.33 ft	September 13, 1977
4	35.07 ft	June 10, 1984
5	35.00 ft	June 9, 1984
6	34.20 ft	November 17, 1928
7	32.20 ft	July 31, 1958
8	31.32 ft	August 22, 2017
9	31.10 ft	August 13, 1982
10	29.03 ft	May 18, 1995

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 73° 44° – Wind 8 mph

21 Wed 74° 52° – Wind 5 mph

22 Thu 77° 52° – Wind 7 mph

23 Fri 78° 56° – Wind 12 mph

24 Sat 79° 58° – Wind 12 mph

25 Sun 78° 61° – Wind 8 mph

26 Mon 64° 43° 0.28 in Wind 14 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:33 AM Sunset 06:34 PM Daylight 11 hr Waxing gibbous 72%

Map

Other gauges on the Blue River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Blue River near StanleyRiver gauge, Blue River	4.02 ft	Normal	−0.08 ft	22 mi
Blue River at Kenneth Road, Overland ParkRiver gauge, Blue River	18.7 cfs	Normal	−3.4 cfs	19 mi
Blue River at Blue Ridge Blvd Ext in KCRiver gauge, Blue River	25.37 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	15 mi
Blue River at Kansas CityRiver gauge, Blue River	4.59 ft	Below flood stage	−0.07 ft	10 mi
Blue River at Stadium Drive in Kansas CityRiver gauge, Blue River	5.78 ft	Below flood stage	−0.08 ft	2.9 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Missouri River at Kansas CityRiver gauge, Missouri River	12.79 ft	Below flood stage	−0.45 ft	5.3 mi
Kansas River at Kansas CityRiver gauge, Kansas River	14.84 ft	Normal	−0.49 ft	6 mi
Brush Creek at Ward Parkway in Kansas CityRiver gauge, Brush Creek	35.80 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	8 mi
Little Blue R. at Lees Summit Rd in IndependenceRiver gauge, Little Blue R.	4.06 ft	Below flood stage	−0.12 ft	8 mi
Adair Creek at IndependenceRiver gauge, Adair Creek	0.9 cfs	Normal	+0.3 cfs	8 mi
Spring Branch Creek at Holke Rd in IndependenceRiver gauge, Spring Branch Creek	1.0 cfs	Normal	−0.1 cfs	8 mi
Little Blue River near Lake CityRiver gauge, Little Blue River	4.65 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	10 mi
Indian Creek at State Line Road, LeawoodRiver gauge, Indian Creek	10.32 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	13 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Blue River at 12th Street in Kansas City?

The official flood stage is 30.00 ft. The level is currently 27.42 ft below it.

Is gage height the same as water depth?

No. Gage height is measured from a fixed reference point chosen by the agency, so a reading of 10 ft does not mean the river is 10 ft deep.

What is the water level of Blue River at 12th Street in Kansas City today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 05:45 PM CDT, the water level was 2.58 ft. Down 0.16 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Blue River at 12th Street in Kansas City rising or falling?

Down 0.16 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Blue River at 12th Street in Kansas City normal?

Below flood stage. Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Blue River at 12th Street in Kansas City?

The highest level on record is 38.00 ft on September 13, 1961.

How often is this data updated?

The U.S. Geological Survey publishes a new reading every 15 minutes. This page refreshes within minutes of each update.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:06893590 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 39.09692, -94.49103 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: NAVD88
Update interval: every 15 minutes
Licence: Public domain. Data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), provisional data subject to revision

Published series

Parameter	Last value	Time (UTC)	Quality
Water level	2.58 ft	2026-10-20 22:45	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Blue River at 12th Street in Kansas City (usgs:06893590). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/missouri/blue-river-at-12th-street-in-kansas-city

How we check values

Each reading is stored as published. We hold back values that jump faster than physically plausible and show the measurement time with every value.

Readings are provisional, can be delayed or wrong and are not a flood warning. Read the disclaimer