Fall River at Fredonia water level

Name: Fall River at Fredonia 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, Fall River, Kansas, United States

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

3.03ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 03:00 PM CDT (24 min ago)

Flow: 19.0 cfs

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

Water level Normal range (10–90 %) Minor flood stage

What this means

The Fall River at Fredonia is at 3.03 ft, in the normal range for mid-October.

That puts it 0.02 ft above the median of 3.01 ft for mid-October, based on 38 years of readings. It is 13.97 ft below the flood stage of 17.00 ft. A year ago it stood at 3.91 ft (−0.88 ft).

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 2.92 ft and 3.25 ft.

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

Compared with 38 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 3.01 ft0.02 ft above the median for this date
Normal for this date: 2.78 ft – 7.17 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (38 years of records)
Same day last year: 3.91 ft−0.88 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 2.92 ft – 3.25 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 2.92 ft – 14.71 ft
Highest on record: 41.12 ftJune 30, 2007

Floating and fishing near Fall River at Fredonia

Normal flows mean predictable rapids and good access at most put-ins.

Flood stage here is 17.00 ft, 13.97 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

41.00 ft: The Highway 96 Bridge at the gage site takes on 1 ft of flood waters and the road north of the bridge floods 2.5 ft deep. Residential homes southwest of the river gage site, 1 south of Fredonia, experience 4 ft of flood waters into main floor of homes.
37.00 ft: Flood waters begin to enter residential homes southwest of the river bridge located 1 mile south of Fredonia off of Highway 96.
36.00 ft: Highway 96 begins to flood just 1 mile south of Fredonia near the gage site.
32.00 ft: Flood waters reach within 20 feet of residential homes along the south bank of river located 1 mile south of Fredonia off of Highway 96.
29.00 ft: Flood waters reach within 50 feet of residential homes along the south bank located 1 mile south of Fredonia off of Highway 96.
27.00 ft: Flood waters begin to encroach on residential homes and floods half of yards along the south bank of river located 1 mile south of Fredonia off of Highway 96.
17.00 ft: Flood waters backup into residential yards located 1 mile south of Fredonia near the gage site off of Highway 96. Expect bank overflows on both banks.
3.03 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: 18 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	41.12 ft	June 30, 2007
2	36.17 ft	April 16, 1945
3	35.00 ft	April 19, 1927
4	34.00 ft	June 16, 1923
5	33.90 ft	October 2, 1927
6	33.32 ft	May 20, 1943
7	33.30 ft	July 31, 1904
8	33.29 ft	April 23, 1944
9	32.26 ft	October 3, 1986
10	31.94 ft	April 28, 1994

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 3.87 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 60° 35° – Wind 6 mph

18 Sun 63° 42° – Wind 16 mph

19 Mon 69° 42° – Wind 13 mph

20 Tue 73° 54° – Wind 13 mph

21 Wed 76° 54° – Wind 14 mph

22 Thu 79° 58° – Wind 12 mph

23 Fri 78° 60° – Wind 17 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:35 AM Sunset 06:43 PM Daylight 11 hr, 9 min First quarter 52%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Verdigris River near AltoonaRiver gauge, Verdigris River	3.42 ft	Normal	−0.02 ft	9 mi
Elk River below Elk City LakeRiver gauge, Elk River	7.2 cfs	Low	−3.8 cfs	17 mi
Elk River at Elk FallsRiver gauge, Elk River	2.10 ft	Low	−0.03 ft	21 mi
Verdigris River at IndependenceRiver gauge, Verdigris River	1.64 ft	Low	−0.21 ft	21 mi
Otter Creek at ClimaxRiver gauge, Otter Creek	1.20 ft	Low	−0.06 ft	25 mi
Neosho River near ErieRiver gauge, Neosho River	14.46 ft	Below flood stage	+2.04 ft	31 mi
Verdigris River near VirgilRiver gauge, Verdigris River	71.8 cfs	Normal	−21.4 cfs	34 mi
Neosho River near IolaRiver gauge, Neosho River	8.91 ft	Very high	+0.03 ft	36 mi

Questions and answers

How does the Fall River at Fredonia compare with last year?

It is 0.88 ft lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 3.91 ft.

What is flood stage for the Fall River at Fredonia?

The official flood stage is 17.00 ft. The level is currently 13.97 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the Fall River at Fredonia in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 3.01 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 2.78 ft and 7.17 ft, based on 38 years of records.

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 Fall River at Fredonia today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 03:00 PM CDT, the water level was 3.03 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Fall River at Fredonia rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Up 0.05 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Fall River at Fredonia normal?

Normal for mid-October. Compared with 38 years of daily readings for this time of year.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:07169500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 37.50796, -95.83342 (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	3.03 ft	2026-10-18 20:00	Provisional
Flow	19.0 cfs	2026-10-18 20:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Fall River at Fredonia (usgs:07169500). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/kansas/fall-river-at-fredonia

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