Arkansas River near Nickerson water level

Name: Arkansas River near Nickerson 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, Arkansas River, Kansas, United States

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

8.97ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 07:00 AM CDT (20 min ago)

Flow: 49.8 cfs

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

Water level Normal range (10–90 %)

What this means

The gauge at Arkansas River near Nickerson reads 8.97 ft, a normal level for mid-October.

That puts it 0.30 ft below the median of 9.27 ft for mid-October, based on 28 years of readings.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 8.81 ft and 9.34 ft.

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

Compared with 28 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 9.27 ft0.30 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 8.53 ft – 10.54 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (28 years of records)
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 8.81 ft – 9.34 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 8.79 ft – 14.86 ft

What the stage means on the water

A normal level is usually prime time for floating and wade fishing, as long as the weather holds upstream.

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 69° 51° 0.03 in Wind 15 mph

21 Wed 68° 54° 0.07 in, 25% Wind 10 mph

22 Thu 78° 57° – Wind 17 mph

23 Fri 75° 61° – Wind 21 mph

24 Sat 77° 62° – Wind 19 mph

25 Sun 74° 60° 0.02 in, 25% Wind 19 mph

26 Mon 65° 50° 0.58 in, 21% Wind 16 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:47 AM Sunset 06:49 PM Daylight 11 hr, 3 min First quarter 68%

Map

Other gauges on the Arkansas River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Arkansas River at Garden CityRiver gauge, Arkansas River	5.18 ft	Normal	±0	151 mi
Arkansas River at Dodge CityRiver gauge, Arkansas River	6.73 ft	High	±0	108 mi
Arkansas River near LarnedRiver gauge, Arkansas River	3.93 ft	Normal	−0.04 ft	49 mi
Arkansas River at Great BendRiver gauge, Arkansas River	0.64 ft	Low	−0.01 ft	38 mi
Arkansas River near HutchinsonRiver gauge, Arkansas River	2.05 ft	Low	−0.02 ft	23 mi
Arkansas River near MaizeRiver gauge, Arkansas River	4.60 ft	Low	−0.02 ft	47 mi
Arkansas River at WichitaRiver gauge, Arkansas River	2.67 ft	Low	−0.05 ft	55 mi
Arkansas River at DerbyRiver gauge, Arkansas River	0.72 ft	Very low	−0.06 ft	62 mi
Arkansas River at MulvaneRiver gauge, Arkansas River	5.56 ft	Below flood stage	−0.06 ft	66 mi
Arkansas River at Arkansas CityRiver gauge, Arkansas River	3.78 ft	Low	−0.16 ft	96 mi
Arkansas River at RalstonRiver gauge, Arkansas River	4.26 ft	Below flood stage	−0.41 ft	136 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Cow Creek near HutchinsonRiver gauge, Cow Creek	1.50 ft	Normal	±0	5.6 mi
Cow Creek near LyonsRiver gauge, Cow Creek	3.61 ft	Very low	±0	12 mi
Nf Ninnescah River above Cheney ReRiver gauge, Nf Ninnescah River	5.90 ft	Normal	−0.02 ft	20 mi
Rattlesnake Creek near ZenithRiver gauge, Rattlesnake Creek	11.75 ft	Normal	±0	24 mi
Lake Arkansas River at Alta MillsRiver gauge, Lake Arkansas River	−0.69 ft	Very low	±0	28 mi
Lake Arkansas River at Highway 50 near HalsteadRiver gauge, Lake Arkansas River	5.64 ft	Normal	−0.01 ft	32 mi
Kanopolis Lake near KanopolisLake, Kanopolis Lake	1,466.80 ft	Very high	−0.04 ft	33 mi
Smoky Hill River near LangleyRiver gauge, Smoky Hill River	3.67 ft	Normal	−0.02 ft	33 mi

Questions and answers

What is a normal level for the Arkansas River near Nickerson in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 9.27 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 8.53 ft and 10.54 ft, based on 28 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 Arkansas River near Nickerson today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 07:00 AM CDT, the water level was 8.97 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Arkansas River near Nickerson rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Steady over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Arkansas River near Nickerson normal?

Normal for mid-October. Compared with 28 years of daily readings for this time of year.

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.

Where does this data come from?

The values come directly from the U.S. Geological Survey, the official operator of this gauge, and are in the public domain. We do not estimate or model live values.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:07142680 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 38.14501, -98.11117 (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	8.97 ft	2026-10-20 12:00	Provisional
Flow	49.8 cfs	2026-10-20 12:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Arkansas River near Nickerson (usgs:07142680). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/kansas/arkansas-river-near-nickerson

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