Cow Creek near Hutchinson water level

Name: Cow Creek near Hutchinson 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, Cow Creek, Kansas, United States

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

1.49ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 02:15 PM CDT (1 hour ago)

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

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

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Cow Creek near Hutchinson, where the gauge shows 1.49 ft.

That puts it 0.39 ft below the median of 1.88 ft for mid-October, based on 26 years of readings. It is 8.01 ft below the flood stage of 9.50 ft. A year ago it stood at 2.20 ft (−0.71 ft).

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 1.30 ft – 3.04 ft.

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

Compared with 26 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 1.88 ft0.39 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 0.65 ft – 5.01 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (26 years of records)
Same day last year: 2.20 ft−0.71 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 1.30 ft – 3.04 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 1.25 ft – 9.58 ft
Highest on record: 12.87 ftOctober 11, 2018

Paddling and fishing conditions

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

For reference, flood stage is 9.50 ft.

What happens at each level

13.00 ft: Expect widespread flooding in the area northwest of Hutchinson. In this area residents may see 3 to 7 feet of water. Homes in the area northwest of Pennington from 43rd Ave in Reno County to Ave W in Rice County may flood. Willowbrook entrance on Wilson Road is only accessible from the south. Areas around the Kansas Bible Camp on 56th Avenue will flood. Flood waters begin to affect the road 500 ft east of the 82nd Avenue creek bridge. The 2 homes on the north side of the road in this area will flood.
12.50 ft: Expect widespread flooding in the area northwest of Hutchinson. In this area, residents may see 3 to 7 feet of water. Homes in the area northwest of Pennington from 43rd Ave in Reno County to Ave W in Rice County may flood. Willowbrook entrance on Wilson Road is only accessible from the south. Areas around the Kansas Bible Camp on 56th Avenue will flood.
11.50 ft: On 82nd Avenue the road floods between Wilson Road and Pennington Road.
10.80 ft: The road floods at the intersection of 56th Ave and Pennington Rd. Wilson Road takes on water between 82nd Ave to 95th Ave.
10.50 ft: There are numerous road closures northwest of Hutchinson due to high water. Low water crossing on 43rd Street just east of Pennington floods. Expect road closure on 43rd Street between Pennington to Hendricks roads. Also 69th Street floods between Wilson to Pennington roads. Then 50th Street floods between Wilson and Pennington roads. Flooding occurs along Pennington Road from Nickerson Blvd to 50th Avenue.
10.00 ft: The low water crossing on Wilson Rd between 69th Ave to 82nd Ave floods. Expect water depth near 4 inches to a width of 5 feet.
9.50 ft: Fields and cropland along the creek floods. Sections of Sallee Rd floods between 82nd Ave to 108th Ave. Also 95th Ave floods between Dean and Sallee Roads. Expect road closures.
9.00 ft: Water crosses 95th Avenue in a small section, between Dean and Sallee Roads. Water spreads over low spots across cropland or fields. More sections of the banks will overflow.
8.60 ft: The creek overflows its banks in a few sections and stands in low spots in fields and ditches along roadway near 85th Ave. A few low water crossings along Sallee just north and south of 95th Ave as well as west of Sallee on 95th Ave will see a few inches of water standing on roadway.
1.49 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: 49 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	12.87 ft	October 11, 2018
2	12.81 ft	May 8, 2007
3	12.47 ft	August 7, 2013
4	12.38 ft	May 10, 2019
5	12.22 ft	May 26, 2007
6	12.02 ft	May 22, 2019
7	11.97 ft	June 24, 2019
8	11.94 ft	August 3, 2013
9	11.50 ft	June 15, 2014
10	11.29 ft	September 4, 2014

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.19 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 60° 33° – Wind 12 mph

18 Sun 63° 39° – Wind 20 mph

19 Mon 68° 43° 0.01 in Wind 19 mph

20 Tue 70° 52° – Wind 18 mph

21 Wed 77° 57° – Wind 19 mph

22 Thu 81° 59° – Wind 16 mph

23 Fri 78° 64° – Wind 22 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:46 AM Sunset 06:49 PM Daylight 11 hr, 3 min Waxing gibbous 71%

Map

Other gauges on Cow Creek

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Cow Creek near LyonsRiver gauge, Cow Creek	3.66 ft	Very low	+0.06 ft	15 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Arkansas River near NickersonRiver gauge, Arkansas River	8.96 ft	Normal	−0.01 ft	5.6 mi
Arkansas River near HutchinsonRiver gauge, Arkansas River	1.97 ft	Low	−0.10 ft	19 mi
Nf Ninnescah River above Cheney ReRiver gauge, Nf Ninnescah River	5.89 ft	Normal	−0.03 ft	19 mi
Lake Arkansas River at Alta MillsRiver gauge, Lake Arkansas River	−0.69 ft	Very low	±0	23 mi
Lake Arkansas River at Highway 50 near HalsteadRiver gauge, Lake Arkansas River	5.67 ft	Normal	+0.01 ft	27 mi
Rattlesnake Creek near ZenithRiver gauge, Rattlesnake Creek	11.74 ft	Normal	−0.01 ft	29 mi
Cheney ReservoirReservoir	1,420.23 ft	Normal		31 mi
Cheney Re near CheneyLake, Cheney Re	1,420.16 ft	Normal	−0.01 ft	31 mi

Questions and answers

How does Cow Creek near Hutchinson compare with last year?

It is 0.71 ft lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 2.20 ft.

What is flood stage for Cow Creek near Hutchinson?

The official flood stage is 9.50 ft. The level is currently 8.01 ft below it.

What is a normal level for Cow Creek near Hutchinson in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 1.88 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.65 ft and 5.01 ft, based on 26 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 Cow Creek near Hutchinson today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 02:15 PM CDT, the water level was 1.49 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Cow Creek near Hutchinson rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Down 0.04 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Cow Creek near Hutchinson normal?

Normal for mid-October. Compared with 26 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:07143310 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 38.14418, -98.00783 (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	1.49 ft	2026-10-20 19:15	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Cow Creek near Hutchinson (usgs:07143310). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/kansas/cow-creek-near-hutchinson

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