Lake Blue River near Barnes water level

Name: Lake Blue River near Barnes 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, Lake Blue River, Kansas, United States

Directions

Very high for mid-October

Water level

5.30ft Down 0.11 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 03:30 AM CDT (28 min ago)

Flow: 508 cfs

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

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

What this means

High water at Lake Blue River near Barnes: the latest reading is 5.30 ft, well above normal for mid-October.

The median for mid-October is 3.78 ft, based on 39 years of readings, so the river stage is 1.52 ft above typical. It is 10.70 ft below the flood stage of 16.00 ft. On the same day last year the reading was 3.88 ft, a difference of +1.42 ft.

It is still going down, by 0.11 ft over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 4.07 ft – 16.92 ft.

That stands out in fall, when many rivers are usually near their lowest.

Compared with 39 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 3.78 ft1.52 ft above the median for this date
Normal for this date: 2.76 ft – 5.21 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (39 years of records)
Same day last year: 3.88 ft+1.42 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 4.07 ft – 16.92 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 3.74 ft – 16.92 ft
Highest on record: 28.02 ftMay 8, 2015

Staying safe in high water

Flood stage is only the first threshold. Above it the National Weather Service sets moderate and major flood stages, and the forecast crest tells you which of those the river is expected to reach.

Upstream gauges on the same river usually show a rise first, which is a useful early warning.

What happens at each level

39.00 ft: The intersection of highway 148 and 15th Road in Washington county floods.
37.00 ft: Kansas Highway 148 bridge deck floods, 4.5 miles north of Barnes.
36.00 ft: Top rail of the Sunflower Road Bridge is inundated by flood waters in Marshall county.
32.00 ft: Sunflower Road bridge deck floods over the Little Blue River. Flood waters reach the low steel of the Kansas Highway 148 bridge, 4.5 miles north of Barnes.
23.00 ft: Sunflower Road floods about 250 feet east of the Little Blue River in Marshall county. Farm field, 4.5 miles north of Barnes, floods north of the river and west of Highway 148 in Washington county.
21.00 ft: Minor flooding of farm fields along the Little Blue River...south of the Sunflower Road Bridge in Marshall county.
19.00 ft: Farm field, 4.5 miles north of Barnes, south of the river and east of Highway 148 floods.
17.00 ft: Farm field, 4.5 miles north of Barnes, on the west side of Highway 148 floods north of the river.
16.00 ft: Lowland agricultural flooding occurs from 15th Road and Zenith Road in Washington County to Waterville in Marshall County.
5.30 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: 23 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	28.02 ft	May 8, 2015
2	21.11 ft	March 15, 2019
3	20.75 ft	September 5, 2018
4	19.50 ft	May 21, 2017
5	19.46 ft	May 31, 2019
6	19.16 ft	May 7, 2007
7	18.20 ft	October 3, 2019
8	18.08 ft	July 29, 2020
9	17.30 ft	July 28, 2020
10	17.05 ft	May 25, 2019

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

19 Mon 70° 44° – Wind 13 mph

20 Tue 72° 46° – Wind 12 mph

21 Wed 75° 53° – Wind 11 mph

22 Thu 78° 57° – Wind 13 mph

23 Fri 79° 61° – Wind 20 mph

24 Sat 77° 62° – Wind 18 mph

25 Sun 67° 55° 0.26 in, 26% Wind 10 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:43 AM Sunset 06:42 PM Daylight 10 hr, 59 min First quarter 67%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Big Blue River at Blue RapidsRiver gauge, Big Blue River	18.04 ft	High	−0.09 ft	9 mi
Big Blue River at MarysvilleRiver gauge, Big Blue River	15.03 ft	Very high	−0.28 ft	11 mi
Mill Creek at WashingtonRiver gauge, Mill Creek	1.97 ft	Normal	−0.02 ft	14 mi
Black Vermillion River near FrankfortRiver gauge, Black Vermillion River	3.22 ft	Low	−0.02 ft	19 mi
Little Blue River at HollenbergRiver gauge, Little Blue River	2.51 ft	Normal	−0.20 ft	21 mi
Big Blue River at BarnestonRiver gauge, Big Blue River	4.83 ft	High	−0.31 ft	25 mi
Republican River at Clay CenterRiver gauge, Republican River	7.82 ft	Normal	+0.02 ft	31 mi
Tuttle C Lake near ManhattanLake, Tuttle C Lake	1,084.36 ft	Very high	−1.13 ft	34 mi

Questions and answers

Is the Lake Blue River near Barnes higher than last year?

Yes, it is 1.42 ft higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 3.88 ft.

What is flood stage for the Lake Blue River near Barnes?

The official flood stage is 16.00 ft. The level is currently 10.70 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the Lake Blue River near Barnes in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 3.78 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 2.76 ft and 5.21 ft, based on 39 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 Lake Blue River near Barnes today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 03:30 AM CDT, the water level was 5.30 ft. Down 0.11 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Lake Blue River near Barnes rising or falling?

Down 0.11 ft over the last 24 hours. Down 0.16 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Lake Blue River near Barnes normal?

Very high for mid-October. Compared with 39 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:06884400 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 39.72584, -96.80474 (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	5.30 ft	2026-10-20 08:30	Provisional
Flow	508 cfs	2026-10-20 08:30	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Lake Blue River near Barnes (usgs:06884400). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/kansas/lake-blue-river-near-barnes

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