Cottonwood River at Emporia water level

Name: Cottonwood River at Emporia 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, Cottonwood River, Kansas, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

3.20ft Down 0.16 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 09:30 AM CDT (34 min ago)

Flow: 441 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

The Cottonwood River at Emporia is at 3.20 ft, in the normal range.

It is 16.80 ft below the flood stage of 20.00 ft.

It has dropped 0.16 ft over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 3.20 ft and 5.47 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: 33.40 ftJuly 11, 1951

Floating and fishing near Cottonwood River at Emporia

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

Flood stage here is 20.00 ft, 16.80 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

29.20 ft: Water reaches the deck floor of the Old Highway K 99 bridge over the Cottonwood River.
26.50 ft: Water reaches low steel of Old K 99 bridge over the Cottonwood River.
25.50 ft: Highway K 99 on the north bank begins to flood.
24.00 ft: Highway K 99 on the south bank floods.
23.00 ft: North bank of the Cottonwood River begins to flood. Lowland flooding occurs along the Cottonwood River from Plymouth to Neosho Rapids.
20.00 ft: South bank of the Cottonwood River 1 mile south of Emporia floods.
3.20 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: 47 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	33.40 ft	July 11, 1951
2	29.50 ft	November 2, 1998
3	29.50 ft	July 20, 1948
4	29.10 ft	June 30, 1951
5	28.50 ft	October 11, 1985
6	27.90 ft	September 13, 1926
7	27.70 ft	May 23, 1944
8	27.40 ft	April 17, 1945
9	27.25 ft	October 12, 1973
10	27.00 ft	November 17, 1928

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 68° 46° – Wind 11 mph

21 Wed 74° 52° – Wind 7 mph

22 Thu 75° 58° – Wind 13 mph

23 Fri 77° 59° – Wind 17 mph

24 Sat 78° 59° – Wind 16 mph

25 Sun 76° 62° – Wind 15 mph

26 Mon 64° 49° 0.32 in Wind 16 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:39 AM Sunset 06:41 PM Daylight 11 hr, 2 min First quarter 69%

Map

Other gauges on the Cottonwood River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Cottonwood River at MarionRiver gauge, Cottonwood River	4.87 ft	No reference yet	±0	46 mi
Cottonwood River near FlorenceRiver gauge, Cottonwood River	3.15 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	39 mi
Cottonwood River at Cottonwood FallsRiver gauge, Cottonwood River	264 cfs	High	−15.0 cfs	23 mi
Cottonwood River near PlymouthRiver gauge, Cottonwood River	4.17 ft	High	−0.17 ft	9 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Neosho River at Burlingame Road near EmporiaRiver gauge, Neosho River	402 cfs	High	−40.0 cfs	3.3 mi
Neosho River near AmericusRiver gauge, Neosho River	4.71 ft	Normal	−0.11 ft	7 mi
Neosho River at Neosho RapidsRiver gauge, Neosho River	7.17 ft	Below flood stage	−0.58 ft	10 mi
Neosho River at HartfordRiver gauge, Neosho River	6.85 ft	Normal	−0.56 ft	13 mi
Marais Des Cygnes River near ReadingRiver gauge, Marais Des Cygnes River	2.95 ft	Very high	−0.05 ft	17 mi
Sf Cottonwood River near BazaarRiver gauge, Sf Cottonwood River	40.8 cfs	Normal	−3.7 cfs	19 mi
Neosho River at Council GroveRiver gauge, Neosho River	9.22 ft	Very high	−0.01 ft	26 mi
Melvern Lake near MelvernLake, Melvern Lake	1,038.12 ft	High	−0.03 ft	27 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Cottonwood River at Emporia?

The official flood stage is 20.00 ft. The level is currently 16.80 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 Cottonwood River at Emporia today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 09:30 AM CDT, the water level was 3.20 ft. Down 0.16 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Cottonwood River at Emporia rising or falling?

Down 0.16 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Cottonwood River at Emporia normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Cottonwood River at Emporia?

The highest level on record is 33.40 ft on July 11, 1951.

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:07182260 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 38.38511, -96.18142 (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	3.20 ft	2026-10-20 14:30	Provisional
Flow	441 cfs	2026-10-20 14:30	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Cottonwood River at Emporia (usgs:07182260). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/kansas/cottonwood-river-at-emporia

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