Cow Creek near Lyons water level

Name: Cow Creek near Lyons 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

Very low for mid-October

Water level

3.60ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 04:30 AM CDT (41 min ago)

Flow: 2.3 cfs

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

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

What this means

Cow Creek near Lyons is running far below normal at 3.60 ft.

That puts it 0.68 ft below the median of 4.28 ft for mid-October, based on 38 years of readings. It is 14.40 ft below the flood stage of 18.00 ft. A year ago it stood at 4.03 ft (−0.43 ft).

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. In the last month it has stayed between 3.55 ft and 5.52 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, and it usually takes a few days of steady rain to change that.

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

Key numbers

Median for this date: 4.28 ft0.68 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 3.73 ft – 7.09 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (38 years of records)
Same day last year: 4.03 ft−0.43 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 3.55 ft – 5.52 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 3.49 ft – 14.82 ft
Highest on record: 22.75 ftJuly 11, 1929

Floating and fishing near Cow Creek near Lyons

Low water exposes gravel bars that make good wading access, but some boat ramps may be left high and dry.

Flood stage here is 18.00 ft, 14.40 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

25.00 ft: Major and widespread flooding south of Lyons occurs. The gage site and surrounding area may be entirely under water. Expect flooding of the Missouri Pacific Railroad tracks and the county roads in this area.
24.70 ft: Widespread flooding of agricultural land and some county roads can be expected. The railroad bridge where the gage is located just 1 mile southeast of Avenue O and K96, will begin to flood. The railroad bridge may cause some restriction of flow of the Cow Creek and cause water to back up into the lands upstream in the vicinity of Highway 14.
22.00 ft: Extensive flooding of low-lying areas and bottom land will occur. The Missouri Pacific Railroad tracks flood near Lyons.
20.00 ft: The few residentail homes along Highway 14 just south of Avenue O may take on 2 ft of water. Some low spots on Highway 14 may become flooded.
18.80 ft: The county road that is 1000 feet south of gaging site along the right bank begins to flood.
18.50 ft: Flooding begins around the highway 14 river bridge, located just south of Avenu O. Or 0.7 miles upstream from the gage site.
18.00 ft: Some flooding of low-lying areas and bottom land agricultural areas occurs, especially along the right bank. Possible flooding of county roads 6 miles southeast of Lyons may take place on sections of 20th Road and on 22nd Road.
17.50 ft: Possible flooding of low-lying roads 6 miles southeast of Lyons along county roads affecting 20th Road between Avenue R and Avenue S and on 22nd Road between Avenue Q and Avenue V. Expect possible road closures at these sites. Flooding depends on other surrounding tributary creeks running full.
17.00 ft: The banks begin to overflow at the gage site. Some minor flooding of lowland agricultural areas is likely and some blacktop county roads southeast of Lyons will take on areas of water to a depth less than 10 inches.
15.00 ft: The right bank begins to overflow but is only in low areas near the gage. Some minor flooding of lowland agricultural areas is likely.
14.50 ft: Overflows occur and flow through culverts that are located both north and south of the gage.
3.60 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: < 5 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	22.75 ft	July 11, 1929
2	20.49 ft	October 20, 1941
3	20.38 ft	September 26, 1973
4	20.35 ft	May 7, 2007
5	19.95 ft	August 1, 1950
6	19.82 ft	October 10, 2018
7	19.60 ft	April 22, 1974
8	19.45 ft	May 9, 2019
9	19.29 ft	May 25, 2007
10	19.27 ft	September 3, 1941

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.20 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 62° 31° – Wind 14 mph

18 Sun 63° 38° – Wind 21 mph

19 Mon 68° 42° 0.02 in Wind 18 mph

20 Tue 70° 52° – Wind 20 mph

21 Wed 79° 57° – Wind 18 mph

22 Thu 82° 59° – Wind 16 mph

23 Fri 78° 64° – Wind 22 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:46 AM Sunset 06:51 PM Daylight 11 hr, 5 min First quarter 58%

Map

Other gauges on Cow Creek

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Cow Creek near HutchinsonRiver gauge, Cow Creek	1.49 ft	Normal	±0	15 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Arkansas River near NickersonRiver gauge, Arkansas River	8.97 ft	Normal	−0.01 ft	12 mi
Kanopolis Lake near KanopolisLake, Kanopolis Lake	1,466.85 ft	Very high	−0.05 ft	24 mi
Rattlesnake Creek near ZenithRiver gauge, Rattlesnake Creek	11.74 ft	Normal	−0.01 ft	24 mi
Smoky Hill River near LangleyRiver gauge, Smoky Hill River	3.69 ft	Normal	−0.03 ft	25 mi
Smoky Hill River at EllsworthRiver gauge, Smoky Hill River	1.79 ft	Normal	−0.04 ft	29 mi
Arkansas River at Great BendRiver gauge, Arkansas River	0.66 ft	Low	±0	31 mi
Cheyenne Bottoms Dv near Great BendRiver gauge, Cheyenne Bottoms Dv	2.2 cfs	Normal	−1.3 cfs	32 mi
Nf Ninnescah River above Cheney ReRiver gauge, Nf Ninnescah River	5.92 ft	Normal	−0.03 ft	32 mi

Questions and answers

How does Cow Creek near Lyons compare with last year?

It is 0.43 ft lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 4.03 ft.

What is flood stage for Cow Creek near Lyons?

The official flood stage is 18.00 ft. The level is currently 14.40 ft below it.

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

The median for mid-October is 4.28 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 3.73 ft and 7.09 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 Cow Creek near Lyons today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 04:30 AM CDT, the water level was 3.60 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Cow Creek near Lyons rising or falling?

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

Is the level of Cow Creek near Lyons normal?

Very low 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:07143300 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 38.30952, -98.19258 (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	3.60 ft	2026-10-19 09:30	Provisional
Flow	2.3 cfs	2026-10-19 09:30	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Cow Creek near Lyons (usgs:07143300). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/kansas/cow-creek-near-lyons

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