Kansas River above Topeka Weir at Topeka water level

Name: Kansas River above Topeka Weir at Topeka 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, Kansas River, Kansas, United States

Directions

High for mid-October

Water level

9.10ft Down 0.08 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 09:30 AM CDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 14,200 cfs
Water temperature: 62 °F

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

High water at Kansas River above Topeka Weir at Topeka: the latest reading is 9.10 ft, above normal for mid-October.

It is still going down, by 0.08 ft over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 9.08 ft – 9.30 ft.

That stands out in fall, when many rivers are usually near their lowest. The water temperature at the gauge is 62 °F.

Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Paddling and fishing conditions

Above-normal flows push fish to the edges and make wading risky. Wait for the river to drop and clear.

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.03 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 65° 39° – Wind 13 mph

19 Mon 65° 42° – Wind 11 mph

20 Tue 71° 45° – Wind 13 mph

21 Wed 74° 54° – Wind 10 mph

22 Thu 77° 57° – Wind 10 mph

23 Fri 77° 60° – Wind 16 mph

24 Sat 77° 62° – Wind 15 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:38 AM Sunset 06:39 PM Daylight 11 hr Waxing gibbous 69%

Map

Other gauges on the Kansas River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Kansas River at Fort RileyRiver gauge, Kansas River	5.54 ft	Normal	−0.50 ft	56 mi
Kansas River at ManhattanRiver gauge, Kansas River	7.33 ft	Normal	−0.30 ft	45 mi
Kansas River at WamegoRiver gauge, Kansas River	9.12 ft	Very high	−0.15 ft	33 mi
Kansas River near BelvueRiver gauge, Kansas River	15.51 ft	Very high	−0.08 ft	25 mi
Kansas River at TopekaRiver gauge, Kansas River	12.02 ft	Very high	−0.10 ft	3.6 mi
Kansas River at LecomptonRiver gauge, Kansas River	7.66 ft	Very high	−0.30 ft	18 mi
Kansas River at LawrenceRiver gauge, Kansas River	−5.81 ft	Very low	−0.44 ft	27 mi
Kansas River at DesotoRiver gauge, Kansas River	9.47 ft	Very high	−0.28 ft	41 mi
Kansas River near Lake QuiviraRiver gauge, Kansas River	12.35 ft	Below flood stage	−0.09 ft	50 mi
Kansas River at Kansas CityRiver gauge, Kansas River	15.07 ft	Normal	−0.35 ft	59 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Soldier Creek near TopekaRiver gauge, Soldier Creek	0.29 ft	Normal	±0	2.0 mi
Shunganunga Creek at TopekaRiver gauge, Shunganunga Creek	4.23 ft	Very low	−0.04 ft	3.3 mi
Shunganunga Creek at Gage Blvd, TopekaRiver gauge, Shunganunga Creek	4.80 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	3.8 mi
Wakarusa River at WakarusaRiver gauge, Wakarusa River	2.93 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	13 mi
Cross Creek at RossvilleRiver gauge, Cross Creek	7.63 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	14 mi
Wakarusa River near RichlandRiver gauge, Wakarusa River	21.5 cfs	High	−1.9 cfs	14 mi
Soldier Creek near DeliaRiver gauge, Soldier Creek	5.62 ft	Normal	−0.01 ft	15 mi
Perry Lake near PerryLake, Perry Lake	894.03 ft	Very high	−0.01 ft	16 mi

Questions and answers

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 Kansas River above Topeka Weir at Topeka today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 09:30 AM CDT, the water level was 9.10 ft. Down 0.08 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Kansas River above Topeka Weir at Topeka rising or falling?

Down 0.08 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Kansas River above Topeka Weir at Topeka normal?

High for mid-October. Compared with 5 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:06888990 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 39.07194, -95.71637 (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	9.10 ft	2026-10-20 14:30	Provisional
Flow	14,200 cfs	2026-10-20 14:30	Provisional
Water temperature	62 °F	2026-10-20 15:15	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Kansas River above Topeka Weir at Topeka (usgs:06888990). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/kansas/kansas-river-above-topeka-weir-at-topeka

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