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Kansas River at Lawrence water level

River gauge, Kansas River, Kansas, United States

Directions

Very low for mid-October

Water level

-5.24ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Flow
15,400 cfs
0 13 25 Highest onrecord 29.90 ft Minor floodstage 18.00 ft

History

-010ftOct 12Oct 13Oct 15Oct 17Oct 18Minor flood stage-010ftOct 12Oct 15Oct 18Minor flood stage
-010ftSep 19Sep 26Oct 3Oct 11Oct 18Minor flood stage-010ftSep 19Oct 3Oct 18Minor flood stage
1015ftOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026Minor flood stage1015ftOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026Minor flood stage
1015ftJanMarMayJulSepNov20261015ftJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

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

What this means

The Kansas River at Lawrence is running far below normal at −5.24 ft.

The median for mid-October is 13.69 ft, based on 13 years of readings, so the river stage is 18.93 ft below typical. It is 23.24 ft below the flood stage of 18.00 ft. On the same day last year the reading was 13.28 ft, a difference of −18.52 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. In the last month it has stayed between −5.31 ft and 17.30 ft.

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

Compared with 13 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date
13.69 ft18.93 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date
13.38 ft – 14.20 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (13 years of records)
Same day last year
13.28 ft−18.52 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days
−5.31 ft – 17.30 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months
6.88 ft – 17.30 ft
Highest on record
29.90 ftJuly 1, 1844

Floating and fishing near Kansas River at Lawrence

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, 23.24 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

34.00 ft
Flood waters reach the top of the levee on north side of the river.
32.30 ft
The city of Lawrence Wastewater Treatment building is flooded.
28.00 ft
Water enters the first floor of the Lawrence Riverfront Mall.
27.30 ft
The City of Lawrence Wastewater Treatment Plant is shut down.
21.30 ft
Sandbagging of the City of Lawrence Waste Water Treatment Plant is necessary.
18.00 ft
Lowlands outside of the levee on the north side of the river begin to flood. Burcham Park is closed due to flooding on the south side of the river.
15.00 ft
Burcham Park on the south side of the river begins to flood.
−5.24 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: 8 %.

RankLevelDate
129.90 ftJuly 1, 1844
229.90 ftJuly 13, 1951
328.00 ftMay 31, 1903
426.80 ftJuly 27, 1993
525.10 ftJune 23, 1951
624.80 ftJune 9, 1908
724.00 ftJune 30, 1951
823.40 ftJune 18, 1943
923.30 ftJune 26, 1951
1022.80 ftApril 24, 1944

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.09 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 63° 37° – Wind 14 mph
19 Mon 67° 42° – Wind 10 mph
20 Tue 72° 50° – Wind 10 mph
21 Wed 74° 54° – Wind 11 mph
22 Thu 77° 57° – Wind 10 mph
23 Fri 77° 59° – Wind 15 mph
24 Sat 77° 57° 0.07 in Wind 14 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:34 AM Sunset 06:39 PM Daylight 11 hr, 5 min First quarter 52%

Map

Other gauges on the Kansas River

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Kansas River at Fort RileyRiver gauge, Kansas River 6.09 ft Normal −0.08 ft 83 mi
Kansas River at ManhattanRiver gauge, Kansas River 7.67 ft Normal −0.14 ft 72 mi
Kansas River at WamegoRiver gauge, Kansas River 9.35 ft Very high −0.07 ft 60 mi
Kansas River near BelvueRiver gauge, Kansas River 15.66 ft Very high −0.08 ft 51 mi
Kansas River above Topeka Weir at TopekaRiver gauge, Kansas River 14,700 cfs High −100.0 cfs 27 mi
Kansas River at TopekaRiver gauge, Kansas River 12.22 ft Very high −0.01 ft 23 mi
Kansas River at LecomptonRiver gauge, Kansas River 8.03 ft Very high −0.04 ft 10 mi
Kansas River at DesotoRiver gauge, Kansas River 9.82 ft Very high −0.08 ft 14 mi
Kansas River near Lake QuiviraRiver gauge, Kansas River 12.47 ft Below flood stage −0.03 ft 24 mi
Kansas River at Kansas CityRiver gauge, Kansas River 15.38 ft Normal +0.07 ft 34 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Wakarusa River near LawrenceRiver gauge, Wakarusa River 4.25 ft Normal −0.04 ft 4.6 mi
Clinton Lake near LawrenceLake, Clinton Lake 876.82 ft Normal ±0 6.1 mi
Kill Creek at 95th St near DesotoRiver gauge, Kill Creek 17.0 cfs Normal −1.8 cfs 14 mi
Perry Lake near PerryLake, Perry Lake 894.12 ft Very high −0.18 ft 14 mi
Stranger Creek near TonganoxieRiver gauge, Stranger Creek 3.05 ft Normal −0.25 ft 15 mi
Cedar Creek near DesotoRiver gauge, Cedar Creek 21.5 cfs Normal −11.8 cfs 17 mi
Camp Creek at 95th St near DesotoRiver gauge, Camp Creek 3.21 ft Normal −0.02 ft 17 mi
Cedar Creek at 95th St near DesotoRiver gauge, Cedar Creek 76.77 ft Normal −0.10 ft 17 mi

Questions and answers

Is the Kansas River at Lawrence higher than last year?

No, it is 18.52 ft lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 13.28 ft.

What is flood stage for the Kansas River at Lawrence?

The official flood stage is 18.00 ft. The level is currently 23.24 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the Kansas River at Lawrence in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 13.69 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 13.38 ft and 14.20 ft, based on 13 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 Kansas River at Lawrence today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 01:05 PM CDT, the water level was −5.24 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Kansas River at Lawrence rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Down 18.83 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Kansas River at Lawrence normal?

Very low for mid-October. Compared with 13 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:06891080 (Agency page)
Coordinates
38.97328, -95.23211 (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

ParameterLast valueTime (UTC)Quality
Water level −5.24 ft 2026-10-18 18:05 Provisional
Flow 15,400 cfs 2026-10-18 18:05 Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Kansas River at Lawrence (usgs:06891080). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/kansas/kansas-river-at-lawrence

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