Lake Osage River at Fulton water level

Name: Lake Osage River at Fulton 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 Osage River, Kansas, United States

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

3.28ft Down 0.10 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 01:00 PM CDT (18 min ago)

Flow: 14.8 cfs

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

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

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Lake Osage River at Fulton, where the gauge shows 3.28 ft.

That puts it 0.66 ft below the median of 3.94 ft for mid-October, based on 32 years of readings. It is 18.72 ft below the flood stage of 22.00 ft. A year ago it stood at 2.64 ft (+0.64 ft).

It is still going down, by 0.10 ft over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 2.62 ft – 5.03 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, until steadier rain returns.

Compared with 32 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 3.94 ft0.66 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 2.44 ft – 4.77 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (32 years of records)
Same day last year: 2.64 ft+0.64 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 2.62 ft – 5.03 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 2.55 ft – 26.30 ft
Highest on record: 28.96 ftMay 22, 2019

Paddling and fishing conditions

Most paddlers and anglers will find the river in good shape at this stage.

For reference, flood stage is 22.00 ft.

What happens at each level

35.21 ft: the is the record stage reached on October 3, 1986.
33.00 ft: flood waters begin to impact the railroad tracks between the gage site and the town of Fulton, on Old Highway 69.
32.46 ft: This is the level reached on June 30 2007.
30.00 ft: major flooding begins at the gage site. Flood waters reach the bottom of Old Highway 69 bridge at the previous gage site.
25.00 ft: Farmland at the gage site becomes covered by flood waters, and Highway 31, east of town becomes flooded. Highway 31, four miles west of Fulton has flood waters four to six feet in depth. 225th Street, near Xavier Road, 1 mile east of Fulton is flooded.
22.00 ft: Flood waters mainly affect farmland along the Little Osage River Basin between the gage site and Highway 31 west of Fulton.
21.00 ft: flood waters begin to overflow Kansas State Highway 31, four miles west of Fulton.
16.00 ft: the Kansas Department of Transportation closes portions of Highway 31 near Fulton.
3.28 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: 16 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	28.96 ft	May 22, 2019
2	28.02 ft	April 30, 2017
3	27.92 ft	April 28, 2009
4	27.54 ft	September 17, 2010
5	27.20 ft	May 6, 2022
6	27.18 ft	April 28, 2016
7	27.18 ft	March 18, 2021
8	27.16 ft	March 18, 2021
9	26.94 ft	September 6, 2021
10	26.73 ft	March 21, 2012

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.17 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 61° 40° – Wind 12 mph

19 Mon 68° 42° – Wind 8 mph

20 Tue 73° 51° – Wind 10 mph

21 Wed 75° 55° 0.00 in Wind 9 mph

22 Thu 78° 57° – Wind 9 mph

23 Fri 80° 58° – Wind 13 mph

24 Sat 79° 59° – Wind 15 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:32 AM Sunset 06:37 PM Daylight 11 hr, 5 min First quarter 61%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Marmaton River near Fort ScottRiver gauge, Marmaton River	7.66 ft	Below flood stage	−0.21 ft	11 mi
Marmaton River near RichardsRiver gauge, Marmaton River	2.37 ft	Below flood stage	−0.17 ft	12 mi
Marais Des Cygnes River near Ks-Mo St LineRiver gauge, Marais Des Cygnes River	5.55 ft	Normal	−1.02 ft	15 mi
Little Osage River at HortonRiver gauge, Little Osage River	27.97 ft	Below flood stage	−0.68 ft	18 mi
Marmaton River near UniontownRiver gauge, Marmaton River	−0.08 ft	Below flood stage	−0.06 ft	19 mi
Marmaton River near NevadaRiver gauge, Marmaton River	2.88 ft	Below flood stage	−0.17 ft	19 mi
Marais Des Cygnes River at La CygneRiver gauge, Marais Des Cygnes River	5.93 ft	Normal	−0.85 ft	24 mi
Osage River above Schell CityRiver gauge, Osage River	8.44 ft	Below flood stage	−1.07 ft	31 mi

Questions and answers

How does the Lake Osage River at Fulton compare with last year?

It is 0.64 ft higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 2.64 ft.

What is flood stage for the Lake Osage River at Fulton?

The official flood stage is 22.00 ft. The level is currently 18.72 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the Lake Osage River at Fulton in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 3.94 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 2.44 ft and 4.77 ft, based on 32 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 Osage River at Fulton today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 01:00 PM CDT, the water level was 3.28 ft. Down 0.10 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Lake Osage River at Fulton rising or falling?

Down 0.10 ft over the last 24 hours. Up 0.66 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Lake Osage River at Fulton normal?

Normal for mid-October. Compared with 32 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:06917000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 38.00892, -94.70413 (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	3.28 ft	2026-10-19 18:00	Provisional
Flow	14.8 cfs	2026-10-19 18:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Lake Osage River at Fulton (usgs:06917000). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/kansas/lake-osage-river-at-fulton

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