Marmaton River near Fort Scott water level

Name: Marmaton River near Fort Scott 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, Marmaton River, Kansas, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

7.63ft Down 0.20 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 04:30 PM CDT (48 min ago)

Flow: 31.4 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Marmaton River near Fort Scott, where the gauge shows 7.63 ft.

It is 30.37 ft below the flood stage of 38.00 ft.

It is still going down, by 0.20 ft over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 7.63 ft – 8.68 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: 52.50 ftOctober 3, 1986

Paddling and fishing conditions

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

For reference, flood stage is 38.00 ft.

What happens at each level

52.45 ft: this is the record stage level reached on October 3, 1986.
50.50 ft: flood waters reach the ground floor of the Burlington Northern Railroad Office on Wall Street.
50.00 ft: flood waters begin to spill over the Railroad crossing along Highway 54, or Wall Street, east of Key Industries.
49.00 ft: flood waters reach the Fire Station on West Highway 54.
48.50 ft: flood waters begin to impact Hills Service Center south of the National Avenue Bridge at the gage site.
48.00 ft: flood waters begin to impact the ground floor of the former Red Barn Restaurant, and the Red Ram Motel along West Highway 54. In addition, flood waters begin to impact the Fort Scott RV Park, north of West Highway 54.
47.00 ft: flood waters begin to spill over the bridge deck at the Marmaton River, along North National Avenue.
46.60 ft: flood waters reach the bottom of the National Avenue Bridge at the gage site.
45.50 ft: flood waters begin to affect low areas at the KOA Campground, north of West Highway 54, and Key Industries on Wall Street.
45.00 ft: flood waters may reach the ground floor of businesses on West Highway 54 and North National Avenue. In addition, West Highway 54 will close due to flood waters.
44.50 ft: flood waters reach the parking lot along Highway 54 West and North National Avenue. Flood waters will also cut off access to the community of Walnut Hill, which is south of Highway 54, and west of National Avenue. In addition, flood waters rise to a depth of six inches at the junction of Highway 54 and Wall Street, east of downtown Fort Scott.
44.00 ft: flood waters cause Wall Street at 3rd and Clark to close, which cuts off fire protection on the east side of Fort Scott, Kansas. In addition, Buck Run Creek that flows along Highway 69, floods portions of Clark and Wall Street due to backwater of the Marmaton River.
7.63 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: 6 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	52.50 ft	October 3, 1986
2	49.80 ft	September 14, 1998
3	47.60 ft	June 11, 1916
4	47.15 ft	July 1, 2007
5	46.35 ft	August 14, 1927
6	45.00 ft	May 1, 1904
7	44.72 ft	February 23, 1985
8	43.85 ft	May 25, 1968
9	43.60 ft	September 13, 1961
10	43.56 ft	March 11, 1974

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.06 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 61° 40° – Wind 11 mph

19 Mon 66° 42° – Wind 8 mph

20 Tue 73° 51° – Wind 10 mph

21 Wed 75° 54° 0.00 in Wind 10 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, 6 min First quarter 63%

Map

Other gauges on the Marmaton River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Marmaton River near UniontownRiver gauge, Marmaton River	−0.09 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	15 mi
Marmaton River near RichardsRiver gauge, Marmaton River	2.36 ft	Below flood stage	−0.16 ft	7 mi
Marmaton River near NevadaRiver gauge, Marmaton River	2.85 ft	Below flood stage	−0.17 ft	17 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Lake Osage River at FultonRiver gauge, Lake Osage River	3.26 ft	Normal	−0.10 ft	11 mi
Little Osage River at HortonRiver gauge, Little Osage River	27.90 ft	Below flood stage	−0.61 ft	21 mi
East Drywood Creek at Prairie State ParkRiver gauge, East Drywood Creek	1.13 ft	Below flood stage	±0	23 mi
Marais Des Cygnes River near Ks-Mo St LineRiver gauge, Marais Des Cygnes River	5.43 ft	Normal	−0.96 ft	26 mi
Osage River above Schell CityRiver gauge, Osage River	8.22 ft	Below flood stage	−1.12 ft	34 mi
Marais Des Cygnes River at La CygneRiver gauge, Marais Des Cygnes River	5.86 ft	Normal	−0.72 ft	35 mi
Neosho River near ErieRiver gauge, Neosho River	14.38 ft	Below flood stage	−0.08 ft	37 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Marmaton River near Fort Scott?

The official flood stage is 38.00 ft. The level is currently 30.37 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 Marmaton River near Fort Scott today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 04:30 PM CDT, the water level was 7.63 ft. Down 0.20 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Marmaton River near Fort Scott rising or falling?

Down 0.20 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Marmaton River near Fort Scott normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Marmaton River near Fort Scott?

The highest level on record is 52.50 ft on October 3, 1986.

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:06917500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 37.84893, -94.70274 (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	7.63 ft	2026-10-19 21:30	Provisional
Flow	31.4 cfs	2026-10-19 21:30	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Marmaton River near Fort Scott (usgs:06917500). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/kansas/marmaton-river-near-fort-scott

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