Blue River at Kansas City water level

Name: Blue River at Kansas City 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, Blue River, Missouri, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

4.73ft Down 0.17 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 01:45 PM CDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 104 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

The Blue River at Kansas City is at 4.73 ft, in the normal range.

It is 29.27 ft below the flood stage of 34.00 ft.

It has dropped 0.17 ft over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 4.73 ft and 5.51 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: 44.46 ftSeptember 13, 1961

Floating and fishing near Blue River at Kansas City

Normal flows mean predictable rapids and good access at most put-ins.

Flood stage here is 34.00 ft, 29.27 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

41.00 ft: Water approaches the federal complex at bannister road.
38.00 ft: Prospect Avenue and a few structures begin to flood along the left bank of the river.
34.00 ft: Woodlands along the river are flooded. Water may also approach flood stage at 71 highway and other downstream locations.
4.73 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	44.46 ft	September 13, 1961
2	42.20 ft	August 22, 2017
3	40.64 ft	May 15, 1990
4	39.00 ft	November 17, 1928
5	38.30 ft	July 11, 1951
6	37.80 ft	July 31, 1958
7	37.30 ft	June 9, 1984
8	36.67 ft	June 14, 2010
9	35.88 ft	April 23, 1944
10	35.31 ft	July 27, 2017

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.34 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 64° 39° – Wind 13 mph

19 Mon 70° 42° – Wind 8 mph

20 Tue 73° 52° – Wind 9 mph

21 Wed 75° 55° – Wind 9 mph

22 Thu 78° 58° – Wind 7 mph

23 Fri 79° 60° – Wind 13 mph

24 Sat 79° 58° 0.07 in Wind 13 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:31 AM Sunset 06:37 PM Daylight 11 hr, 6 min First quarter 52%

Map

Other gauges on the Blue River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Blue River near StanleyRiver gauge, Blue River	4.22 ft	Normal	−0.13 ft	12 mi
Blue River at Kenneth Road, Overland ParkRiver gauge, Blue River	29.0 cfs	Normal	−11.4 cfs	8 mi
Blue River at Blue Ridge Blvd Ext in KCRiver gauge, Blue River	25.47 ft	Below flood stage	−0.11 ft	4.8 mi
Blue River at Stadium Drive in Kansas CityRiver gauge, Blue River	5.98 ft	Below flood stage	−0.19 ft	7 mi
Blue River at 12th Street in Kansas CityRiver gauge, Blue River	3.00 ft	Below flood stage	−0.54 ft	10 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Indian Creek at State Line Road, LeawoodRiver gauge, Indian Creek	10.37 ft	Below flood stage	−0.06 ft	2.9 mi
Tomahawk Creek near Overland ParkRiver gauge, Tomahawk Creek	2.26 ft	Below flood stage	−0.06 ft	5.6 mi
Brush Creek at Ward Parkway in Kansas CityRiver gauge, Brush Creek	35.77 ft	Below flood stage	+0.02 ft	5.8 mi
Indian Creek at Overland ParkRiver gauge, Indian Creek	5.64 ft	Normal	−0.05 ft	6.1 mi
Kansas River at Kansas CityRiver gauge, Kansas River	15.38 ft	Normal	+0.08 ft	10 mi
Little Blue R. at Lees Summit Rd in IndependenceRiver gauge, Little Blue R.	4.36 ft	Below flood stage	−0.21 ft	10 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Blue River at Kansas City?

The official flood stage is 34.00 ft. The level is currently 29.27 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 Blue River at Kansas City today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 01:45 PM CDT, the water level was 4.73 ft. Down 0.17 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Blue River at Kansas City rising or falling?

Down 0.17 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Blue River at Kansas City normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Blue River at Kansas City?

The highest level on record is 44.46 ft on September 13, 1961.

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:06893500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 38.95700, -94.55889 (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	4.73 ft	2026-10-18 18:45	Provisional
Flow	104 cfs	2026-10-18 18:45	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Blue River at Kansas City (usgs:06893500). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/missouri/blue-river-at-kansas-city

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