Missouri River at Kansas City water level

Name: Missouri 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, Missouri River, Missouri, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

13.29ft Up 0.09 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 08:30 AM CDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 60,500 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to fall to 11.30 ft by Sunday, October 25 at 07:00 AM. Issued Sunday, October 18 at 09:21 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

The Missouri River at Kansas City is at 13.29 ft, in the normal range.

It is 18.71 ft below the flood stage of 32.00 ft.

It has risen 0.09 ft over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 11.30 ft by Sunday, October 25 at 07:00 AM. There is still 18.71 ft of room before flood stage. In the last month it has stayed between 13.01 ft and 13.61 ft.

Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 48.87 ftJuly 27, 1993
Forecast peak: 13.30 ftMonday, October 19 at 07:00 AM

Floating and fishing near Missouri River at Kansas City

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

Flood stage here is 32.00 ft, 18.71 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

49.60 ft: Major levees in the Kansas City Missouri area begin to overtop.
48.50 ft: The levee in the Birmingham Unit begins to be overtopped.
43.70 ft: Gaps in the levees and floodwalls of the East Bottoms area must be closed.
40.00 ft: Gaps in the levees and floodwalls at North Kansas City must be closed.
39.00 ft: Gaps in levees and floodwalls in the Central Industrial District must be closed.
35.00 ft: Farm levees are overtopped. Flooding of cropland, homesteads, and secondary roads behind the levees occurs.
32.00 ft: Minor flooding outside of levees occurs.
13.29 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: 9 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	48.87 ft	July 27, 1993
2	48.00 ft	June 15, 1844
3	46.20 ft	July 14, 1951
4	45.00 ft	June 1, 1903
5	40.60 ft	April 24, 1952
6	40.30 ft	June 15, 1908
7	39.70 ft	July 11, 1993
8	39.10 ft	June 19, 1943
9	39.00 ft	July 21, 1915
10	37.80 ft	April 30, 1881

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.35 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 63° 40° – Wind 10 mph

19 Mon 67° 43° – Wind 6 mph

20 Tue 73° 53° – Wind 8 mph

21 Wed 75° 56° – Wind 8 mph

22 Thu 78° 59° – Wind 7 mph

23 Fri 80° 61° – Wind 12 mph

24 Sat 79° 58° 0.09 in Wind 12 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:33 AM Sunset 06:35 PM Daylight 11 hr, 3 min First quarter 59%

Map

Other gauges on the Missouri River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Missouri River at Nebraska CityRiver gauge, Missouri River	9.10 ft	Below flood stage	−0.15 ft	127 mi
Missouri River at BrownvilleRiver gauge, Missouri River	24.94 ft	Below flood stage	−0.29 ft	105 mi
Missouri River at RuloRiver gauge, Missouri River	8.37 ft	Below flood stage	−0.33 ft	79 mi
Missouri River at St. JosephRiver gauge, Missouri River	7.91 ft	Below flood stage	−0.22 ft	47 mi
Missouri River at AtchisonRiver gauge, Missouri River	9.97 ft	Below flood stage	−0.10 ft	42 mi
Missouri River at LeavenworthRiver gauge, Missouri River	5.37 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	23 mi
Missouri River above ParkvilleRiver gauge, Missouri River	10.80 ft	Below flood stage	+0.10 ft	11 mi
Missouri River at NapoleonRiver gauge, Missouri River	9.82 ft	Below flood stage	+0.12 ft	28 mi
Missouri River at WaverlyRiver gauge, Missouri River	13.97 ft	Below flood stage	+0.14 ft	58 mi
Missouri River at GlasgowRiver gauge, Missouri River	14.64 ft	Below flood stage	−0.19 ft	93 mi
Missouri River at BoonvilleRiver gauge, Missouri River	10.38 ft	Below flood stage	−0.35 ft	99 mi
Missouri River at Jefferson CityRiver gauge, Missouri River	9.02 ft	Below flood stage	−0.58 ft	135 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Kansas River at Kansas CityRiver gauge, Kansas River	15.42 ft	Normal	+0.03 ft	1.9 mi
Blue River at 12th Street in Kansas CityRiver gauge, Blue River	2.81 ft	Below flood stage	−0.28 ft	5.3 mi
Blue River at Stadium Drive in Kansas CityRiver gauge, Blue River	5.92 ft	Below flood stage	−0.10 ft	5.5 mi
Brush Creek at Ward Parkway in Kansas CityRiver gauge, Brush Creek	35.78 ft	Below flood stage	+0.04 ft	5.5 mi
Blue River at Kansas CityRiver gauge, Blue River	4.68 ft	Below flood stage	−0.06 ft	11 mi
Kansas River near Lake QuiviraRiver gauge, Kansas River	12.41 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	12 mi
Indian Creek at State Line Road, LeawoodRiver gauge, Indian Creek	10.33 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	12 mi
Little Blue R. at Lees Summit Rd in IndependenceRiver gauge, Little Blue R.	4.25 ft	Below flood stage	−0.15 ft	13 mi

Questions and answers

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

The official flood stage is 32.00 ft. The level is currently 18.71 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 Missouri River at Kansas City today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 08:30 AM CDT, the water level was 13.29 ft. Up 0.09 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Missouri River at Kansas City rising or falling?

Up 0.09 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Missouri 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 Missouri River at Kansas City?

The highest level on record is 48.87 ft on July 27, 1993.

Is Missouri River at Kansas City expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to fall to 11.30 ft by Sunday, October 25 at 07:00 AM.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:06893000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 39.11172, -94.58814 (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	13.29 ft	2026-10-19 13:30	Provisional
Flow	60,500 cfs	2026-10-19 13:30	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Missouri River at Kansas City (usgs:06893000). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/missouri/missouri-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