12 USGS Streamgages · Mississippi River system
Kansas River flows and levels
Kansas River is gauged at 12 USGS streamgages in Kansas, each tracked by Rivermatics. The mainstem runs about 725 miles (1,166 km) from headwaters to outlet. It drains into the Mississippi River system. It drains roughly 57,569 square miles at its outlet. The gauged reach falls about 328 feet, from 1,053 feet down to 725. Rivermatics issues a daily machine-learned 14-day flow outlook at 9 of them.
Gauges on this river, upstream to downstream
Ordered by drainage area, which is how far down the river each gauge sits. April and July figures are long-term median daily flows for that month from the USGS record — historical normals, not a forecast and not today's reading.
| Gauge | State | Drainage sq mi | Elevation ft | April p50 cfs | July p50 cfs | Forecast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas River at Fort Riley, KS | KS | 44,870 | 1,053 | 1,142.4 | 1,925.5 | 14-day |
| Kansas River at Manhattan, KS | KS | 45,288 | 991 | — | — | — |
| Kansas River at Wamego, KS | KS | 55,280 | 975 | 2,382.7 | 4,214.2 | 14-day + temp |
| Kansas River near Belvue, KS | KS | 55,870 | 943 | 2,658.7 | 4,223.9 | 14-day |
| Kansas River Ab Topeka Weir at Topeka, KS | KS | 56,686 | 861 | 2,200.3 | 4,504.2 | 14-day + temp |
| Kansas River at Topeka, KS | KS | 56,720 | 904 | 3,028 | 4,789 | 14-day |
| Kansas River at Lecompton, KS | KS | 58,460 | 832 | 3,862.3 | 6,007.1 | 14-day |
| Kansas River at Lawrence, KS | KS | 58,500 | 791 | 1,876 | 4,800.3 | 14-day |
| Kansas River at Desoto, KS | KS | 59,756 | 787 | 4,265.7 | 6,007.1 | 14-day + temp |
| Kansas River near Lake Quivira, KS | KS | 59,985 | 737 | 3,455.3 | 6,508.1 | 14-day + temp |
| Kansas River at Kansas City, KS | KS | 60,098 | 725 | — | — | — |
| Kansas River near Ogden, KS | KS | — | 1,026 | — | — | — |
Common questions
- How many gauges are on the Kansas River?
- Rivermatics tracks 12 USGS streamgages on the Kansas River, across Kansas. Each has its own page with the site's full flow record and monthly normals. The river may carry other gauges that publish neither daily values nor discharge statistics; those are not tracked here.
- Is there a flow forecast for the Kansas River?
- Yes, at 9 of the 12 gauges. Rivermatics trains a machine-learned model — a temporal-fusion transformer — on each basin's observed flows, weather and snowpack, and issues a daily outlook reaching 14 days ahead: a median estimate inside a confidence band, not a single number to bet on. Every forecast is scored against days the model never trained on, and that track record is published on each gauge's live screen.
- What river system is the Kansas River part of?
- The Kansas River drains into the Mississippi River system — it is a tributary somewhere in that chain, following the flowpath down to its terminal river. Rivermatics builds this from the USGS/geoconnex reference-mainstem network rather than from names.
- Can I use Kansas River data for flood or safety decisions?
- No. Rivermatics provides estimates, not guarantees, and the readings and forecasts here may be delayed, inaccurate, or wrong. Do not use them for navigation or for any safety, rescue, or emergency decision. Check the National Weather Service and USGS directly, and use your own judgment.
Other rivers in the Mississippi River system
- Missouri River 52 gauges
- Big Sioux River 17 gauges
- James River 15 gauges
- Smoky Hill River 12 gauges
- Platte River 11 gauges
- Rapid Creek 11 gauges
- Republican River 11 gauges
- Yellowstone River 10 gauges