Arkansas River level at Ralston
Oklahoma · Fishing & wading
Measured at USGS 07152500 — Arkansas River at Ralston, OK · NWS forecast point RLSO2
Reading taken · as of 1 hour ago
Low and clear — wadeable, and fish will be spooky
At 866 CFS, this gauge is running 48% of normal for mid-September — below the 1,820 CFS median USGS has recorded for this date across 49 years of record (1977–2026).
Sponsor Arkansas River
One exclusive sponsor per river, on every gauge page for it.
Cancel anytime · Questions?
Flood stages at Ralston
National Weather Service categories for gauge RLSO2, WFO TSA. Impact wording is the NWS's own, verbatim.
-
Major flood 21.0 ft
- 21.0 ft severe agricultural flooding occurs. Water levels need to be patrolled as the levees around the Ralston sewage treatment plant are topped when the stage reaches 24 feet. This is a dangerous situation.
- 22.0 ft severe agricultural flooding occurs. Water levels are within 2 feet of topping the Ralston sewage treatment levees when the stage reaches 22 feet. This is a dangerous situation.
- 24.0 ft very severe flooding occurs. The Ralston sewage treatment plant levees may be overtopped when the stage reaches 24 feet. This is an extremely dangerous and life threatening situation.
-
Moderate flood 18.0 ft
- 18.0 ft moderate inundation of farmlands occurs mainly along the north bank.
- 20.0 ft severe agricultural flooding occurs. The levee around the Ralston sewage treatment plant may need to be patrolled.
-
Minor flood 16.0 ft
- 16.0 ft minor agricultural flooding occurs on the north bank.
-
Action 16.0 ft
- 16.0 ft minor agricultural flooding occurs on the north bank.
- Right now 3.98 ft
Flow history at Ralston
Daily values from USGS 07152500, updated every 15 to 60 minutes; NWS forecast for RLSO2 reissued through the day. Provisional.
Highest crests on record at Ralston
12 on record
| Stage | Flow | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 23.00 ft | 200,000 CFS | Jun 11, 1923 |
| 22.98 ft | 211,000 CFS | Oct 13, 1973 |
| 22.82 ft | 179,000 CFS | Apr 25, 1944 |
| 22.60 ft | 171,000 CFS | Nov 18, 1964 |
| 22.60 ft | 171,000 CFS | Nov 15, 1964 |
| 22.20 ft | 174,000 CFS | Oct 4, 1986 |
| 22.14 ft | 185,000 CFS | May 23, 2019 |
| 22.03 ft | 182,235 CFS | May 26, 2019 |
| 21.99 ft | 181,275 CFS | May 25, 2019 |
| 21.62 ft | 158,000 CFS | Oct 5, 1959 |
Crests published by the National Weather Service.
About Arkansas River at Ralston
In Oklahoma, below Kaw Lake. Releases can change the flow by hundreds of CFS in an hour with no rain in the basin — check it the morning you go, not the night before.
Reservoir feeding this stretch
Flow here is set by releases from Kaw Lake. A full pool usually means more water on its way down.
Arkansas River at Ralston — common questions
3 questions
How do releases from Kaw Lake affect this stretch?
Directly and fast. When the dam generates, flow here can climb by an order of magnitude within the hour, with no rain anywhere in the basin. That sudden release is the real hazard on a tailwater. The pool level is on lakelvl.com, linked below.
Is Arkansas River at Ralston high or low for this time of year?
The USGS median flow for mid-September here is 1,820 CFS, from 49 years of record (1977–2026). Today is 48% of it. The comparison is what makes the raw number mean anything: the same reading is a drought on one river and a flood on another.
How often does this reading update?
USGS transmits from gauge 07152500 every 15 to 60 minutes, and the National Weather Service reissues the flood forecast for RLSO2 a few times a day — more often when the river is rising. This page refreshes from both when you open it. The timestamp is in the gauge's local time.