Verdigris River level at Altoona
Kansas · Fishing & wading
Measured at USGS 07166500 — VERDIGRIS R NR ALTOONA, KS · NWS forecast point ATOK1
Reading taken · as of 18 min ago
High and likely stained — not a wading flow
At 45 CFS, this gauge is running 225% of normal for mid-September — above the 20 CFS median USGS has recorded for this date across 87 years of record (1939–2026).
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Flood stages at Altoona
National Weather Service categories for gauge ATOK1, WFO ICT. Impact wording is the NWS's own, verbatim.
-
Major flood 26.0 ft
- 26.0 ft Extensive flooding along both banks of the river with water reaching the ground floor of the Altoona Water Plant.
-
Moderate flood 21.0 ft
- 21.0 ft Flood waters begin to threaten outlining facilities of the city's water plant. Water Plant's clearwell may become flooded.
-
Minor flood 19.0 ft
- 19.0 ft Expect flooding of agricultural fields and gravel road near the river bridge off of Highway 47.
-
Action 15.0 ft · 8,550 CFS
- 15.0 ft Expect overflows on the west bank.
- Right now 3.42 ft
Flow history at Altoona
Daily values from USGS 07166500, updated every 15 to 60 minutes; NWS forecast for ATOK1 reissued through the day. Provisional.
Highest crests on record at Altoona
12 on record
| Stage | Flow | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 24.58 ft | 63,600 CFS | Jul 1, 2007 |
| 21.93 ft | 30,800 CFS | May 26, 2019 |
| 20.62 ft | 21,052 CFS | May 22, 2019 |
| 20.57 ft | 20,600 CFS | Oct 8, 2016 |
| 20.32 ft | 19,000 CFS | Apr 28, 2024 |
| 20.07 ft | 17,600 CFS | Jun 27, 2021 |
| 19.68 ft | 15,500 CFS | Jun 2, 2022 |
| 19.62 ft | — | Jun 14, 2008 |
| 19.59 ft | 14,100 CFS | Sep 11, 2009 |
| 19.53 ft | 14,916 CFS | May 8, 2019 |
Crests published by the National Weather Service.
About Verdigris River at Altoona
In Kansas, below Toronto 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 Toronto Lake. A full pool usually means more water on its way down.
Verdigris River at Altoona — common questions
3 questions
How do releases from Toronto 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 Verdigris River at Altoona high or low for this time of year?
The USGS median flow for mid-September here is 20 CFS, from 87 years of record (1939–2026). Today is 225% 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 07166500 every 15 to 60 minutes, and the National Weather Service reissues the flood forecast for ATOK1 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.