The 1951 Floods in Kansas Revisited

"Measured in terms of human suffering, tremendous losses in property, and extensive disruption of business activities throughout the flooded area, it was the greatest catastrophe within the history of the region. Measured in terms of river stages and discharges, and of extent of the areas inundated, it was the greatest flood in the Kansas River Basin of which there is reliable record." (Veatch, 1952)

Aerial view of floodwaters in North Topeka. Cloverleaf on U.S. Hwy. 24 and Jayhawk Junior Motel in
upper right (Kansas State Historical Society copy and reuse restrictions apply).

Press Release

Fact Sheet

Kansas Big Water - The 1951 Flood in Kansas

This presentation was made into a video which ran on the Topeka public access TV station.

• PDF version (2.46 MB), or HTML version (27.1 KB).

Photo Gallery

High-Water Marker Installations

Flood Hydrographs for Selected Stations

Other Links of Interest

• Kansas Flood Watch
• Current Streamflow Data
• Current Streamflow Conditions
• FS 041-01 The 1951 Floods in Kansas Revisited
• FS 024-00 Significant Floods in the United States During the 20th Century--USGS Measures a Century of Floods
• FS 001-99 USGS Programs in Kansas