How high is the Smoky Hill River at Elkader, KS right now?

The Smoky Hill River at Elkader, KS is currently flowing at 0 cubic feet per second with a gage height of 4.19 feet, based on the most recent USGS instantaneous reading.

Is the flow on the Smoky Hill River at Elkader, KS normal for this time of year?

Current flow is classified as low for June 11. Today's discharge is at the 0th percentile compared to the long-term historical record at this gauge.

Is the Smoky Hill River at Elkader, KS at flood stage?

No — the gage height is 4.81 feet below the NWS flood-stage threshold of 9.0 feet.

What is the historical median flow for the Smoky Hill River at Elkader, KS on June 11?

The long-term median discharge for this date is 1 cfs based on USGS daily statistics. The 10th–95th percentile range historically is 0 to 297 cfs.

Where is the Smoky Hill River at Elkader, KS stream gauge located?

The Smoky Hill River at Elkader, KS stream gauge is operated by the USGS in Logan County, KS on the Smoky Hill River. USGS site number 06860000 (coordinates 38.7947, -100.8585).

Smoky Hill River at Elkader, KS

USGS Site No: 06860000 • Smoky Hill River • Logan County, KS

Smoky Hill River at Elkader, KS on the Smoky Hill River is currently at 0 cfs (Low — 0th percentile for this date) . Gage height: 4.19 ft.

Reading from 1 week ago

Downstream on Smoky Hill River ↓

Smoky Hill River near Arnold, KS

CFS Discharge

4.19

Gage Height (ft)

Low

Flow Condition

Normal

Flood Status

Historical Percentile Comparison

Today's discharge compared to the long-term record for June 11 at this station. Percentile rank shows what fraction of historical years had lower flow on this date.

Percentile	Label	CFS Threshold	Today's Flow
10th	Very Low threshold	0	Today: 0 cfs
25th	Low threshold	0
50th (Median)	Normal (median)	1
75th	High threshold	6
95th	Very High threshold	297

30-Day Hydrograph

Recent discharge plotted against the historical 10th–95th percentile envelope for the same calendar days. Source: USGS daily values + long-term statistics.

10th–95th historical Day-of-year median Recent discharge

30-Day Flow History

Date	Discharge (CFS)	Gage Ht (ft)
May 28, 2026	0	4.00
May 27, 2026	0	3.93
May 26, 2026	0	3.94
May 25, 2026	0	3.94
May 24, 2026	0	3.93
May 23, 2026	0	3.93
May 22, 2026	0	3.93
May 21, 2026	0	3.93
May 20, 2026	0	3.93
May 19, 2026	0	3.93
May 18, 2026	0	3.93
May 17, 2026	0	3.93
May 16, 2026	0	3.93
May 15, 2026	0	3.93
Apr 20, 2026	0	4.02
Apr 19, 2026	0	4.05
Apr 18, 2026	0	4.09
Apr 17, 2026	0	4.14
Apr 16, 2026	0	4.16
Apr 15, 2026	0	4.20
Apr 14, 2026	0	4.22
Apr 13, 2026	0	4.24
Apr 12, 2026	0	4.24
Apr 11, 2026	0	4.20
Apr 10, 2026	0	4.19
Apr 9, 2026	0	4.20
Apr 8, 2026	0	4.20
Apr 7, 2026	0	4.21
Apr 6, 2026	0	4.21
Apr 5, 2026	0	4.22

Station Information

USGS Site No: 06860000
State: KS
County: Logan County
Coordinates: 38.7947, -100.8585
Drainage Area: 3,555 mi²
Datum (ft): 2,623.7
HUC Code: 10260003

View on USGS NWIS →

Flood Stage Thresholds

Action Stage: 8.0 ft
Flood Stage: 9.0 ft
Moderate Flood: 11.0 ft
Major Flood: 13.0 ft

Currently 4.81 ft below flood stage.

Recent Extremes

Max discharge: 120 cfs

Sep 24, 2025
Min discharge: 0 cfs

May 28, 2026
Days at flood stage: 0

Computed from the local daily-values archive.

Nearby Gauges

Hackberry C near Trego Center, KS
43.2 mi · 0 cfs

Normal
Smoky Hill River near Arnold, KS
45.0 mi · 0 cfs

Very Low