Cooper River at Ports Authority Pier K Charleston water level

Name: Cooper River at Ports Authority Pier K Charleston water level (U.S. Geological Survey)
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
License: https://www.usgs.gov/information-policies-and-instructions/copyrights-and-credits

Tidal gauge, Cooper River, South Carolina, United States

Directions

Very high for mid-October

Water level

13.81ft Down 0.82 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 01:00 PM EDT (54 min ago)

Water temperature: 73 °F

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

Water level Normal range (10–90 %)

What this means

High water at Cooper River at Ports Authority Pier K Charleston: the latest reading is 13.81 ft, well above normal for mid-October.

That puts it 0.64 ft above the median of 13.17 ft for mid-October, based on 10 years of readings. A year ago it stood at 13.30 ft (+0.51 ft).

It is still going down, by 0.82 ft over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 10.88 ft – 15.75 ft.

The sensor also reports a water temperature of 73 °F.

Compared with 10 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 13.17 ft0.64 ft above the median for this date
Normal for this date: 12.87 ft – 13.51 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (10 years of records)
Same day last year: 13.30 ft+0.51 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 10.88 ft – 15.75 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 11.32 ft – 14.27 ft

Staying safe in high water

Flood stage is only the first threshold. Above it the National Weather Service sets moderate and major flood stages, and the forecast crest tells you which of those the river is expected to reach.

Upstream gauges on the same river usually show a rise first, which is a useful early warning.

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

18 Sun 64° 46° – Wind 14 mph

19 Mon 67° 47° – Wind 12 mph

20 Tue 76° 51° – Wind 11 mph

21 Wed 76° 53° – Wind 9 mph

22 Thu 76° 55° – Wind 7 mph

23 Fri 75° 55° – Wind 9 mph

24 Sat 75° 56° – Wind 15 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:28 AM Sunset 06:42 PM Daylight 11 hr, 14 min Waxing gibbous 70%

Map

Other gauges on the Cooper River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Cooper River above Goose CreekTidal gauge, Cooper River	7.93 ft	Low	−0.64 ft	11 mi
Cooper River near Goose CreekTidal gauge, Cooper River	16.56 ft	Normal	−0.46 ft	14 mi
Cooper River at Mobay near N CharlestonTidal gauge, Cooper River	8.62 ft	High	−0.70 ft	9 mi
Cooper River at Filbin Creek at North CharlestonTidal gauge, Cooper River	11.83 ft	Very high	−1.60 ft	2.5 mi
Cooper River at U.s. Highway 17 at CharlestonTidal gauge, Cooper River	8.30 ft	Very high	−0.77 ft	4.4 mi
Cooper River at S. Adgers Wharf at CharlestonRiver gauge, Cooper River	19.80 ft	No reference yet	−0.81 ft	5.8 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Wando River above Mount PleasantTidal gauge, Wando River	19.70 ft	Very high	−0.78 ft	3.3 mi
Ashley River near North CharlestonTidal gauge, Ashley River	10.47 ft	Very high	−0.71 ft	4.4 mi
Wando River at Cainhoy below WandoTidal gauge, Wando River	13.37 ft	Normal	−0.90 ft	9 mi
Ashley River below SummervilleTidal gauge, Ashley River	8.66 ft	Very low	−2.06 ft	13 mi
French Quarter Creek near HugerRiver gauge, French Quarter Creek	7.10 ft	Below flood stage	−0.14 ft	13 mi
Back River at Dupont Intake near KittredgeTidal gauge, Back River	16.69 ft	Normal	+0.17 ft	14 mi

Questions and answers

How does the Cooper River at Ports Authority Pier K Charleston compare with last year?

It is 0.51 ft higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 13.30 ft.

What is a normal level for the Cooper River at Ports Authority Pier K Charleston in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 13.17 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 12.87 ft and 13.51 ft, based on 10 years of records.

What is the water level of Cooper River at Ports Authority Pier K Charleston today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 01:00 PM EDT, the water level was 13.81 ft. Down 0.82 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Cooper River at Ports Authority Pier K Charleston rising or falling?

Down 0.82 ft over the last 24 hours. Up 0.60 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Cooper River at Ports Authority Pier K Charleston normal?

Very high for mid-October. Compared with 10 years of daily readings for this time of year.

How often is this data updated?

The U.S. Geological Survey publishes a new reading every 15 minutes. This page refreshes within minutes of each update.

Where does this data come from?

The values come directly from the U.S. Geological Survey, the official operator of this gauge, and are in the public domain. We do not estimate or model live values.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:0217206935 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 32.85569, -79.95267 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: NAVD88
Update interval: every 15 minutes
Licence: Public domain. Data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), provisional data subject to revision

Published series

Parameter	Last value	Time (UTC)	Quality
Water level	13.81 ft	2026-10-20 17:00	Provisional
Water temperature	73 °F	2026-10-20 17:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Cooper River at Ports Authority Pier K Charleston (usgs:0217206935). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/south-carolina/cooper-river-at-ports-authority-pier-k-charleston

How we check values

Each reading is stored as published. We hold back values that jump faster than physically plausible and show the measurement time with every value.

Readings are provisional, can be delayed or wrong and are not a flood warning. Read the disclaimer