Licking River at Catawba water level

Name: Licking River at Catawba water level (U.S. Geological Survey)
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
License: https://www.usgs.gov/information-policies-and-instructions/copyrights-and-credits

River gauge, Licking River, Kentucky, United States

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

6.19ft Down 0.22 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 07:00 PM EDT (18 min ago)

Flow: 571 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Forecast

The forecast expects the river to fall to 5.70 ft by Thursday, October 22 at 08:00 AM. Issued Monday, October 19 at 10:05 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Licking River at Catawba, where the gauge shows 6.19 ft.

It is still going down, by 0.22 ft over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 5.70 ft by Thursday, October 22 at 08:00 AM. The 30-day range is 5.51 ft – 6.43 ft.

Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 57.57 ftMarch 3, 1997
Forecast peak: 6.20 ftMonday, October 19 at 02:00 PM

Paddling and fishing conditions

Most paddlers and anglers will find the river in good shape at this stage.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	57.57 ft	March 3, 1997
2	52.60 ft	March 10, 1964
3	47.00 ft	April 14, 1948
4	45.98 ft	January 23, 1937
5	44.57 ft	April 6, 2025
6	43.98 ft	February 16, 1989
7	43.03 ft	May 9, 1961
8	41.76 ft	February 19, 2000
9	41.35 ft	March 7, 1945
10	40.10 ft	May 20, 2020

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.03 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

19 Mon 71° 37° – Wind 6 mph

20 Tue 73° 44° – Wind 6 mph

21 Wed 73° 42° – Wind 5 mph

22 Thu 73° 46° – Wind 7 mph

23 Fri 73° 46° – Wind 6 mph

24 Sat 76° 47° – Wind 4 mph

25 Sun 74° 48° – Wind 6 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:51 AM Sunset 06:55 PM Daylight 11 hr, 4 min First quarter 63%

Map

Other gauges on the Licking River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Licking River near Newark OHRiver gauge, Licking River	3.25 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	141 mi
Licking River below Dillon Dam near Dillon Falls OHRiver gauge, Licking River	4.13 ft	High	±0	148 mi
Licking River below Mason Fork near SalyersvilleRiver gauge, Licking River	4.86 ft	Below flood stage	−0.09 ft	96 mi
Licking River at FarmersRiver gauge, Licking River	8.68 ft	No reference yet	+0.01 ft	58 mi
Licking River at Highway 60 at FarmersRiver gauge, Licking River	2.66 ft	No reference yet	+0.22 ft	57 mi
Licking River at Blue Lick SpringsRiver gauge, Licking River	5.00 ft	Below flood stage	−0.53 ft	26 mi
Licking River at McKinneysburgRiver gauge, Licking River	5.09 ft	Below flood stage	−0.66 ft	8 mi
Licking River at Highway 536 near AlexandriaRiver gauge, Licking River	618 cfs	Normal	+335 cfs	16 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
South Fork Licking River at HayesRiver gauge, South Fork Licking River	131 cfs	Normal	±0	4.2 mi
Twelvemile Creek at Highway 1997 near AlexandriaRiver gauge, Twelvemile Creek	1.59 ft	Below flood stage	−0.06 ft	17 mi
North Fork Licking River near Mount OlivetRiver gauge, North Fork Licking River	1.55 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	18 mi
Fourmile Creek at Poplar Ridge Road near AlexandriaRiver gauge, Fourmile Creek	0.6 cfs	Normal	−0.2 cfs	19 mi
Fourmile Creek at Grays Crossing at Silver GroveRiver gauge, Fourmile Creek	3.01 ft	Very low	+0.01 ft	22 mi
South Fork Licking River at CynthianaRiver gauge, South Fork Licking River	5.06 ft	Below flood stage	−0.10 ft	22 mi
Banklick Creek @ Highway 1829 near ErlangerRiver gauge, Banklick Creek @ Highway 1829	0.2 cfs	Very low	−0.1 cfs	22 mi
East Fork Lake near Bantam OHLake, East Fork Lake	730.68 ft	Normal	−0.07 ft	23 mi

Questions and answers

Is gage height the same as water depth?

No. Gage height is measured from a fixed reference point chosen by the agency, so a reading of 10 ft does not mean the river is 10 ft deep.

What is the water level of Licking River at Catawba today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 07:00 PM EDT, the water level was 6.19 ft. Down 0.22 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Licking River at Catawba rising or falling?

Down 0.22 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Licking River at Catawba normal?

Normal for mid-October. Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Licking River at Catawba?

The highest level on record is 57.57 ft on March 3, 1997.

Is Licking River at Catawba expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to fall to 5.70 ft by Thursday, October 22 at 08:00 AM.

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.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:03253500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 38.71035, -84.31077 (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	6.19 ft	2026-10-19 23:00	Provisional
Flow	571 cfs	2026-10-19 23:00	Provisional

Download

Embed this gauge

Add a live card for this gauge to your website. It updates on its own and links back here.

<iframe src="https://nivelmap.com/embed/10400?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Licking River at Catawba water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Licking River at Catawba (usgs:03253500). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/kentucky/licking-river-at-catawba

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