South Fork Cumberland River at Leatherwood Ford water level

Name: South Fork Cumberland River at Leatherwood Ford 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, South Fork Cumberland River, Tennessee, United States

Directions

Low for mid-October

Water level

4.28ft Down 0.06 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 11:30 PM EDT (15 min ago)

Flow: 53.4 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

Low water at South Fork Cumberland River at Leatherwood Ford: the gauge reads 4.28 ft, below normal for mid-October.

It is still going down, by 0.06 ft over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. The 30-day range is 4.28 ft – 4.65 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, and it usually takes a few days of steady rain to change that.

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

Paddling and fishing conditions

At low levels, plan for shorter paddling trips and expect to walk your boat through a few shoals.

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.06 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 55° 43° – Wind 11 mph

18 Sun 67° 38° – Wind 7 mph

19 Mon 68° 41° – Wind 6 mph

20 Tue 69° 42° – Wind 7 mph

21 Wed 71° 42° – Wind 5 mph

22 Thu 70° 44° – Wind 6 mph

23 Fri 70° 42° – Wind 7 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:52 AM Sunset 06:56 PM Daylight 11 hr, 4 min Waxing gibbous 74%

Map

Other gauges on the South Fork Cumberland River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
South Fork Cumberland River near StearnsRiver gauge, South Fork Cumberland River	59.0 cfs	Low	−4.9 cfs	13 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Clear Fork near RobbinsRiver gauge, Clear Fork	11.8 cfs	Normal	−1.2 cfs	7 mi
New River at New RiverRiver gauge, New River	18.3 cfs	Low	−1.9 cfs	9 mi
Wolf River near ByrdstownRiver gauge, Wolf River	17.0 cfs	Normal	+0.5 cfs	23 mi
Beaver Creek near MonticelloRiver gauge, Beaver Creek	3.5 cfs	Normal	+0.3 cfs	25 mi
Clear Creek at Lilly Bridge near LancingRiver gauge, Clear Creek	5.0 cfs	Normal	−0.8 cfs	26 mi
West Fork Obey River near AlpineRiver gauge, West Fork Obey River	4.3 cfs	Low	±0	29 mi
Cumberland River at Cumberland FallsRiver gauge, Cumberland River	248 cfs	Normal	−26.0 cfs	31 mi
Clear Fork at SaxtonRiver gauge, Clear Fork	31.4 cfs	Low	−1.2 cfs	33 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 South Fork Cumberland River at Leatherwood Ford today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 11:30 PM EDT, the water level was 4.28 ft. Down 0.06 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is South Fork Cumberland River at Leatherwood Ford rising or falling?

Down 0.06 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of South Fork Cumberland River at Leatherwood Ford normal?

Low for mid-October. Compared with 5 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:03410210 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 36.47739, -84.66935 (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	4.28 ft	2026-10-21 03:30	Provisional
Flow	53.4 cfs	2026-10-21 03:30	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: South Fork Cumberland River at Leatherwood Ford (usgs:03410210). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/tennessee/south-fork-cumberland-river-at-leatherwood-ford

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