Kanawha River at Charleston water level

Name: Kanawha River at Charleston 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, Kanawha River, West Virginia, United States

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

18.35ft Down 0.61 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 11:00 AM EDT (47 min ago)

Flow: 8,710 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

The Kanawha River at Charleston is at 18.35 ft, in the normal range for mid-October.

It has dropped 0.61 ft over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 18.22 ft and 19.35 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, until steadier rain returns.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 39.72 ftMarch 6, 1955

Floating and fishing near Kanawha River at Charleston

Normal flows mean predictable rapids and good access at most put-ins.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	39.72 ft	March 6, 1955
2	38.77 ft	December 31, 1942
3	38.25 ft	August 15, 1940
4	37.82 ft	February 2, 1950
5	37.72 ft	March 2, 2021
6	37.65 ft	February 23, 2004
7	37.10 ft	January 30, 1957
8	37.08 ft	February 14, 1948
9	36.95 ft	February 26, 1972
10	36.16 ft	June 25, 2016

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.10 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

19 Mon 69° 38° – Wind 5 mph

20 Tue 70° 41° – Wind 5 mph

21 Wed 69° 42° – Wind 5 mph

22 Thu 68° 45° – Wind 6 mph

23 Fri 70° 44° – Wind 5 mph

24 Sat 71° 47° – Wind 6 mph

25 Sun 72° 46° – Wind 5 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:41 AM Sunset 06:43 PM Daylight 11 hr, 2 min Waxing gibbous 69%

Map

Other gauges on the Kanawha River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Kanawha River at Kanawha FallsRiver gauge, Kanawha River	3.86 ft	Below flood stage	−1.37 ft	31 mi
Kanawha River at S Side Bridge at CharlestonRiver gauge, Kanawha River	7.74 ft	Below flood stage	−0.78 ft	3.9 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Elk River at CharlestonRiver gauge, Elk River	2,790 cfs	High	−710.0 cfs	4.2 mi
Elk Twomile Creek near CharlestonRiver gauge, Elk Twomile Creek	2.30 ft	Below flood stage		5.9 mi
Coal River at TornadoRiver gauge, Coal River	10.38 ft	Below flood stage	−0.17 ft	8 mi
Pocatalico River at SissonvilleRiver gauge, Pocatalico River	3.11 ft	Below flood stage	−0.24 ft	11 mi
Little Sandy Creek near ElkviewRiver gauge, Little Sandy Creek	14.3 cfs	Very high	−6.0 cfs	12 mi
Big Coal River at AshfordRiver gauge, Big Coal River	2.95 ft	Below flood stage	−0.19 ft	13 mi
Hurricane Creek at HurricaneRiver gauge, Hurricane Creek	5.15 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	17 mi
Middle Fork Mud River near GriffithsvilleRiver gauge, Middle Fork Mud River	2.70 ft	Below flood stage	−0.15 ft	20 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 Kanawha River at Charleston today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 11:00 AM EDT, the water level was 18.35 ft. Down 0.61 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Kanawha River at Charleston rising or falling?

Down 0.61 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Kanawha River at Charleston 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 Kanawha River at Charleston?

The highest level on record is 39.72 ft on March 6, 1955.

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:03198000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 38.37148, -81.70207 (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	18.35 ft	2026-10-20 15:00	Provisional
Flow	8,710 cfs	2026-10-20 15:00	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Kanawha River at Charleston (usgs:03198000). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/west-virginia/kanawha-river-at-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