Little Kanawha River near Wildcat water level

Name: Little Kanawha River near Wildcat 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, Little Kanawha River, West Virginia, United States

Directions

High for late October

Water level

4.91ft Down 0.17 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 21, 2026, 02:30 AM EDT (30 min ago)

Flow: 147 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

High water at Little Kanawha River near Wildcat: the latest reading is 4.91 ft, above normal for late October.

It is still going down, by 0.17 ft over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 4.91 ft – 6.22 ft.

That stands out in fall, when many rivers are usually near their lowest.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 18.47 ftJuly 31, 1996

Paddling and fishing conditions

Above-normal flows push fish to the edges and make wading risky. Wait for the river to drop and clear.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	18.47 ft	July 31, 1996
2	17.77 ft	August 18, 2000
3	15.80 ft	May 8, 1994
4	14.81 ft	November 5, 1985
5	13.54 ft	April 26, 1989
6	13.14 ft	May 28, 2004
7	12.64 ft	March 1, 1997
8	12.62 ft	January 26, 1978
9	12.54 ft	December 3, 1991
10	12.46 ft	April 9, 1980

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.24 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

20 Tue 62° 37° – Wind 5 mph

21 Wed 63° 43° – Wind 6 mph

22 Thu 63° 42° – Wind 6 mph

23 Fri 67° 43° – Wind 5 mph

24 Sat 69° 45° – Wind 5 mph

25 Sun 70° 47° – Wind 5 mph

26 Mon 70° 48° – Wind 5 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:38 AM Sunset 06:37 PM Daylight 10 hr, 59 min Waxing gibbous 75%

Map

Other gauges on the Little Kanawha River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Little Kanawha River at BurnsvilleRiver gauge, Little Kanawha River	4.07 ft	High	−0.05 ft	12 mi
Little Kanawha River at GlenvilleRiver gauge, Little Kanawha River	3.92 ft	Normal	−0.38 ft	21 mi
Little Kanawha River at GrantsvilleRiver gauge, Little Kanawha River	8.53 ft	Normal	−0.92 ft	33 mi
Little Kanawha River at PalestineRiver gauge, Little Kanawha River	15.45 ft	Below flood stage	−0.21 ft	51 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
West Fork River at WalkersvilleRiver gauge, West Fork River	3.39 ft	Normal	−0.16 ft	9 mi
Elk River below Webster SpringsRiver gauge, Elk River	4.79 ft	Below flood stage	−0.24 ft	10 mi
Elk River at SuttonRiver gauge, Elk River	13.96 ft	Very high	−0.36 ft	11 mi
Sand Fork near GlenvilleRiver gauge, Sand Fork	32.9 cfs	Very high	−6.9 cfs	17 mi
Buckhannon River at AltonRiver gauge, Buckhannon River	5.85 ft	Below flood stage	−0.20 ft	18 mi
Stonewall Jackson Lake near WestonLake, Stonewall Jackson Lake	1,071.98 ft	Very high	−0.23 ft	18 mi
West Fork River below Stonewall Jackson Dam near WestonRiver gauge, West Fork River	368 cfs	Very high	−3.0 cfs	18 mi
Birch River at HeroldRiver gauge, Birch River	3.57 ft	Below flood stage	−0.32 ft	19 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 Little Kanawha River near Wildcat today?

On Oct 21, 2026, 02:30 AM EDT, the water level was 4.91 ft. Down 0.17 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Little Kanawha River near Wildcat rising or falling?

Down 0.17 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Little Kanawha River near Wildcat normal?

High for late October. Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Little Kanawha River near Wildcat?

The highest level on record is 18.47 ft on July 31, 1996.

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:03151400 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 38.74343, -80.52537 (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	4.91 ft	2026-10-21 06:30	Provisional
Flow	147 cfs	2026-10-21 06:30	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Little Kanawha River near Wildcat (usgs:03151400). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/west-virginia/little-kanawha-river-near-wildcat

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