Ohio River at Huntington water level

Name: Ohio River at Huntington 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, Ohio River, West Virginia, United States

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

26.75ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 11:00 AM EDT (39 min ago)

History

7 days

Water level Normal range (10–90 %) Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to fall to 25.60 ft by Sunday, October 25 at 02:00 AM. Issued Tuesday, October 20 at 09:35 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

The gauge at Ohio River at Huntington reads 26.75 ft, a normal level for mid-October.

That puts it 0.89 ft above the median of 25.86 ft for mid-October, based on 15 years of readings. It is 23.25 ft below the flood stage of 50.00 ft.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 25.60 ft by Sunday, October 25 at 02:00 AM. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 26.62 ft and 27.63 ft.

Compared with 15 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 25.86 ft0.89 ft above the median for this date
Normal for this date: 25.29 ft – 29.87 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (15 years of records)
Highest on record: 57.52 ftMarch 5, 1997
Lowest on record: 1.90 ftOctober 25, 1922
Forecast peak: 26.80 ftTuesday, October 20 at 02:00 PM

What the stage means on the water

A normal level is usually prime time for floating and wade fishing, as long as the weather holds upstream.

The National Weather Service puts flood stage for this gauge at 50.00 ft, still 23.25 ft away.

What happens at each level

66.50 ft: WV Route 60 West near the Big Sandy flood gate floods. The C&O railroad, near 31st Street (OH section), flood gate, is closed at 67.5 feet.
65.00 ft: Between 65 and 66 feet, WV Route 10 at Salt Rock and Sarah, flood. The C&O railroad, at Hite Street, and 5th Street Bridge Crossing (Guyadotte section) flood gates are closed.
63.00 ft: Between 63 and 64.5 feet, WV Route 152 near Lavalette, floods. Sunset Drive, WV American Water Plant (OH section), and C&O railroad at 6th Street (Guyandotte section) flood gates are closed.
62.00 ft: WV Route 75 between Kenova and Wayne flood. WV Route 60 West near the James River bridge floods.
60.00 ft: 3rd Avenue (OH section) floods at 60.7 feet and C&O railroad west floods at 62.7 feet, and the flood gates are closed.
59.00 ft: OH Route 7 near Chesapeake and at Proctorville flood between 59 and 60 feet. The 5th Avenue, Piedmont Road, Waverly Road (Route 60), 20th Street East (OH Section), 3rd Avenue, Main Street, and Altizer Avenue (Guyandotte section) flood gates are closed.
57.00 ft: OH Route 52 near Chesapeake floods. OH Route 52 in South Point, 5 miles west of the bridge at 6th Street, floods.
56.00 ft: WV Route 60 West floods near the Old Lock 1 barge tieoff on the Big Sandy River. The 1st Street at Taylor's Scrap Metal, 18th Street East at Steel of WV (Ohio Section), and the B&O railroad at 40th Street (Guyandotte Section) flood gates are closed.
55.00 ft: Between 55 and 56 feet, WV Route 2 at the Huntington flood wall gate floods. WV Route 60 East, between Barboursville and Milton, at the railroad overpass floods. KY Route 3 in Catlettsburg, near Old Dam 29, floods due to backwater. WV Route 60 East, at Eastern Heights, floods. The Riverside Drive (Guyandotte Section) flood gate is closed.
53.50 ft: Between 53.5 and 55 feet, WV Route 60 West, near the Catlettsburg west gate flood wall, near the Ceredo flood gate, and near the Roby Road flood gate flood. West Gate Special Metals, Buffington Street, 9th Avenue, East Gate Special Metals, 5th Avenue, and WV State Route 2 (Guyandotte section) flood gates are closed.
52.00 ft: Between 52 and 53 feet, WV Route 60 East, above the Roby Road bridge, and Riverside Drive flood. The 12th Street East and the 10th Street East flood gates are closed.
51.00 ft: WV Route 60 East, Main Street, and above Pats Branch flood.
26.75 ft: Right now

Impact statements from the U.S. National Weather Service.

Highest crests on record

Chance of at least minor flooding in October to December: 11 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	57.52 ft	March 5, 1997
2	54.79 ft	March 13, 1964
3	54.24 ft	February 27, 1979
4	54.00 ft	December 11, 1978
5	53.99 ft	March 3, 2021
6	53.92 ft	February 28, 1979
7	52.25 ft	March 13, 2011
8	51.72 ft	January 2, 1991
9	51.46 ft	March 7, 2015
10	51.28 ft	September 20, 2004

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.11 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

20 Tue 70° 40° – Wind 5 mph

21 Wed 72° 42° – Wind 6 mph

22 Thu 70° 45° – Wind 5 mph

23 Fri 69° 44° – Wind 6 mph

24 Sat 73° 46° – Wind 5 mph

25 Sun 73° 48° – Wind 4 mph

26 Mon 73° 49° – Wind 5 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:44 AM Sunset 06:46 PM Daylight 11 hr, 2 min Waxing gibbous 69%

Map

Other gauges on the Ohio River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Ohio River at Hannibal Lock and Dam (Upper)River gauge, Ohio River	13.10 ft	No reference yet	+0.01 ft	123 mi
Ohio River at Hannibal Lock and Dam (Lower)River gauge, Ohio River	12.76 ft	Below flood stage	−0.71 ft	123 mi
Ohio River above SardisRiver gauge, Ohio River	25,300 cfs	High	+24,792 cfs	121 mi
Ohio River at MariettaRiver gauge, Ohio River	16.19 ft	Below flood stage	−0.23 ft	89 mi
Ohio River at ParkersburgRiver gauge, Ohio River	21.49 ft	High	+0.03 ft	78 mi
Ohio River at Point PleasantRiver gauge, Ohio River	24.77 ft	Normal	−0.16 ft	36 mi
Ohio River at AshlandRiver gauge, Ohio River	34.85 ft	Below flood stage	+0.11 ft	9 mi
Ohio River at IrontonRiver gauge, Ohio River	34.73 ft	Very high	+0.16 ft	13 mi
Ohio River at Greenup Dam near GreenupRiver gauge, Ohio River	13.16 ft	Below flood stage	+0.06 ft	25 mi
Ohio River at PortsmouthRiver gauge, Ohio River	17.70 ft	Normal	−1.38 ft	35 mi
Ohio River at MaysvilleRiver gauge, Ohio River	33.90 ft	Low	−0.17 ft	72 mi
Ohio River at CincinnatiRiver gauge, Ohio River	27.56 ft	Normal	−1.10 ft	118 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Twelvepole Creek at LavaletteRiver gauge, Twelvepole Creek	4.07 ft	Below flood stage	−0.29 ft	7 mi
Twelvepole Creek below WayneRiver gauge, Twelvepole Creek	4.77 ft	Normal	−0.38 ft	12 mi
Symmes Creek at Aid OHRiver gauge, Symmes Creek	5.85 ft	Below flood stage	−0.12 ft	13 mi
Big Sandy River at LouisaRiver gauge, Big Sandy River	4.44 ft	Below flood stage	−0.32 ft	18 mi
Guyandotte River at BranchlandRiver gauge, Guyandotte River	5.00 ft	High	−0.48 ft	21 mi
Mud River near MiltonRiver gauge, Mud River	0.31 ft	Below flood stage	−0.38 ft	21 mi
Mud River at HamlinRiver gauge, Mud River	3.57 ft	Below flood stage	−0.20 ft	23 mi
Little Sandy River at GraysonRiver gauge, Little Sandy River	4.27 ft	Below flood stage	−0.06 ft	24 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Ohio River at Huntington?

The official flood stage is 50.00 ft. The level is currently 23.25 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the Ohio River at Huntington in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 25.86 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 25.29 ft and 29.87 ft, based on 15 years of records.

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 Ohio River at Huntington today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 11:00 AM EDT, the water level was 26.75 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Ohio River at Huntington rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Ohio River at Huntington normal?

Normal for mid-October. Compared with 15 years of daily readings for this time of year.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Ohio River at Huntington?

The highest level on record is 57.52 ft on March 5, 1997. The lowest is 1.90 ft on October 25, 1922.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:03206000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 38.41342, -82.50043 (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	26.75 ft	2026-10-20 15:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Ohio River at Huntington (usgs:03206000). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/west-virginia/ohio-river-at-huntington

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