Black River at Elyria OH water level

Name: Black River at Elyria OH 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, Black River, Ohio, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

1.80ft Up 0.32 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 17, 2026, 10:15 AM EDT (2 hours ago)

Flow: 164 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Black River at Elyria OH, where the gauge shows 1.80 ft.

It is 7.70 ft below the flood stage of 9.50 ft.

It is on the way up, by 0.32 ft over the past 24 hours. There is still 7.70 ft of room before flood stage. The 30-day range is 1.41 ft – 1.87 ft.

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

Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 26.40 ftJuly 6, 1969

Paddling and fishing conditions

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

For reference, flood stage is 9.50 ft.

What happens at each level

26.50 ft: Historic flooding exceeding 1969 levels.
24.00 ft: River gage flooded in Cascade Park.
23.50 ft: Flood levels near the 0.2 percent, or 500 year, recurrence interval.
21.00 ft: Flood levels around the 1 percent, or 100 year, flood recurrence interval.
20.00 ft: Flood waters up to East Bridge Street and Fourth Street bridges in Elyria.
19.00 ft: Flood waters surround low lying properties on Quincy Street and Tannery Street in Elyria. Water overtops Grafton Road bridge.
18.00 ft: The East and West Branches of the Black River are out of banks in several locations between Carlisle, Penfield, and Elyria. Many creeks backed up as a result with widespread flooding. Several homes in Carlisle Township along Woodside Avenue and Greenview Drive flooded.
17.00 ft: Nickle Plate Diagonal Road inundated between Parsons and Whitehead Roads north of Carlisle Township.
16.00 ft: State Route 303 east of Vermont Street becomes flooded. Vermont Street is also flooded south of State Route 303.
14.00 ft: Flooding begins throughout Cascade Park in Elyria.
11.00 ft: Flooding along the East Branch of the Black River on Foster Road in Penfield Township. Ford Road hear I-90 may be closed for high water.
9.50 ft: Flooding begins south of Elyria in Carlisle Township along Woodside Drive.
1.80 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: 10 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	26.40 ft	July 6, 1969
2	22.90 ft	January 22, 1959
3	18.02 ft	May 13, 1956
4	17.29 ft	May 22, 2004
5	17.03 ft	December 15, 1977
6	17.03 ft	December 31, 1990
7	16.99 ft	March 1, 2011
8	16.97 ft	February 24, 1985
9	16.86 ft	June 23, 2006
10	16.71 ft	February 7, 2008

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.

16 Fri 71° 50° 1.38 in, 62% Wind 15 mph

17 Sat 50° 41° – Wind 15 mph

18 Sun 61° 36° – Wind 10 mph

19 Mon 61° 42° – Wind 9 mph

20 Tue 62° 48° – Wind 10 mph

21 Wed 61° 45° – Wind 11 mph

22 Thu 60° 44° – Wind 7 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:43 AM Sunset 06:46 PM Daylight 11 hr, 3 min First quarter 41%

Map

Other gauges on the Black River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Black River near JeddoRiver gauge, Black River	3.07 ft	Below flood stage	+0.08 ft	125 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Plum Creek near Olmsted Falls OHRiver gauge, Plum Creek	1.88 ft	Below flood stage	+0.33 ft	10 mi
West Branch Rocky River at West View OHRiver gauge, West Branch Rocky River	7.01 ft	Below flood stage	+0.32 ft	11 mi
Vermilion River near Vermilion OHRiver gauge, Vermilion River	2.68 ft	Below flood stage	+0.32 ft	11 mi
Rocky River near Berea OHRiver gauge, Rocky River	6.11 ft	Below flood stage	+0.34 ft	12 mi
East Branch Rocky River near Strongsville OHRiver gauge, East Branch Rocky River	95.4 cfs	Normal	+68.3 cfs	14 mi
East Branch Big Creek at Brooklyn OHRiver gauge, East Branch Big Creek	37.0 cfs	Very high	−49.3 cfs	19 mi
Big Creek at Cleveland OHRiver gauge, Big Creek	2.52 ft	Below flood stage	−0.41 ft	20 mi
Old Woman Creek at Berlin Rd near Huron OHRiver gauge, Old Woman Creek	80.0 cfs	Very high	+76.2 cfs	21 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Black River at Elyria OH?

The official flood stage is 9.50 ft. The level is currently 7.70 ft below it.

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 Black River at Elyria OH today?

On Oct 17, 2026, 10:15 AM EDT, the water level was 1.80 ft. Up 0.32 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Black River at Elyria OH rising or falling?

Up 0.32 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Black River at Elyria OH normal?

Below flood stage. Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Black River at Elyria OH?

The highest level on record is 26.40 ft on July 6, 1969.

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:04200500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 41.38032, -82.10459 (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	1.80 ft	2026-10-17 14:15	Provisional
Flow	164 cfs	2026-10-17 14:15	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Black River at Elyria OH (usgs:04200500). Accessed October 17, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/ohio/black-river-at-elyria-oh

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