Kanawha River at S Side Bridge at Charleston water level

Name: Kanawha River at S Side Bridge 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

Below flood stage

Water level

7.65ft Down 0.87 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 10:45 AM EDT (23 min ago)

History

7 days

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to fall to 7.40 ft by Wednesday, October 21 at 08:00 AM. Issued Tuesday, October 20 at 09:15 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

The Kanawha River at S Side Bridge at Charleston is at 7.65 ft, in the normal range.

It is 22.35 ft below the flood stage of 30.00 ft.

It has dropped 0.87 ft over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 7.40 ft by Wednesday, October 21 at 08:00 AM. In the last month it has stayed between 7.59 ft and 9.05 ft.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 47.60 ftJanuary 1, 1840
Lowest on record: −0.10 ftSeptember 1, 1861
Forecast peak: 7.50 ftTuesday, October 20 at 02:00 PM

Floating and fishing near Kanawha River at S Side Bridge at Charleston

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

Flood stage here is 30.00 ft, 22.35 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

48.00 ft: Major flooding of the City of Charleston and surrounding areas.
47.00 ft: Kanawha Boulevard near the South Side Bridge is flooded.
44.00 ft: Water reaches the base of homes along Kanawha Boulevard, west of the interstate bridge, near Magic Island. Kanawha Boulevard is also flooded in this area. Sections of MacCorkle Avenue (Route 61) near the interstate bridge are flooded.
43.00 ft: Water is at the base of Union building on Kanawha Boulevard.
40.00 ft: The South Side Bridge parking lot along Kanawha Boulevard is flooded.
38.70 ft: Water is to bottom of Haddad Riverfront Park bathrooms and most of park is flooded.
38.00 ft: The CSX Railroad tracks, Kanawha Boulevard, and Park Avenue on the west side of Charleston begins to flood.
35.00 ft: Low sections of MacCorkle Avenue between the South Side Bridge, the Thirty Fifth Street bridge, Thirty Fifth, and Thirty Third Streets in Kanawha City begin to flood.
32.00 ft: U.S. Route 60, Patrick Street and U.S. Route 119 in the City of Charleston begin to flood.
31.60 ft: Patrick Street at 6th Avenue begins to flood.
30.00 ft: Bigley Avenue at Magazine Branch begins to flood.
29.50 ft: Crescent Road at Magazine Branch begins to flood.
7.65 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: < 5 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	47.60 ft	January 1, 1840
2	46.87 ft	September 29, 1861
3	43.00 ft	January 1, 1822
4	41.63 ft	September 14, 1878
5	41.50 ft	February 23, 1897
6	41.25 ft	March 5, 1899
7	39.35 ft	April 1, 1886
8	38.60 ft	December 30, 1901
9	38.50 ft	May 23, 1901
10	38.10 ft	January 1, 1865

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.

18 Sun 65° 36° – Wind 4 mph

19 Mon 67° 43° – Wind 5 mph

20 Tue 67° 42° – Wind 5 mph

21 Wed 68° 43° – Wind 5 mph

22 Thu 66° 42° – Wind 6 mph

23 Fri 69° 42° – Wind 5 mph

24 Sat 70° 45° – Wind 7 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

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

Map

Other gauges on the Kanawha River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Kanawha River at Kanawha FallsRiver gauge, Kanawha River	3.81 ft	Below flood stage	−1.45 ft	27 mi
Kanawha River at CharlestonRiver gauge, Kanawha River	8,130 cfs	Normal	−4,870.0 cfs	3.9 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Elk River at CharlestonRiver gauge, Elk River	2,860 cfs	High	−640.0 cfs	0.9 mi
Elk Twomile Creek near CharlestonRiver gauge, Elk Twomile Creek	2.30 ft	Below flood stage		2.4 mi
Little Sandy Creek near ElkviewRiver gauge, Little Sandy Creek	13.8 cfs	Very high	−6.5 cfs	10 mi
Coal River at TornadoRiver gauge, Coal River	10.38 ft	Below flood stage	−0.17 ft	11 mi
Big Coal River at AshfordRiver gauge, Big Coal River	2.96 ft	Below flood stage	−0.20 ft	12 mi
Pocatalico River at SissonvilleRiver gauge, Pocatalico River	3.12 ft	Below flood stage	−0.25 ft	12 mi
Elk River at Queen ShoalsRiver gauge, Elk River	6.87 ft	Below flood stage	−0.29 ft	21 mi
Hurricane Creek at HurricaneRiver gauge, Hurricane Creek	5.14 ft	Below flood stage	−0.06 ft	21 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Kanawha River at S Side Bridge at Charleston?

The official flood stage is 30.00 ft. The level is currently 22.35 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 Kanawha River at S Side Bridge at Charleston today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 10:45 AM EDT, the water level was 7.65 ft. Down 0.87 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Kanawha River at S Side Bridge at Charleston rising or falling?

Down 0.87 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Kanawha River at S Side Bridge at Charleston normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Kanawha River at S Side Bridge at Charleston?

The highest level on record is 47.60 ft on January 1, 1840. The lowest is −0.10 ft on September 1, 1861.

Is Kanawha River at S Side Bridge at Charleston expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to fall to 7.40 ft by Wednesday, October 21 at 08:00 AM.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:0319382976 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 38.34722, -81.63639 (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	7.65 ft	2026-10-20 14:45	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Kanawha River at S Side Bridge at Charleston (usgs:0319382976). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/west-virginia/kanawha-river-at-s-side-bridge-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