Monongahela River at Morgantown Lock & Dam (Lower) water level

Name: Monongahela River at Morgantown Lock & Dam (Lower) 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, Monongahela River, West Virginia, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

10.27ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 03:15 AM EDT (49 min ago)

History

7 days

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to fall to 9.90 ft by Friday, October 23 at 02:00 AM. Issued Monday, October 19 at 09:46 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

The Monongahela River at Morgantown Lock & Dam (Lower) is at 10.27 ft, in the normal range.

It is 11.73 ft below the flood stage of 22.00 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 9.90 ft by Friday, October 23 at 02:00 AM. In the last month it has stayed between 9.96 ft and 10.66 ft.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 27.70 ftNovember 6, 1985
Forecast peak: 10.20 ftTuesday, October 20 at 02:00 AM

Floating and fishing near Monongahela River at Morgantown Lock & Dam (Lower)

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

Flood stage here is 22.00 ft, 11.73 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

31.00 ft: Lock walls overtopped.
25.00 ft: Navigation suspended, lock out of service. Backwater flooding begins on several small streams in the Morgantown area.
10.27 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	27.70 ft	November 6, 1985
2	23.80 ft	August 18, 1980
3	23.70 ft	March 7, 1967
4	23.70 ft	February 19, 2000
5	23.10 ft	March 5, 1963
6	21.50 ft	May 24, 1968
7	21.20 ft	January 26, 1978
8	21.05 ft	December 14, 2007
9	20.80 ft	November 20, 2003
10	20.50 ft	June 6, 1981

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.04 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

19 Mon 69° 32° – Wind 5 mph

20 Tue 69° 40° – Wind 9 mph

21 Wed 67° 40° – Wind 5 mph

22 Thu 64° 42° – Wind 5 mph

23 Fri 67° 42° – Wind 6 mph

24 Sat 69° 43° – Wind 4 mph

25 Sun 68° 44° – Wind 5 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:36 AM Sunset 06:35 PM Daylight 10 hr, 59 min First quarter 66%

Map

Other gauges on the Monongahela River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Monongahela River at Opekiska Lock & Dam (Upper)River gauge, Monongahela River	9.55 ft	No reference yet	+0.22 ft	5.8 mi
Monongahela River at Opekiska Lock & Dam (Lower)River gauge, Monongahela River	10.61 ft	No reference yet	+0.34 ft	5.8 mi
Monongahela River at Hildebrand Lock & Dam (Upper)River gauge, Monongahela River	9.99 ft	No reference yet	+0.38 ft	3.4 mi
Monongahela River at Hildebrand Lock & Dam (Lower)River gauge, Monongahela River	10.05 ft	No reference yet	+0.25 ft	3.4 mi
Monongahela River at Morgantown Lock & Dam (Upper)River gauge, Monongahela River	9.92 ft	No reference yet	+0.33 ft	0.0 mi
Monongahela River near MasontownRiver gauge, Monongahela River	11.96 ft	Below flood stage	−0.14 ft	14 mi
Monongahela River at CharleroiRiver gauge, Monongahela River	9.81 ft	Normal	−0.87 ft	37 mi
Monongahela River at BraddockRiver gauge, Monongahela River	14.66 ft	High	+0.32 ft	54 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Deckers Creek at MorgantownRiver gauge, Deckers Creek	0.68 ft	Below flood stage	−0.08 ft	1.1 mi
Monongahela R L&D8 (Lower Pool) @ Point MarionRiver gauge	12.15 ft	High	−0.23 ft	8 mi
Monongahela R L&D8 (Upper Pool) @ Point MarionRiver gauge	9.85 ft	High	+0.05 ft	8 mi
Cheat Lake near StewartstownLake, Cheat Lake	869.38 ft	Very high	−0.07 ft	9 mi
Dunkard Creek at ShannopinRiver gauge, Dunkard Creek	2.08 ft	Below flood stage	−0.15 ft	10 mi
Buffalo Creek at BarrackvilleRiver gauge, Buffalo Creek	89.1 cfs	High	−19.9 cfs	13 mi
Big Sandy Creek at RockvilleRiver gauge, Big Sandy Creek	4.67 ft	Below flood stage	−0.14 ft	14 mi
Monongahela River (lower pool) near MasontownRiver gauge, Monongahela River (lower pool)	10.51 ft	High	−0.52 ft	14 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Monongahela River at Morgantown Lock & Dam (Lower)?

The official flood stage is 22.00 ft. The level is currently 11.73 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 Monongahela River at Morgantown Lock & Dam (Lower) today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 03:15 AM EDT, the water level was 10.27 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Monongahela River at Morgantown Lock & Dam (Lower) rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Monongahela River at Morgantown Lock & Dam (Lower) normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Monongahela River at Morgantown Lock & Dam (Lower)?

The highest level on record is 27.70 ft on November 6, 1985.

Is Monongahela River at Morgantown Lock & Dam (Lower) expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to fall to 9.90 ft by Friday, October 23 at 02:00 AM.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:03062450 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 39.62008, -79.96895 (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	10.27 ft	2026-10-20 07:15	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Monongahela River at Morgantown Lock & Dam (Lower) (usgs:03062450). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/west-virginia/monongahela-river-at-morgantown-lock-and-dam-lower

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