North F South Branch Potomac River at Cabins water level

Name: North F South Branch Potomac River at Cabins 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, North F South Branch Potomac River, West Virginia, United States

Directions

High for late October

Water level

4.99ft Down 0.11 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 21, 2026, 05:00 AM EDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 301 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

High water at North F South Branch Potomac River at Cabins: the latest reading is 4.99 ft, above normal for late October.

It is still going down, by 0.11 ft over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 4.99 ft – 5.71 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: 18.00 ftJune 17, 1949

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	18.00 ft	June 17, 1949
2	13.38 ft	October 6, 1972
3	13.20 ft	March 19, 1963
4	12.80 ft	March 17, 1936
5	12.72 ft	March 7, 1967
6	12.61 ft	April 16, 2018
7	12.22 ft	April 9, 1977
8	12.20 ft	October 15, 1954
9	12.08 ft	October 18, 1975
10	11.95 ft	September 19, 2003

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

21 Wed 64° 44° – Wind 5 mph

22 Thu 67° 45° – Wind 8 mph

23 Fri 63° 44° – Wind 4 mph

24 Sat 64° 40° – Wind 4 mph

25 Sun 66° 41° – Wind 4 mph

26 Mon 72° 46° – Wind 4 mph

27 Tue 70° 49° – Wind 4 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:33 AM Sunset 06:31 PM Daylight 10 hr, 58 min Waxing gibbous 76%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
South Branch Potomac River near PetersburgRiver gauge, South Branch Potomac River	5.28 ft	Below flood stage	−0.07 ft	3.1 mi
South F South Branch Potomac River near MoorefieldRiver gauge, South F South Branch Potomac River	3.27 ft	Below flood stage	−0.09 ft	15 mi
Blackwater River at DavisRiver gauge, Blackwater River	2.50 ft	Below flood stage	−0.20 ft	16 mi
Dry Fork at GladwinRiver gauge, Dry Fork	4.45 ft	Below flood stage	−0.25 ft	16 mi
Dry Fork at HendricksRiver gauge, Dry Fork	2.78 ft	Below flood stage	−0.20 ft	22 mi
North Branch Potomac River at SteyerRiver gauge, North Branch Potomac River	2.65 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	22 mi
South F South Branch Potomac River at BrandywineRiver gauge, South F South Branch Potomac River	1.71 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	24 mi
South Branch Potomac River at FranklinRiver gauge, South Branch Potomac River	2.10 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	25 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 North F South Branch Potomac River at Cabins today?

On Oct 21, 2026, 05:00 AM EDT, the water level was 4.99 ft. Down 0.11 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is North F South Branch Potomac River at Cabins rising or falling?

Down 0.11 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of North F South Branch Potomac River at Cabins 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 North F South Branch Potomac River at Cabins?

The highest level on record is 18.00 ft on June 17, 1949.

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:01606000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 38.98455, -79.23365 (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	4.99 ft	2026-10-21 09:00	Provisional
Flow	301 cfs	2026-10-21 09:00	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: North F South Branch Potomac River at Cabins (usgs:01606000). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/west-virginia/north-f-south-branch-potomac-river-at-cabins

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