Ohio River at Parkersburg water level

Name: Ohio River at Parkersburg 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

High for mid-October

Water level

21.60ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 05:00 AM EDT (45 min ago)

History

7 days

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

The forecast expects the river to fall to 21.00 ft by Thursday, October 22 at 02:00 PM. Issued Monday, October 19 at 09:57 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

The gauge at Ohio River at Parkersburg shows 21.60 ft, above normal for mid-October.

That puts it 0.41 ft above the median of 21.19 ft for mid-October, based on 10 years of readings. It is 14.40 ft below the flood stage of 36.00 ft.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 21.00 ft by Thursday, October 22 at 02:00 PM. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 21.43 ft and 22.28 ft.

Compared with 10 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 21.19 ft0.41 ft above the median for this date
Normal for this date: 20.84 ft – 21.76 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (10 years of records)
Highest on record: 45.20 ftMarch 12, 1964
Lowest on record: −1.30 ftOctober 30, 1879
Forecast peak: 21.40 ftTuesday, October 20 at 02:00 AM

What the stage means on the water

Fast, high water is not the time for casual paddling. Strainers, debris and cold water make an unplanned swim dangerous.

The National Weather Service puts flood stage for this gauge at 36.00 ft, still 14.40 ft away.

What happens at each level

58.90 ft: Record flood. The flood wall protects to 62 feet in Parkersburg. Record flooding is occurring outside the flood wall in both West Virginia and Ohio.
48.00 ft: Main Street, Fifth Street, Walnut Street, O'Neal Street, along with most of the streets near the Ohio River in Belpre, Ohio, are flooded. Major flooding along the Little Kanwaha River and in Vienna, West Virginia. Most areas, homes, and businesses near the rivers are flooded.
45.00 ft: Washington Blvd., Florence, Main Streets are flooded in Belpre, Ohio. Major flooding occurs along the Little Kanwaha River and in sections of Vienna, West Virginia.
43.00 ft: Blennerhassett, Lee, John, Walnut, Elm, Scott, Sixth, Seventh and the lower end of Main Street are flooded in Belpre, Ohio. Major flooding occurs along the Little Kanawha River and in sections of Vienna, West Virginia.
42.00 ft: Blennerhassett Avenue, Stone Road, Seventh, Scott, Walnut and John Streets in Belpre, Ohio are flooded. Major flooding occurs along the Little Kanawha River in West Virginia.
41.00 ft: In West Virginia, the railroad tracks on the south bank of the Little Kanawha are flooded. Several homes along the Little Kanawha are flooded. In Belpre, Ohio, a few homes along Walnut and John Streets, Sixth Street and Barclay Street, Main Street and Blennerhassett Avenue and State Route 618 near Shell Chemical are flooded.
40.00 ft: Most of Happy Valley is flooded. Sections of Vienna, West Virginia along the Ohio River are flooded. Walnut and John Streets in Belpre, Ohio are flooded.
38.00 ft: Several homes flooded in the Happy Valley and Point Drive areas near Parkersburg, along the Little Kanawha River. A few homes are flooded on Annas Drive in Vienna, West Virginia. Dave's Marina, Walnut Street, and Scott Avenue in Belpre, Ohio, start to flood.
36.00 ft: Backwater effects will start to cause problems along the Little Kanawha River. Happy Valley Road in Happy Valley starts to flood.
21.60 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: 7 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	45.20 ft	March 12, 1964
2	43.90 ft	January 29, 1952
3	43.73 ft	September 19, 2004
4	42.50 ft	March 22, 1963
5	42.41 ft	January 8, 2005
6	40.90 ft	January 24, 1959
7	40.70 ft	January 21, 1996
8	40.10 ft	April 5, 2024
9	40.05 ft	February 27, 1979
10	39.71 ft	February 18, 2018

Weather at the gauge

The forecast is not available right now.

Sunrise 07:42 AM Sunset 06:42 PM Daylight 11 hr First quarter 67%

Map

Other gauges on the Ohio River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Ohio River at Pike Island Dam near Wheeling (Upper)River gauge, Ohio River	12.85 ft	No reference yet	+0.31 ft	76 mi
Ohio River at Pike Island Lock & Dam (Lower)River gauge, Ohio River	13.67 ft	Below flood stage	−1.06 ft	76 mi
Ohio River at WheelingRiver gauge, Ohio River	16.09 ft	Below flood stage	−0.59 ft	70 mi
Ohio River at Hannibal Lock and Dam (Upper)River gauge, Ohio River	12.92 ft	No reference yet	±0	46 mi
Ohio River at Hannibal Lock and Dam (Lower)River gauge, Ohio River	12.75 ft	Below flood stage	−0.73 ft	46 mi
Ohio River above SardisRiver gauge, Ohio River	28,900 cfs	High	+27,300 cfs	44 mi
Ohio River at MariettaRiver gauge, Ohio River	16.28 ft	Below flood stage	−0.34 ft	11 mi
Ohio River at Point PleasantRiver gauge, Ohio River	25.03 ft	Normal	+0.10 ft	43 mi
Ohio River at HuntingtonRiver gauge, Ohio River	26.77 ft	Normal	−0.17 ft	78 mi
Ohio River at AshlandRiver gauge, Ohio River	34.83 ft	Below flood stage	±0	79 mi
Ohio River at IrontonRiver gauge, Ohio River	34.70 ft	Very high	+0.06 ft	79 mi
Ohio River at Greenup Dam near GreenupRiver gauge, Ohio River	17.37 ft	Below flood stage	−1.97 ft	82 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Little Tygart Creek at Mineral WellsRiver gauge, Little Tygart Creek	1.20 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	6 mi
Little Kanawha River at PalestineRiver gauge, Little Kanawha River	15.63 ft	Below flood stage	−0.37 ft	17 mi
Duck Creek below Whipple OHRiver gauge, Duck Creek	2.14 ft	Below flood stage	−0.12 ft	18 mi
Muskingum River at Beverly OHRiver gauge, Muskingum River	15.50 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	20 mi
Shade River near Chester OHRiver gauge, Shade River	5.11 ft	Below flood stage	−0.06 ft	22 mi
South Fork Hughes River below MacfarlanRiver gauge, South Fork Hughes River	5.05 ft	Below flood stage	−0.26 ft	23 mi
West Fork Duck Creek at Macksburg OHRiver gauge, West Fork Duck Creek	7.74 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	26 mi
East Fork Duck Creek near Harrietsville OHRiver gauge, East Fork Duck Creek	3.72 ft	Below flood stage	−0.06 ft	26 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Ohio River at Parkersburg?

The official flood stage is 36.00 ft. The level is currently 14.40 ft below it.

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

The median for mid-October is 21.19 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 20.84 ft and 21.76 ft, based on 10 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 Parkersburg today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 05:00 AM EDT, the water level was 21.60 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Ohio River at Parkersburg rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Ohio River at Parkersburg normal?

High for mid-October. Compared with 10 years of daily readings for this time of year.

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

The highest level on record is 45.20 ft on March 12, 1964. The lowest is −1.30 ft on October 30, 1879.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:03151000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 39.26813, -81.56374 (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	21.60 ft	2026-10-20 09:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Ohio River at Parkersburg (usgs:03151000). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/west-virginia/ohio-river-at-parkersburg

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