Ohio River at Water Tower at Louisville water level

Name: Ohio River at Water Tower at Louisville 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, Kentucky, United States

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

13.26ft Up 0.06 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 12:00 PM EDT (27 min ago)

Flow: 80,000 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Ohio River at Water Tower at Louisville, where the gauge shows 13.26 ft.

It is on the way up, by 0.06 ft over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 12.80 ft – 13.56 ft.

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

Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 37.51 ftApril 9, 2025

Paddling and fishing conditions

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

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	37.51 ft	April 9, 2025
2	34.59 ft	February 25, 2018
3	31.03 ft	March 16, 2015
4	30.00 ft	March 6, 2021
5	29.64 ft	February 14, 2019
6	29.61 ft	February 20, 2025
7	26.67 ft	February 16, 2020

Weather at the gauge

The forecast is not available right now.

Sunrise 07:57 AM Sunset 06:59 PM Daylight 11 hr, 2 min Waxing gibbous 69%

Map

Other gauges on the Ohio River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Ohio River at MaysvilleRiver gauge, Ohio River	33.79 ft	Low	−0.26 ft	107 mi
Ohio River at CincinnatiRiver gauge, Ohio River	27.51 ft	Normal	−1.13 ft	85 mi
Ohio River at Markland Dam near WarsawRiver gauge, Ohio River	17.11 ft	Normal	−1.72 ft	52 mi
Ohio River at MadisonRiver gauge, Ohio River	14.37 ft	No reference yet	−0.66 ft	36 mi
Ohio River at LouisvilleRiver gauge, Ohio River	16.45 ft	High	−0.95 ft	5.3 mi
Ohio River below Riverview Park near LouisvilleRiver gauge, Ohio River	14.89 ft	No reference yet	−0.41 ft	15 mi
Ohio River at Cannelton Dam at CanneltonRiver gauge, Ohio River	14.22 ft	Normal	−0.49 ft	61 mi
Ohio River at Riverport at OwensboroRiver gauge, Ohio River	19.89 ft	No reference yet	+0.05 ft	85 mi
Ohio River at Newburgh Lock and DamRiver gauge, Ohio River	16.90 ft	Normal	−0.76 ft	94 mi
Ohio River at EvansvilleRiver gauge, Ohio River	16.26 ft	Normal	−0.53 ft	104 mi
Ohio River at HendersonRiver gauge, Ohio River	14.23 ft	Normal	−0.29 ft	107 mi
Ohio River at Uniontown DamRiver gauge, Ohio River	16.99 ft	Normal	+4.02 ft	129 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Beargrass Creek at River Road at LouisvilleRiver gauge, Beargrass Creek	40.6 cfs	Normal	+25.5 cfs	1.5 mi
South Fork Beargrass Creek at E Oak St at LouisvilleRiver gauge, South Fork Beargrass Creek	2.9 cfs	Low	−0.2 cfs	3.6 mi
Middle Fork Beargrass at Old Cannons Ln at LouisvilleRiver gauge, Middle Fork Beargrass	3.2 cfs	Normal	−0.6 cfs	3.7 mi
Ohio R Us of McAlpine Dam @ Rrb at LouisvilleRiver gauge, Ohio R Us of McAlpine Dam @ Rrb	12.95 ft	Normal	+0.08 ft	3.8 mi
Little Goose Creek near Harrods CreekRiver gauge, Little Goose Creek	3.9 cfs	Normal	−0.6 cfs	4.7 mi
South Fork Beargrass Creek at LouisvilleRiver gauge, South Fork Beargrass Creek	4.1 cfs	Normal	−0.5 cfs	4.8 mi
Goose Creek at Old Westport Road near St MatthewsRiver gauge, Goose Creek	2.8 cfs	Normal	−0.2 cfs	5.2 mi
Silver Creek near SellersburgRiver gauge, Silver Creek	10.5 cfs	Normal	−1.4 cfs	6 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 Ohio River at Water Tower at Louisville today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 12:00 PM EDT, the water level was 13.26 ft. Up 0.06 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Ohio River at Water Tower at Louisville rising or falling?

Up 0.06 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Ohio River at Water Tower at Louisville normal?

Normal for mid-October. Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Ohio River at Water Tower at Louisville?

The highest level on record is 37.51 ft on April 9, 2025.

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:03292494 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 38.28117, -85.70218 (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	13.26 ft	2026-10-20 16:00	Provisional
Flow	80,000 cfs	2026-10-20 16:00	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Ohio River at Water Tower at Louisville (usgs:03292494). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/kentucky/ohio-river-at-water-tower-at-louisville

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