Rough River Lake near Falls of Rough water level

Name: Rough River Lake near Falls of Rough water level (U.S. Geological Survey)
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
License: https://www.usgs.gov/information-policies-and-instructions/copyrights-and-credits

Lake, Rough River Lake, Kentucky, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Surface elevation

488.39ft Down 0.42 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 03:00 PM EDT (46 min ago)

Water level: 88.39 ft

History

7 days

Surface elevation Minor flood stage

What this means

Rough River Lake near Falls of Rough is at 488.39 ft, in the normal range.

It is 35.61 ft below the flood stage of 524.00 ft.

It has dropped 0.42 ft over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 488.39 ft and 489.89 ft.

Lakes and reservoirs often sit lower in fall after a summer of evaporation and use, and recover with winter rain and spring snowmelt.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 530.45 ftApril 6, 2025

On the water at Rough River Lake near Falls of Rough

Normal levels mean few surprises on the water: ramps in use and the shoreline where you expect it.

Wear a life jacket on the water. Most boating deaths involve people who were not wearing one.

What happens at each level

554.00 ft: Top of dam.
530.40 ft: Record elevation on 04/06/2025.
524.00 ft: Flood pool, spillway elevation.
507.40 ft: North Fork park closed.
506.00 ft: Water over access road to some sites in North Fork.
502.50 ft: Water over access road to sites in Laurel Branch campground.
501.00 ft: Entrance at state park dock is under water.
498.00 ft: Beach at North Fork is closed.
496.50 ft: Water over sites in Axtel.
495.00 ft: Summer Pool
490.00 ft: Water is too low for boats to launch at Everleigh ramp.
488.39 ft: Right now
478.00 ft: Water is too low to launch boats at Peter Cave ramp.

Impact statements from the U.S. National Weather Service.

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 74° 41° – Wind 6 mph

21 Wed 74° 43° – Wind 7 mph

22 Thu 75° 47° – Wind 7 mph

23 Fri 74° 47° – Wind 8 mph

24 Sat 76° 49° – Wind 7 mph

25 Sun 77° 52° – Wind 5 mph

26 Mon 74° 53° – Wind 7 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 08:00 AM Sunset 07:03 PM Daylight 11 hr, 4 min Waxing gibbous 71%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Rough River near Falls of Rough at DamRiver gauge, Rough River	37.17 ft	Normal	+0.01 ft	0.3 mi
Rough River near DundeeRiver gauge, Rough River	10.44 ft	Below flood stage	+1.02 ft	13 mi
Caney Creek near Horse BranchRiver gauge, Caney Creek	0.0 cfs	Low	±0	14 mi
Ohio River at Cannelton Dam at CanneltonRiver gauge, Ohio River	14.17 ft	Normal	−0.43 ft	22 mi
Nolin River at White MillsRiver gauge, Nolin River	77.4 cfs	Normal	−3.1 cfs	26 mi
Nolin Lake near KyrockLake, Nolin Lake	514.55 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	27 mi
Nolin River at KyrockRiver gauge, Nolin River	17.37 ft	Very low	−0.01 ft	28 mi
Green River at Lock 4 at WoodburyRiver gauge, Green River	3.01 ft	Below flood stage	−0.12 ft	31 mi

Questions and answers

Is Rough River Lake near Falls of Rough really 488.39 ft deep?

No. 488.39 ft is the height of the water surface above sea level (or the agency's vertical datum), not the depth of the water.

What is the water level of Rough River Lake near Falls of Rough today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 03:00 PM EDT, the surface elevation was 488.39 ft. Down 0.42 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Rough River Lake near Falls of Rough rising or falling?

Down 0.42 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Rough River Lake near Falls of Rough normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Rough River Lake near Falls of Rough?

The highest level on record is 530.45 ft on April 6, 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:03318005 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 37.62006, -86.49943 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: NGVD29
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
Surface elevation	488.39 ft	2026-10-20 19:00	Provisional
Water level	88.39 ft	2026-10-20 19:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Rough River Lake near Falls of Rough (usgs:03318005). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/kentucky/rough-river-lake-near-falls-of-rough

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