Monongahela R @ Maxwell L&D (lower pool) @ Maxwell water level

Name: Monongahela R @ Maxwell L&D (lower pool) @ Maxwell 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, Pennsylvania, United States

Directions

Very high for mid-October

Water level

11.50ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 12:30 PM EDT (58 min ago)

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

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

The forecast expects the river to fall to 10.40 ft by Friday, October 23 at 02:00 PM. Issued Monday, October 19 at 09:48 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

High water at Monongahela R @ Maxwell L&D (lower pool) @ Maxwell: the latest reading is 11.50 ft, well above normal for mid-October.

The median for mid-October is 9.98 ft, based on 11 years of readings, so the river stage is 1.52 ft above typical. It is 20.50 ft below the flood stage of 32.00 ft. On the same day last year the reading was 10.10 ft, a difference of +1.40 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 10.40 ft by Friday, October 23 at 02:00 PM. The 30-day range is 9.68 ft – 12.48 ft.

Compared with 11 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 9.98 ft1.52 ft above the median for this date
Normal for this date: 9.82 ft – 11.03 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (11 years of records)
Same day last year: 10.10 ft+1.40 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 9.68 ft – 12.48 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 9.60 ft – 19.70 ft
Highest on record: 44.40 ftNovember 5, 1985
Forecast peak: 11.20 ftMonday, October 19 at 08:00 PM

Staying safe in high water

Flood stage is only the first threshold. Above it the National Weather Service sets moderate and major flood stages, and the forecast crest tells you which of those the river is expected to reach.

Upstream gauges on the same river usually show a rise first, which is a useful early warning.

What happens at each level

40.50 ft: Flooding begins on the lower side of Main Street in Brownsville
35.00 ft: Homes flood on Middle Street, Liberty Street, Water Street, Broadway Street, River Street, and Axton Street in West Brownsville.
33.50 ft: Lock walls overtopped.
33.32 ft: Water levels reach the flood levels of the flood of July 30, 2017.
32.00 ft: Low lying areas of West Brownsville begin to flood.
31.00 ft: Navigation suspended, lock out of service.
28.00 ft: Middle Street and Liberty Street in West Brownsville are closed due to storm drain system backups, and several homes have basement flooding.
27.00 ft: Brownsville Road at Albany Tunnel (near Assad Iron and Metal) in Fayette County is closed due to high water.
11.50 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: 13 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	44.40 ft	November 5, 1985
2	38.20 ft	March 7, 1967
3	38.00 ft	March 5, 1963
4	37.80 ft	January 20, 1996
5	36.50 ft	February 19, 2000
6	35.40 ft	March 20, 1963
7	33.32 ft	July 30, 2017
8	32.60 ft	June 24, 1972
9	32.50 ft	May 25, 1968
10	32.30 ft	February 10, 1994

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

19 Mon 64° 30° – Wind 5 mph

20 Tue 66° 37° – Wind 7 mph

21 Wed 66° 40° – Wind 5 mph

22 Thu 64° 40° – Wind 6 mph

23 Fri 66° 42° – Wind 7 mph

24 Sat 66° 42° – Wind 6 mph

25 Sun 67° 41° – Wind 5 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:35 AM Sunset 06:36 PM Daylight 11 hr, 1 min First quarter 61%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Monongahela R at Maxwell L&D Upper Pool @ MaxwellRiver gauge, Monongahela R	10.36 ft	Very high	+0.02 ft	0.3 mi
Pike Run at GranvilleRiver gauge, Pike Run	1.09 ft	Very high	−0.25 ft	5.4 mi
South Fork Tenmile Creek at JeffersonRiver gauge, South Fork Tenmile Creek	3.19 ft	Below flood stage	−0.10 ft	8 mi
Redstone Creek at WaltersburgRiver gauge, Redstone Creek	57.5 cfs	Normal	−4.9 cfs	10 mi
Monongahela River at CharleroiRiver gauge, Monongahela River	9.56 ft	Normal	+0.34 ft	11 mi
Monongahela R at L&D4 Upper Pool at CharleroiRiver gauge, Monongahela R	10.44 ft	Very high	−0.09 ft	11 mi
Monongahela River (lower pool) near MasontownRiver gauge, Monongahela River (lower pool)	11.43 ft	Very high	−0.18 ft	12 mi
Monongahela River near MasontownRiver gauge, Monongahela River	12.63 ft	Below flood stage	−0.17 ft	12 mi

Questions and answers

Is Monongahela R @ Maxwell L&D (lower pool) @ Maxwell higher than last year?

Yes, it is 1.40 ft higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 10.10 ft.

What is flood stage for Monongahela R @ Maxwell L&D (lower pool) @ Maxwell?

The official flood stage is 32.00 ft. The level is currently 20.50 ft below it.

What is a normal level for Monongahela R @ Maxwell L&D (lower pool) @ Maxwell in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 9.98 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 9.82 ft and 11.03 ft, based on 11 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 Monongahela R @ Maxwell L&D (lower pool) @ Maxwell today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 12:30 PM EDT, the water level was 11.50 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Monongahela R @ Maxwell L&D (lower pool) @ Maxwell rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Down 0.57 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Monongahela R @ Maxwell L&D (lower pool) @ Maxwell normal?

Very high for mid-October. Compared with 11 years of daily readings for this time of year.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:03073751 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 39.99741, -79.95894 (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	11.50 ft	2026-10-19 16:30	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Monongahela R @ Maxwell L&D (lower pool) @ Maxwell (usgs:03073751). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/pennsylvania/monongahela-r-maxwell-l-and-d-lower-pool-maxwell

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