Cuyahoga River at Independence OH water level

Name: Cuyahoga River at Independence OH 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, Cuyahoga River, Ohio, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

2.90ft Down 0.45 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 09:30 PM EDT (22 min ago)

Flow: 357 cfs
Water temperature: 56 °F

History

7 days

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to rise to 3.10 ft by Sunday, October 18 at 08:00 PM. Issued Sunday, October 18 at 09:45 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Cuyahoga River at Independence OH, where the gauge shows 2.90 ft.

It is 14.10 ft below the flood stage of 17.00 ft.

It is still going down, by 0.45 ft over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to rise to 3.10 ft by Sunday, October 18 at 08:00 PM. The 30-day range is 2.80 ft – 4.79 ft.

The sensor also reports a water temperature of 56 °F.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 23.29 ftJune 23, 2006
Forecast peak: 3.10 ftSunday, October 18 at 08:00 PM

Paddling and fishing conditions

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

For reference, flood stage is 17.00 ft.

What happens at each level

27.00 ft: The river gage is flooded. Historic flooding in the valley.
24.00 ft: Record flooding expected. Comparable river flows as that of the historic 1913 flood.
23.50 ft: Comparable with the FEMA 0.2 percent flood and exceeding the flood of 2006.
22.00 ft: Comparable with the FEMA 1 percent flood. Several busineeses and homes along the Cuyahoga River flooded. Industrial and residential properties north of Rockside Road impacted.
21.00 ft: Property along Canal, Frances, Murray, Rockside, and Cloverleaf Roads in the village of Valley View inundated. Water extends to Commerce Parkway, Wall Street, Exchange Road, and Cloverleaf Parkway.
19.50 ft: Homes and businesses flooded in Valley View. Numerous road closures.
19.00 ft: Water inundates along Gleeson, Charles, Frances, and Stone Streets in Valley View. Many roads may become impassable. Water is out of banks in Brecksville Reservation and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
18.50 ft: Water backs up on Murray and Fosdick Roads in Valley View. Portions of Exchange Road, Wall Street, and Cloverleaf Road inundated.
17.00 ft: Tinkers Creek and Mill Creek backup due to high flows on the Cuyahoga River. Canal Road inundated.
16.00 ft: Floodwaters begin encroaching on Canal Road in the village of Valley View.
2.90 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: 10 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	23.29 ft	June 23, 2006
2	22.73 ft	February 28, 2011
3	22.41 ft	January 22, 1959
4	22.06 ft	September 15, 1979
5	21.77 ft	December 30, 1990
6	21.66 ft	May 22, 2004
7	21.62 ft	March 29, 2020
8	21.12 ft	July 22, 2003
9	20.89 ft	April 16, 2018
10	20.86 ft	October 30, 2012

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.63 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 59° 36° – Wind 9 mph

19 Mon 63° 40° – Wind 7 mph

20 Tue 66° 44° – Wind 8 mph

21 Wed 66° 48° – Wind 6 mph

22 Thu 65° 50° – Wind 6 mph

23 Fri 62° 49° – Wind 9 mph

24 Sat 65° 43° – Wind 10 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:43 AM Sunset 06:41 PM Daylight 10 hr, 58 min First quarter 54%

Map

Other gauges on the Cuyahoga River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Cuyahoga River at Hiram Rapids OHRiver gauge, Cuyahoga River	1.76 ft	Below flood stage	+0.03 ft	24 mi
Cuyahoga River at Old Portage OHRiver gauge, Cuyahoga River	2.45 ft	Below flood stage	−0.17 ft	18 mi
Cuyahoga River at Jaite OHRiver gauge, Cuyahoga River	2.46 ft	Below flood stage	−0.31 ft	8 mi
Cuyahoga River at Rivergate Park at Cleveland OHRiver gauge, Cuyahoga River	3.99 ft	No reference yet	−0.11 ft	8 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Mill Creek at Garfield Hts OHRiver gauge, Mill Creek	8.9 cfs	Normal	−3.3 cfs	2.0 mi
West Creek at Brooklyn Heights OHRiver gauge, West Creek	3.0 cfs	Normal	−2.2 cfs	2.3 mi
Mill Creek at Garfield Pkwy at Garfield Heights OHRiver gauge, Mill Creek	1.49 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	2.9 mi
Tinkers Creek at Bedford OHRiver gauge, Tinkers Creek	2.36 ft	Below flood stage	−0.29 ft	5.4 mi
Big Creek at Cleveland OHRiver gauge, Big Creek	2.17 ft	Below flood stage	−0.11 ft	6.1 mi
East Branch Big Creek at Brooklyn OHRiver gauge, East Branch Big Creek	9.7 cfs	Normal	−4.9 cfs	7 mi
Doan Brook at MLK Jr Dr at Cleveland OHRiver gauge, Doan Brook	1.71 ft	Normal	−0.14 ft	8 mi
Indian Creek near Macedonia OHRiver gauge, Indian Creek	0.93 ft	Below flood stage	−0.11 ft	9 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Cuyahoga River at Independence OH?

The official flood stage is 17.00 ft. The level is currently 14.10 ft below it.

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 Cuyahoga River at Independence OH today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 09:30 PM EDT, the water level was 2.90 ft. Down 0.45 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Cuyahoga River at Independence OH rising or falling?

Down 0.45 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Cuyahoga River at Independence OH normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Cuyahoga River at Independence OH?

The highest level on record is 23.29 ft on June 23, 2006.

Is Cuyahoga River at Independence OH expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to rise to 3.10 ft by Sunday, October 18 at 08:00 PM.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:04208000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 41.39533, -81.62985 (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	2.90 ft	2026-10-19 01:30	Provisional
Flow	357 cfs	2026-10-19 01:30	Provisional
Water temperature	56 °F	2026-10-19 01:30	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Cuyahoga River at Independence OH (usgs:04208000). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/ohio/cuyahoga-river-at-independence-oh

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