River stage

Ohio River

River level: Normal
Status: Below flood stage

Latest readings 2026-10-13 | NWS · USGS

Gauges reporting: 44 of 44
Above flood stage: 0
Above action stage: 0
Overall: Below flood stage
Publisher: NWS · USGS

In brief

On Oct 13, 2026, 44 of 44 gauges on the Ohio River reported, and none was above flood stage.

Source: National Weather Service and USGS gauges

Ohio River levels, gauge by gauge

The Ohio River is measured at 44 gauges across Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia. Flood stages are set per gauge, so the same river is "high" at one town and normal at the next.

Location	State	Level	Flood stage	Status
Cairo	IL	20.30 ft	40.00 ft	normal, steady
Golconda	IL	30.17 ft	40.00 ft	normal, rising
Olmsted Lock and Dam Headwater	IL	22.59 ft	36.00 ft	below flood stage
Olmsted Lock and Dam Tailwater	IL	21.08 ft	—	no flood stage set
Shawneetown	IL	16.95 ft	33.00 ft	normal, rising
Smithland Lock and Dam	IL	13.45 ft	40.00 ft	below flood stage
Cannelton Lock and Dam	IN	15.45 ft	42.00 ft	below flood stage
Clifty Creek	IN	424.86 ft	451.00 ft	normal, steady
Evansville	IN	16.18 ft	42.00 ft	normal, rising
J.T. Myers Lock and Dam	KY	17.03 ft	37.00 ft	below flood stage
Newburgh Lock and Dam	IN	17.27 ft	38.00 ft	below flood stage
NWS gauge RVPK2	KY	17.37 ft	—	no flood stage set
Ashland	KY	35.31 ft	52.00 ft	normal, rising
Henderson	KY	14.04 ft	36.00 ft	normal, rising
Lloyd Greenup Lock	KY	24.21 ft	54.00 ft	below flood stage
Louisville Water Tower	KY	13.08 ft	—	no flood stage set
Markland Lower	KY	21.87 ft	51.00 ft	normal, rising
Maysville	KY	34.98 ft	50.00 ft	normal, rising
McAlpine Lower	KY	20.17 ft	55.00 ft	normal, rising
McAlpine Upper	KY	12.67 ft	23.00 ft	normal, falling
Owensboro	KY	20.12 ft	40.00 ft	normal, steady
Paducah	KY	16.09 ft	39.00 ft	normal, falling
NWS gauge CCNO1	OH	30.44 ft	52.00 ft	below flood stage
Hannibal Lock and Dam	OH	13.72 ft	35.00 ft	below flood stage
Ironton	OH	34.95 ft	52.00 ft	normal, rising
Marietta Pumphouse	OH	17.19 ft	35.00 ft	normal, rising
Meldahl Dam	OH	23.65 ft	51.00 ft	below flood stage
New Cumberland Lock and Dam	WV	15.09 ft	36.00 ft	below flood stage
Portsmouth	OH	23.46 ft	50.00 ft	normal, rising
Sardis	OH	13.72 ft	—	no flood stage set
Willow Island Lock	OH	15.36 ft	37.00 ft	below flood stage
Dashields Lock and Dam	PA	15.74 ft	25.00 ft	below flood stage
Emsworth L/d Pool	PA	16.72 ft	—	no flood stage set
Emsworth Lock and Dam	PA	16.00 ft	—	no flood stage set
Montgomery Lock and Dam	PA	13.77 ft	33.00 ft	below flood stage
Pittsburgh	PA	16.88 ft	22.00 ft	normal, steady
Belleville Lock	WV	15.15 ft	35.00 ft	below flood stage
Huntington	WV	28.02 ft	50.00 ft	normal, rising
Parkersburg	WV	22.29 ft	36.00 ft	normal, rising
Pike Island Lock and Dam	WV	15.48 ft	37.00 ft	below flood stage
Point Pleasant	WV	25.22 ft	40.00 ft	normal, rising
R C Byrd Lock	WV	20.91 ft	50.00 ft	below flood stage
Racine Lock	WV	15.89 ft	41.00 ft	below flood stage
Wheeling	WV	17.04 ft	36.00 ft	normal, rising

Recent levels on the Ohio River

The gauge with the fullest recent record on this river is Golconda, IL, with 122 days of readings.

Full history for Golconda →

Other rivers nearby

Licking River (KY) 9 gauges
Eagle Creek (KY) 2 gauges
Elkhorn Creek (KY) 3 gauges
Mill Creek (OH) 5 gauges
Little Miami River 4 gauges
Paint Creek 6 gauges
Kentucky River 14 gauges
Red River (KY) 2 gauges

Frequently asked questions

Is the Ohio River flooding right now?

No. Every one of the 44 reporting gauges on the Ohio River is below flood stage as of 2026-10-13.

How high is the Ohio River?

The river is measured at several points and each reads a different height. Cairo is at 20.30 ft; Golconda is at 30.17 ft; Shawneetown is at 16.95 ft; Clifty Creek is at 424.86 ft.

Where is the Ohio River measured?

The National Weather Service and USGS operate 44 gauges on the Ohio River across Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia.

What does flood stage mean?

Flood stage is the height at which a river begins to cause problems at that specific location. It is set per gauge, so the same river can be above flood stage in one town and normal a few miles downstream. Action stage is the lower level at which forecasters start watching closely.

River stages and flood categories from the NOAA National Weather Service; daily history from the U.S. Geological Survey. For flood safety decisions always follow official National Weather Service warnings.