TidalMapOhio River at Old Shawneetown, Il-Ky Water Level Today
NWS river forecast
| When | Stage | Flow |
|---|
Forecast from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service. Issued a few times a day and only while a forecast is active. Not for navigation.
Last 30 days
About this gauge
USGS gauge 03381700 sits on the Ohio River and reads everything draining 141,000 square miles of the Lower Ohio-Bay basin. Its datum sits 309 feet above sea level NAVD88. Daily flow is on record here from 2002 to 2024, 22 years in all.
Where this gauge sits in the drainage
One gauged site sits upstream of here. The closest is Ohio River at Uniontown Dam, KY, reading 108,000 square miles. This gauge adds the 33,000 square miles that drain in between.
Normal flows here
The Ohio River runs a median of 166,500 cfs at this gauge across 22 years of record. March is the fullest month at a median 337,000 cfs, and September the leanest at 48,850 cfs. The highest daily mean on record is 1,070,000 cfs in 2011, and the lowest is 6,280 cfs in 2010.
| Month | Median flow | Share of annual median |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 291,000 cfs | 175% |
| Feb | 263,000 cfs | 158% |
| Mar | 337,000 cfs | 202% |
| Apr | 303,500 cfs | 182% |
| May | 280,000 cfs | 168% |
| Jun | 159,000 cfs | 95% |
| Jul | 99,000 cfs | 59% |
| Aug | 60,000 cfs | 36% |
| Sep | 48,850 cfs | 29% |
| Oct | 58,400 cfs | 35% |
| Nov | 111,500 cfs | 67% |
| Dec | 191,000 cfs | 115% |
Medians from the USGS daily-statistics record, 2002 to 2024. A month at 100% is running at its own long-term median. USGS stopped publishing a daily flow record at this gauge, so these are historical norms, not a baseline for current readings.
Flood stages and record crests
The Ohio River reaches flood stage at this gauge at 33 feet. NWS starts watching it at 30 feet. The highest crest on record is 65.6 feet, in January 1937.
| Category | Gage height |
|---|---|
| Action | 30 ft |
| Minor flooding | 33 ft |
| Moderate flooding | 43 ft |
| Major flooding | 53 ft |
| When | Crest |
|---|---|
| January 1937 | 65.6 ft |
| May 2011 | 56.4 ft |
| March 1945 | 55.6 ft |
| January 1950 | 55.3 ft |
| March 1964 | 54.6 ft |
Flood categories and crest history from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SHNI2. Stages are gage height, not depth. Not for navigation.
Nearby river gauges
- Ohio River at Uniontown Dam, KY
- Tradewater River near Providence, KY
- Ohio River at Henderson, KY
- Tradewater River at Olney, KY
- Green River at Lock 1 at Spottsville, KY
- Ohio River at Paducah, KY
- Massac Creek near Paducah, KY
- Green River at Lock 2 at Calhoun, KY
- Pond River near Apex, KY
- Ohio River at Riverport at Owensboro, KY
- Clarks River at Almo, KY
- Mayfield Creek at Lovelaceville, KY
Live streamflow and gage height: USGS gauge 03381700. Percentile context computed against the gauge's period of record. Not for navigation.
Open Ohio River at Old Shawneetown, Il-Ky on the live chart →
River pins, dam-release overlays and wadability lines live in the app, start a free TidalMap trial.