TidalMapTown Creek near Oldtown, MD 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 01609000 sits on Town Creek and reads everything draining 148 square miles of the Cacapon-Town basin. Its datum sits 547 feet above sea level NAVD88. Daily flow has been on record here since 1928, 44 years of it.
Where this gauge sits in the drainage
No gauged site sits above this one on the mainstem, so this is the first published reading on the river. Downstream the next reading comes from Potomac River at Paw Paw, WV at 3,129 square miles, so what passes this gauge is about 5% of the water measured there. Water passing here goes on to Potomac River at Hancock, MD.
Normal flows here
Town Creek runs a median of 65 cfs at this gauge across 44 years of record. March is the fullest month at a median 200 cfs, and September the leanest at 13 cfs. The highest daily mean on record is 8,140 cfs in 1972, and the lowest is 0.7 cfs in 2002.
| Month | Median flow | Share of annual median |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 98 cfs | 151% |
| Feb | 123 cfs | 189% |
| Mar | 200 cfs | 308% |
| Apr | 193 cfs | 297% |
| May | 142 cfs | 218% |
| Jun | 45 cfs | 69% |
| Jul | 25 cfs | 38% |
| Aug | 16 cfs | 25% |
| Sep | 13 cfs | 20% |
| Oct | 15 cfs | 23% |
| Nov | 39 cfs | 60% |
| Dec | 87 cfs | 134% |
Medians from the USGS daily-statistics record, 1928 to 2026. A month at 100% is running at its own long-term median.
Flood stages and record crests
Town Creek reaches flood stage at this gauge at 14 feet. NWS starts watching it at 10 feet. The highest crest on record is 19 feet, in March 1936.
| Category | Gage height |
|---|---|
| Action | 10 ft |
| Minor flooding | 14 ft |
| Moderate flooding | 17 ft |
| Major flooding | 20 ft |
| When | Crest |
|---|---|
| March 1936 | 19 ft |
| September 2021 | 15.1 ft |
| May 2025 | 14.7 ft |
| June 1972 | 14.1 ft |
| October 1929 | 14 ft |
Flood categories and crest history from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge OLTM2. Stages are gage height, not depth. Not for navigation.
Nearby river gauges
- Potomac River at Paw Paw, WV
- North Branch Potomac River near Cumberland, MD
- Sideling Hill Creek near Bellegrove, MD
- Wills Creek near Cumberland, MD
- Potomac River at Hancock, MD
- Tonoloway Creek near Hancock, MD
- Hogue Creek near Hayfield, VA
- Georges Creek at Franklin, MD
- North Branch Potomac River at Luke, MD
- Cedar Creek near Winchester, VA
- Licking Creek at Pectonville, MD
- Savage River near Barton, MD
Live streamflow and gage height: USGS gauge 01609000. Percentile context computed against the gauge's period of record. Not for navigation.
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