Flow report

West Virginia River Levels & Streamflow

As of Aug 5, 2026, West Virginia rivers are running at 252% of normal across 75 USGS gauges — the highest is 20,300 cfs on the Kanawha River At Charleston. Live discharge, gauge height, and percent-of-normal for every USGS streamgauge in West Virginia.

USGS gauges
75
State percent normal
252%
Paddle runs
2
Updated
Aug 5
Open the West Virginia flow layer on the map Every USGS streamgauge filtered to West Virginia.
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August
5
2026
Flow briefing

Streamflow levels across West Virginia are currently 252% of normal, with the Kanawha River At Charleston reporting the highest discharge in the state at 20,300 cfs and a gauge stage of 18.92 ft.

Meanwhile, the Gauley River Above Belva is seeing a spike today — up 411% since yesterday and currently running near peak.

Tap any gauge below for the full hydrograph, paired weather forecast, and historical context. Use the rivers panel to jump into West Virginia's named rivers.

Active weather warnings for West Virginia

# West Virginia Storm Center Report

A Flash Flood Warning remains in effect for northwestern Wayne County until noon EDT on August 5th. The National Weather Service in Charleston reports that thunderstorms are producing heavy rainfall across the region, with 1 to 1.5 inches already fallen and an additional 0.5 to 1 inch possible. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly, affecting small creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, and low-lying drainage areas. Residents in Wayne, Beech Fork State Park, and Lavalette should exercise extreme caution and avoid travel through flooded areas. Do not attempt to drive or walk through flooded roadways, as water depths can be deceptive and dangerous.

Source: National Weather Service

West Virginia at a glance

State-wide streamflow overview

The West Virginia flow picture in four data points -- where the state sits versus historical norms, what's flowing hardest, and what's spiking fastest.

Percent of normal

252%

100% is the historical norm. Below 70% indicates drought; above 130% can flag elevated flood risk.

Highest discharge

Kanawha River At Charleston 20,300 cfs

Gauge stage 18.92 ft

Biggest 24h spike

Gauley River Above Belva +411%

Now 6,340 cfs

Network coverage

Gauges + rivers tracked 75 + 0

USGS gauges feeding 0 named rivers in West Virginia.

Full streamgauge inventory

West Virginia USGS streamgauges

Every USGS gauge Snoflo tracks in West Virginia. Sortable, quickly filterable. Numeric columns heat-mapped from light to deep. Tap any gauge for its full hydrograph and forecast.

75 gauges
Streamgage Streamflow Gage height Water temp Air temp Elevation Watershed
Kanawha River At Charleston, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03198000
12,000 cfs 18.41 ft · 89°F 566 ft Lower Kanawha
Kanawha River At Kanawha Falls, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03193000
9,830 cfs 5.20 ft 73°F 81°F 622 ft Upper Kanawha
New River At Thurmond, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03185400
5,910 cfs 5.86 ft 77°F 67°F 1,041 ft Lower New
Gauley River Above Belva, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03192000
3,320 cfs 4.37 ft · 85°F 675 ft Gauley
Meadow River At Nallen, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03190000
1,420 cfs 7.20 ft · 66°F 1,880 ft Gauley
Potomac River At Shepherdstown, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 01618000
875 cfs 1.76 ft · 68°F 283 ft Conococheague-Opequon
Tygart Valley River At Colfax, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03057000
847 cfs 4.53 ft 76°F 86°F 868 ft Tygart Valley
Tug Fork At Kermit, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03214500
847 cfs 4.24 ft · 88°F 579 ft Tug
Tygart Valley R At Tygart Dam Nr Grafton, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03056000
787 cfs 5.65 ft 72°F 68°F 969 ft Tygart Valley
Little Kanawha River At Palestine, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03155000
734 cfs 14.95 ft 77°F 89°F 605 ft Little Kanawha
Gauley River Near Craigsville, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03189100
719 cfs 11.41 ft 71°F 64°F 1,881 ft Gauley
Guyandotte River At Logan, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03203600
693 cfs 5.64 ft · 86°F 646 ft Upper Guyandotte
Greenbrier River At Hilldale, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03184000
582 cfs 1.51 ft · 67°F 1,394 ft Greenbrier
Shenandoah River At Millville, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 01636500
554 cfs 1.45 ft 61°F 69°F 298 ft Shenandoah
Cheat River At Albright, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03070260
499 cfs 10.59 ft 78°F 84°F 1,203 ft Cheat
Greenbrier River At Alderson, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03183500
460 cfs 2.70 ft 77°F 68°F 1,534 ft Greenbrier
Bluestone River Near Pipestem, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03179000
456 cfs 4.08 ft 71°F 67°F 1,529 ft Middle New
Elk River At Queen Shoals, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03197000
411 cfs 4.52 ft · 88°F 609 ft Elk
West Fork River At Enterprise, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03061000
409 cfs 2.42 ft 76°F 86°F 872 ft West Fork
Coal River At Tornado, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03200500
368 cfs 9.88 ft 77°F 90°F 579 ft Coal
North Branch Potomac River At Luke, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 01598500
332 cfs 1.77 ft · 87°F 952 ft North Branch Potomac
Tygart Valley River At Philippi, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03054500
315 cfs 3.77 ft 78°F 67°F 1,287 ft Tygart Valley
Cheat River Near Parsons, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03069500
293 cfs 2.80 ft 76°F 85°F 1,593 ft Cheat
North Branch Potomac River At Barnum, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 01595800
260 cfs 3.05 ft 58°F 84°F 1,168 ft North Branch Potomac
Guyandotte River Near Baileysville, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03202400
253 cfs 3.59 ft · 84°F 1,139 ft Upper Guyandotte
Big Coal River At Ashford, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03198500
231 cfs 2.34 ft · 87°F 619 ft Coal
Tug Fork At Welch, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03212750
172 cfs 3.73 ft · 85°F 1,283 ft Tug
Elk River Below Webster Springs, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03194700
165 cfs 3.87 ft 76°F 82°F 1,019 ft Elk
Wheeling Creek At Elm Grove, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03112000
161 cfs 2.59 ft · 88°F 668 ft Upper Ohio-Wheeling
Buckhannon River At Hall, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03053500
153 cfs 4.61 ft · 84°F 1,374 ft Tygart Valley
South Branch Potomac River Near Springfield, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 01608500
134 cfs 1.05 ft 82°F 84°F 570 ft South Branch Potomac
Williams River At Dyer, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03186500
126 cfs 1.77 ft · 65°F 2,198 ft Gauley
Cranberry River Near Richwood, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03187500
120 cfs 2.88 ft 67°F 65°F 2,138 ft Gauley
So. Branch Potomac River Nr Petersburg, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 01606500
116 cfs 3.80 ft · 66°F 970 ft South Branch Potomac
Greenbrier River At Buckeye, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03182500
114 cfs 2.24 ft · 65°F 2,089 ft Greenbrier
Dry Fork At Beartown, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03212980
110 cfs 3.28 ft · 87°F 1,076 ft Tug
Tygart Valley River At Belington, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03051000
104 cfs 2.73 ft · 66°F 1,693 ft Tygart Valley
Middle Island Creek At Little, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03114500
92 cfs 2.59 ft 80°F 86°F 634 ft Little Muskingum-Middle Island
W.F. River At Butcherville, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03058500
90 cfs 1.64 ft · 86°F 996 ft West Fork
Dry Fork At Hendricks, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03065000
90 cfs 1.75 ft · 84°F 1,706 ft Cheat
Shavers Fork Below Bowden, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03068800
84 cfs 3.81 ft · 66°F 2,122 ft Cheat
Big Sandy Creek At Rockville, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03070500
75 cfs 3.95 ft · 84°F 1,338 ft Cheat
Opequon Creek Near Martinsburg, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 01616500
73 cfs 1.86 ft · 68°F 361 ft Conococheague-Opequon
Pocatalico River At Sissonville, Wv
6 hours ago · USGS 03201000
71 cfs 2.78 ft · 88°F 613 ft Lower Kanawha
Piney Creek At Raleigh, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03185000
67 cfs 2.26 ft · 66°F 2,104 ft Lower New
Middle Fork River At Audra, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03052000
66 cfs 2.15 ft · 84°F 1,678 ft Tygart Valley
West Fork R Bl Stonewall Jackson Dam Nr Weston, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03058000
65 cfs 8.55 ft 73°F 87°F 1,021 ft West Fork
Sand Run Near Buckhannon, Wv
1 day ago · USGS 03052500
58 cfs 2.59 ft · 59°F 1,540 ft Tygart Valley
Cacapon River Near Great Cacapon, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 01611500
56 cfs 1.33 ft 81°F 67°F 466 ft Cacapon-Town
Three Fork Creek Nr Grafton, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03056250
54 cfs 3.12 ft · 66°F 1,004 ft Tygart Valley
Buckhannon River At Alton, Wv
4 hours ago · USGS 03052120
52 cfs 5.03 ft · 83°F 1,785 ft Tygart Valley
Kings Creek At Weirton, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03110830
50 cfs 1.57 ft · 87°F 685 ft Upper Ohio
Tygart Valley River Near Dailey, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03050000
44 cfs 1.03 ft · 66°F 1,944 ft Tygart Valley
Deckers Creek At Morgantown, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03062500
39 cfs · · 86°F 806 ft Upper Monongahela
Buffalo Creek At Barrackville, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03061500
39 cfs 2.21 ft · 86°F 903 ft Upper Monongahela
W.Fork Little Kanawha River At Rocksdale, Wv
4 hours ago · USGS 03154000
38 cfs 5.89 ft · 87°F 673 ft Little Kanawha
Greenbrier River At Durbin, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03180500
35 cfs · 69°F 62°F 2,729 ft Greenbrier
L Kanawha River Nr Wildcat, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03151400
34 cfs 4.24 ft · 87°F 866 ft Little Kanawha
Blackwater R At Davis, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03066000
33 cfs 1.52 ft 71°F 78°F 3,071 ft Cheat
Clear Fork At Clear Fork, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03202750
33 cfs 1.97 ft · 86°F 1,140 ft Upper Guyandotte
South Branch Potomac River At Franklin, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 01605500
32 cfs 1.60 ft · 66°F 1,697 ft South Branch Potomac
Shavers Fork Nr Cheat Bridge, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03067510
31 cfs 4.33 ft 69°F 61°F 3,542 ft Cheat
Peters Creek Near Lockwood, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03191500
29 cfs 5.32 ft · 85°F 1,073 ft Gauley
N F South Br Potomac R At Cabins, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 01606000
28 cfs 4.00 ft · 66°F 1,053 ft South Branch Potomac
So Fk South Branch Potomac R Nr Moorefield, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 01608000
23 cfs 2.63 ft · 68°F 864 ft South Branch Potomac
Clear Fork At Whitesville, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03198350
17 cfs 12.22 ft · 86°F 842 ft Coal
East Fork Twelvepole Creek Near Dunlow, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03206600
11 cfs 3.78 ft · 86°F 719 ft Twelvepole
Back Creek Near Jones Springs, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 01614000
10 cfs 1.59 ft · 68°F 436 ft Conococheague-Opequon
So Fk So Br Potomac R At Brandywine, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 01607500
9 cfs 1.31 ft · 65°F 1,558 ft South Branch Potomac
Patterson Creek Near Headsville, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 01604500
8 cfs 2.92 ft · 85°F 623 ft North Branch Potomac
Panther Creek Near Panther, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03213500
8 cfs 2.76 ft · 88°F 1,060 ft Tug
Abram Creek At Oakmont, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 01595300
6 cfs 2.56 ft · 82°F 1,846 ft North Branch Potomac
Hurricane Creek At Hurricane, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 03201405
5 cfs 5.01 ft · 90°F 630 ft Lower Kanawha
Tuscarora Creek Above Martinsburg, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 01617000
2 cfs 2.18 ft · 68°F 456 ft Conococheague-Opequon
Waites Run Near Wardensville, Wv
5 hours ago · USGS 01610400
1 cfs 3.26 ft 70°F 66°F 1,258 ft Cacapon-Town
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Whitewater & paddle

West Virginia river runs

Paddleable river sections in West Virginia keyed to USGS gauges, with live streamflow and whitewater class.

River run Status Streamflow Air temp Class
Bluestone Dam To Sandstone · · 60°F III- TO IV-
Upper Gauley - Summersville Dam To Mason Branch · · 51°F IV TO V
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Flow report FAQ

About West Virginia streamflow

What are river levels like in West Virginia right now?

As of August 5, 2026, West Virginia rivers are running at 252% of normal across 75 USGS streamgauges, and the Kanawha River At Charleston is reporting the highest discharge at 20,300 cfs. The full sortable gauge table is below.

Which West Virginia river is running highest right now?

As of August 5, 2026, the highest discharge in West Virginia is 20,300 cfs on the Kanawha River At Charleston. See the sortable gauge table for the full statewide ranking.

Are West Virginia rivers high or low right now?

Compare the statewide percent-of-normal on this page: above 100% means West Virginia rivers are running higher than the seasonal average for the date, below 100% means lower (a dry spell or drought). Each gauge also shows its own percent of median.

Where does the West Virginia streamflow data come from?

The U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System. USGS streamgauges report continuously (every 15 minutes) and the data is the canonical real-time record for U.S. rivers. Snoflo pulls the latest readings and joins them to a 7-day NOAA weather forecast for each station.

What is cfs?

Cubic feet per second — the standard unit for streamflow. One cfs is about 7.5 gallons per second. Small creeks run at single-digit cfs; the Mississippi at hundreds of thousands.

What does Gauge Height mean?

The water level at the gauge in feet above the reference datum. Used together with discharge to track river state. Flood stage and runnable levels are typically expressed in gauge height (e.g., "flood at 16 ft").

How fresh is the West Virginia data?

USGS streamgauges report every 15 minutes; Snoflo re-pulls throughout the day. The AI briefing regenerates daily.

Can I get a flow alert for a West Virginia gauge?

Yes. Save any USGS gauge as a favorite in the Snoflo iOS app, set a discharge or stage threshold (e.g. "alert me when discharge crosses 2,000 cfs"), and you'll get a push the moment it crosses.

Is this a substitute for an NWS flood warning?

No. Snoflo is informational. For flood life-safety decisions always follow guidance from your local NWS forecast office and state emergency management. Snoflo data is one input among several.