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Flow report

West Virginia River Levels & Streamflow

As of Aug 21, 2026, West Virginia rivers are running at 527% of normal across 74 USGS gauges — the highest is 25,500 cfs on the Kanawha River At Charleston. Live discharge, gauge height, and percent-of-normal for every USGS streamgauge in West Virginia.

USGS gauges
74
State percent normal
527%
Paddle runs
2
Updated
Aug 21
Open the West Virginia flow layer on the map Every USGS streamgauge filtered to West Virginia.
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August
21
2026
Flow briefing

Streamflow levels across West Virginia are currently 527% of normal, with the Kanawha River At Charleston reporting the highest discharge in the state at 25,500 cfs and a gauge stage of 19.46 ft.

Meanwhile, the Potomac River At Shepherdstown is seeing a spike today — up 23% 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.

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

527%

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

Highest discharge

Kanawha River At Charleston 25,500 cfs

Gauge stage 19.46 ft

Biggest 24h spike

Potomac River At Shepherdstown +23%

Now 1,940 cfs

Network coverage

Gauges + rivers tracked 74 + 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.

74 gauges
Streamgage Streamflow Gage height Water temp Air temp Elevation Watershed
Kanawha River At Charleston, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03198000
17,300 cfs 18.70 ft · 67°F 566 ft Lower Kanawha
Tygart Valley R At Tygart Dam Nr Grafton, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03056000
16,300 cfs 15.21 ft 71°F 61°F 969 ft Tygart Valley
Tygart Valley River At Colfax, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03057000
14,600 cfs 12.85 ft 71°F 62°F 868 ft Tygart Valley
Kanawha River At Kanawha Falls, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03193000
10,600 cfs 5.41 ft 73°F 64°F 622 ft Upper Kanawha
New River At Thurmond, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03185400
5,620 cfs 5.70 ft 76°F 63°F 1,041 ft Lower New
Gauley River Above Belva, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03192000
4,030 cfs 4.80 ft · 64°F 675 ft Gauley
Elk River At Queen Shoals, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03197000
3,850 cfs 7.87 ft · 66°F 609 ft Elk
Little Kanawha River At Palestine, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03155000
3,190 cfs 16.79 ft 73°F 64°F 605 ft Little Kanawha
Cheat River At Albright, Wv
14 hours ago · USGS 03070260
2,820 cfs 13.09 ft 69°F 60°F 1,203 ft Cheat
Tygart Valley River At Philippi, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03054500
2,610 cfs 5.53 ft 69°F 62°F 1,287 ft Tygart Valley
West Fork River At Enterprise, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03061000
2,610 cfs 7.37 ft 71°F 61°F 872 ft West Fork
Wheeling Creek At Elm Grove, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03112000
2,450 cfs 4.60 ft · 60°F 668 ft Upper Ohio-Wheeling
Potomac River At Shepherdstown, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 01618000
2,400 cfs 2.60 ft · 61°F 283 ft Conococheague-Opequon
Greenbrier River At Hilldale, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03184000
2,240 cfs 3.27 ft · 62°F 1,394 ft Greenbrier
Cheat River Near Parsons, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03069500
1,920 cfs 4.96 ft 66°F 63°F 1,593 ft Cheat
Greenbrier River At Alderson, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03183500
1,840 cfs 3.80 ft 72°F 63°F 1,534 ft Greenbrier
Gauley River Near Craigsville, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03189100
1,540 cfs 12.22 ft 66°F 61°F 1,881 ft Gauley
Meadow River At Nallen, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03190000
1,150 cfs 6.78 ft · 62°F 1,880 ft Gauley
Coal River At Tornado, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03200500
1,090 cfs 10.79 ft 72°F 67°F 579 ft Coal
W.F. River At Butcherville, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03058500
1,080 cfs 4.14 ft · 63°F 996 ft West Fork
Guyandotte River At Logan, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03203600
1,070 cfs 6.04 ft · 66°F 646 ft Upper Guyandotte
West Fork R Bl Stonewall Jackson Dam Nr Weston, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03058000
1,020 cfs 11.21 ft 72°F 63°F 1,021 ft West Fork
Big Sandy Creek At Rockville, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03070500
978 cfs 6.73 ft · 59°F 1,338 ft Cheat
Shenandoah River At Millville, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 01636500
961 cfs 1.97 ft 61°F 61°F 298 ft Shenandoah
Buckhannon River At Hall, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03053500
956 cfs 6.03 ft · 62°F 1,374 ft Tygart Valley
Middle Island Creek At Little, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03114500
877 cfs 4.19 ft 71°F 62°F 634 ft Little Muskingum-Middle Island
Tygart Valley River At Belington, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03051000
850 cfs 4.26 ft · 62°F 1,693 ft Tygart Valley
Dry Fork At Hendricks, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03065000
788 cfs 2.86 ft · 62°F 1,706 ft Cheat
Big Coal River At Ashford, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03198500
733 cfs 3.80 ft · 66°F 619 ft Coal
Elk River Below Webster Springs, Wv
14 hours ago · USGS 03194700
721 cfs 5.02 ft 67°F 61°F 1,019 ft Elk
Tug Fork At Kermit, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03214500
649 cfs 3.69 ft · 67°F 579 ft Tug
South Branch Potomac River Near Springfield, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 01608500
613 cfs 2.08 ft 76°F 60°F 570 ft South Branch Potomac
Greenbrier River At Buckeye, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03182500
547 cfs 3.01 ft · 62°F 2,089 ft Greenbrier
Middle Fork River At Audra, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03052000
537 cfs 3.67 ft · 62°F 1,678 ft Tygart Valley
Deckers Creek At Morgantown, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03062500
445 cfs 2.11 ft · 61°F 806 ft Upper Monongahela
Shavers Fork Below Bowden, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03068800
401 cfs 4.92 ft · 62°F 2,122 ft Cheat
Williams River At Dyer, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03186500
361 cfs 2.58 ft · 61°F 2,198 ft Gauley
Guyandotte River Near Baileysville, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03202400
356 cfs 3.84 ft · 65°F 1,139 ft Upper Guyandotte
Buckhannon River At Alton, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03052120
354 cfs 6.17 ft · 60°F 1,785 ft Tygart Valley
North Branch Potomac River At Luke, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 01598500
336 cfs 1.78 ft · 60°F 952 ft North Branch Potomac
Tygart Valley River Near Dailey, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03050000
307 cfs 2.29 ft · 62°F 1,944 ft Tygart Valley
So. Branch Potomac River Nr Petersburg, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 01606500
283 cfs 4.31 ft · 62°F 970 ft South Branch Potomac
North Branch Potomac River At Barnum, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 01595800
272 cfs 3.08 ft 57°F 59°F 1,168 ft North Branch Potomac
Bluestone River Near Pipestem, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03179000
262 cfs 3.42 ft 72°F 63°F 1,529 ft Middle New
L Kanawha River Nr Wildcat, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03151400
259 cfs 5.31 ft · 64°F 866 ft Little Kanawha
Cranberry River Near Richwood, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03187500
256 cfs 3.43 ft 64°F 62°F 2,138 ft Gauley
Three Fork Creek Nr Grafton, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03056250
238 cfs 4.40 ft · 61°F 1,004 ft Tygart Valley
Greenbrier River At Durbin, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03180500
218 cfs 1.81 ft 69°F 58°F 2,729 ft Greenbrier
N F South Br Potomac R At Cabins, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 01606000
184 cfs 4.71 ft · 61°F 1,053 ft South Branch Potomac
Kings Creek At Weirton, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03110830
174 cfs 2.22 ft · 59°F 685 ft Upper Ohio
Clear Fork At Clear Fork, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03202750
172 cfs 2.76 ft · 65°F 1,140 ft Upper Guyandotte
Blackwater R At Davis, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03066000
167 cfs 2.34 ft 66°F 56°F 3,071 ft Cheat
Buffalo Creek At Barrackville, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03061500
157 cfs 2.91 ft · 61°F 903 ft Upper Monongahela
Cacapon River Near Great Cacapon, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 01611500
152 cfs 1.73 ft 77°F 60°F 466 ft Cacapon-Town
Pocatalico River At Sissonville, Wv
14 hours ago · USGS 03201000
143 cfs 3.43 ft · 66°F 613 ft Lower Kanawha
Shavers Fork Nr Cheat Bridge, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03067510
137 cfs 5.16 ft 62°F 58°F 3,542 ft Cheat
Tug Fork At Welch, Wv
14 hours ago · USGS 03212750
110 cfs 3.37 ft · 65°F 1,283 ft Tug
So Fk South Branch Potomac R Nr Moorefield, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 01608000
83 cfs 3.04 ft · 63°F 864 ft South Branch Potomac
Dry Fork At Beartown, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03212980
81 cfs 3.08 ft · 65°F 1,076 ft Tug
Piney Creek At Raleigh, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03185000
76 cfs 2.32 ft · 63°F 2,104 ft Lower New
Opequon Creek Near Martinsburg, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 01616500
74 cfs 1.87 ft · 62°F 361 ft Conococheague-Opequon
Clear Fork At Whitesville, Wv
14 hours ago · USGS 03198350
67 cfs 12.73 ft · 65°F 842 ft Coal
W.Fork Little Kanawha River At Rocksdale, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03154000
61 cfs 6.07 ft · 64°F 673 ft Little Kanawha
Peters Creek Near Lockwood, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03191500
57 cfs 5.63 ft · 64°F 1,073 ft Gauley
South Branch Potomac River At Franklin, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 01605500
49 cfs 1.75 ft · 61°F 1,697 ft South Branch Potomac
Patterson Creek Near Headsville, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 01604500
28 cfs 3.18 ft · 61°F 623 ft North Branch Potomac
So Fk So Br Potomac R At Brandywine, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 01607500
23 cfs 1.53 ft · 61°F 1,558 ft South Branch Potomac
East Fork Twelvepole Creek Near Dunlow, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03206600
19 cfs 3.97 ft · 67°F 719 ft Twelvepole
Abram Creek At Oakmont, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 01595300
17 cfs 2.82 ft · 58°F 1,846 ft North Branch Potomac
Back Creek Near Jones Springs, Wv
14 hours ago · USGS 01614000
13 cfs 1.63 ft · 61°F 436 ft Conococheague-Opequon
Hurricane Creek At Hurricane, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03201405
10 cfs 5.08 ft · 66°F 630 ft Lower Kanawha
Panther Creek Near Panther, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 03213500
5 cfs 2.61 ft · 66°F 1,060 ft Tug
Tuscarora Creek Above Martinsburg, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 01617000
2 cfs 2.18 ft · 62°F 456 ft Conococheague-Opequon
Waites Run Near Wardensville, Wv
13 hours ago · USGS 01610400
1 cfs 3.30 ft 67°F 60°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 21, 2026, West Virginia rivers are running at 527% of normal across 74 USGS streamgauges, and the Kanawha River At Charleston is reporting the highest discharge at 25,500 cfs. The full sortable gauge table is below.

Which West Virginia river is running highest right now?

As of August 21, 2026, the highest discharge in West Virginia is 25,500 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.