West Virginia River Levels & Streamflow
As of Sep 1, 2026, West Virginia rivers are running at 117% of normal across 74 USGS gauges — the highest is 4,610 cfs on the Kanawha River At Charleston. Live discharge, gauge height, and percent-of-normal for every USGS streamgauge in West Virginia.
Streamflow levels across West Virginia are currently 117% of normal, with the Kanawha River At Charleston reporting the highest discharge in the state at 4,610 cfs and a gauge stage of 18.03 ft.
Meanwhile, the South Branch Potomac River Near Springfield is seeing a spike today — up 37% 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.
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
100% is the historical norm. Below 70% indicates drought; above 130% can flag elevated flood risk.
Highest discharge
Gauge stage 18.03 ft
Biggest 24h spike
Now 316 cfs
Network coverage
USGS gauges feeding 0 named rivers in West Virginia.
Where every gauge actually sits
One dot per West Virginia streamgauge, placed by its own percent of normal. The state average is a single line through all of it.
Percent of normal compares today's discharge with the historical average for this calendar day. Tap any dot to open that gauge.
West Virginia streamflow, three water years
Statewide percent of normal, every day since Aug 2023. The dotted line is normal.
799 daily readings from 74 reporting gauges. Percent of normal is today's statewide discharge against the historical average for the same calendar day — 100% is normal, not "good". The axis tops out at 250%: 33 readings above that — including the 1265% peak in Aug 2026 — are drawn along the top edge, so a few flood days cannot flatten three years of everything else. The line breaks in 2 places where the record skips more than five days — those are gaps in reporting, not readings of zero.
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.
| Streamgage | Streamflow | Gage height | Water temp | Air temp | Elevation | Watershed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
New River At Thurmond, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03185400 |
3,900 cfs | 4.56 ft | 80°F | 90°F | 1,041 ft | Lower New |
|
Kanawha River At Kanawha Falls, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03193000 |
3,660 cfs | 3.15 ft | 80°F | 88°F | 622 ft | Upper Kanawha |
|
Kanawha River At Charleston, Wv
10 hours ago · USGS 03198000 |
3,500 cfs | 18.01 ft | · | 94°F | 566 ft | Lower Kanawha |
|
Potomac River At Shepherdstown, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 01618000 |
1,630 cfs | 2.21 ft | · | 92°F | 283 ft | Conococheague-Opequon |
|
Shenandoah River At Millville, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 01636500 |
791 cfs | 1.77 ft | 61°F | 91°F | 298 ft | Shenandoah |
|
Gauley River Above Belva, Wv
10 hours ago · USGS 03192000 |
750 cfs | 2.17 ft | · | 91°F | 675 ft | Gauley |
|
Tygart Valley River At Colfax, Wv
10 hours ago · USGS 03057000 |
703 cfs | 4.31 ft | 75°F | 89°F | 868 ft | Tygart Valley |
|
Tygart Valley R At Tygart Dam Nr Grafton, Wv
10 hours ago · USGS 03056000 |
680 cfs | 5.49 ft | 72°F | 89°F | 969 ft | Tygart Valley |
|
Cheat River At Albright, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03070260 |
596 cfs | 10.77 ft | 76°F | 88°F | 1,203 ft | Cheat |
|
Greenbrier River At Hilldale, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03184000 |
478 cfs | 1.37 ft | · | 88°F | 1,394 ft | Greenbrier |
|
Cheat River Near Parsons, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03069500 |
402 cfs | 3.04 ft | 71°F | 88°F | 1,593 ft | Cheat |
|
West Fork River At Enterprise, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03061000 |
398 cfs | 2.39 ft | 76°F | 89°F | 872 ft | West Fork |
|
Greenbrier River At Alderson, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03183500 |
386 cfs | 2.73 ft | 77°F | 88°F | 1,534 ft | Greenbrier |
|
Tygart Valley River At Philippi, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03054500 |
367 cfs | 3.86 ft | 75°F | 88°F | 1,287 ft | Tygart Valley |
|
North Branch Potomac River At Luke, Wv
10 hours ago · USGS 01598500 |
349 cfs | 1.81 ft | · | 72°F | 952 ft | North Branch Potomac |
|
Coal River At Tornado, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03200500 |
314 cfs | 9.90 ft | 78°F | 96°F | 579 ft | Coal |
|
Gauley River Near Craigsville, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03189100 |
310 cfs | 10.75 ft | 72°F | 86°F | 1,881 ft | Gauley |
|
Tug Fork At Kermit, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03214500 |
297 cfs | 2.44 ft | · | 94°F | 579 ft | Tug |
|
Elk River At Queen Shoals, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03197000 |
282 cfs | 4.19 ft | · | 93°F | 609 ft | Elk |
|
North Branch Potomac River At Barnum, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 01595800 |
276 cfs | 3.09 ft | 57°F | 71°F | 1,168 ft | North Branch Potomac |
|
South Branch Potomac River Near Springfield, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 01608500 |
261 cfs | 1.43 ft | 78°F | 90°F | 570 ft | South Branch Potomac |
|
Guyandotte River At Logan, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03203600 |
257 cfs | 4.95 ft | · | 93°F | 646 ft | Upper Guyandotte |
|
Big Coal River At Ashford, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03198500 |
253 cfs | 2.45 ft | · | 93°F | 619 ft | Coal |
|
Tygart Valley River At Belington, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03051000 |
162 cfs | 2.92 ft | · | 88°F | 1,693 ft | Tygart Valley |
|
Little Kanawha River At Palestine, Wv
11 hours ago · USGS 03155000 |
161 cfs | 14.02 ft | 81°F | 93°F | 605 ft | Little Kanawha |
|
Greenbrier River At Buckeye, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03182500 |
158 cfs | 2.35 ft | · | 87°F | 2,089 ft | Greenbrier |
|
So. Branch Potomac River Nr Petersburg, Wv
10 hours ago · USGS 01606500 |
149 cfs | 3.93 ft | · | 87°F | 970 ft | South Branch Potomac |
|
Elk River Below Webster Springs, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03194700 |
145 cfs | 3.79 ft | 74°F | 86°F | 1,019 ft | Elk |
|
Dry Fork At Hendricks, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03065000 |
143 cfs | 1.85 ft | · | 87°F | 1,706 ft | Cheat |
|
Guyandotte River Near Baileysville, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03202400 |
139 cfs | 3.21 ft | · | 90°F | 1,139 ft | Upper Guyandotte |
|
Wheeling Creek At Elm Grove, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03112000 |
125 cfs | 2.50 ft | · | 90°F | 668 ft | Upper Ohio-Wheeling |
|
Cacapon River Near Great Cacapon, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 01611500 |
112 cfs | 1.59 ft | 78°F | 89°F | 466 ft | Cacapon-Town |
|
Buckhannon River At Hall, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03053500 |
112 cfs | 4.46 ft | · | 88°F | 1,374 ft | Tygart Valley |
|
Meadow River At Nallen, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03190000 |
111 cfs | 3.81 ft | · | 87°F | 1,880 ft | Gauley |
|
Shavers Fork Below Bowden, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03068800 |
107 cfs | 3.94 ft | · | 84°F | 2,122 ft | Cheat |
|
Williams River At Dyer, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03186500 |
103 cfs | 1.65 ft | · | 84°F | 2,198 ft | Gauley |
|
W.F. River At Butcherville, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03058500 |
96 cfs | 1.67 ft | · | 90°F | 996 ft | West Fork |
|
Bluestone River Near Pipestem, Wv
11 hours ago · USGS 03179000 |
92 cfs | 2.49 ft | 75°F | 87°F | 1,529 ft | Middle New |
|
Big Sandy Creek At Rockville, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03070500 |
88 cfs | 4.06 ft | · | 87°F | 1,338 ft | Cheat |
|
Middle Fork River At Audra, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03052000 |
80 cfs | 2.24 ft | · | 87°F | 1,678 ft | Tygart Valley |
|
Tug Fork At Welch, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03212750 |
78 cfs | 3.12 ft | · | 90°F | 1,283 ft | Tug |
|
Opequon Creek Near Martinsburg, Wv
10 hours ago · USGS 01616500 |
73 cfs | 1.84 ft | · | 92°F | 361 ft | Conococheague-Opequon |
|
Tygart Valley River Near Dailey, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03050000 |
69 cfs | 1.23 ft | · | 88°F | 1,944 ft | Tygart Valley |
|
Greenbrier River At Durbin, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03180500 |
66 cfs | 1.15 ft | 69°F | 84°F | 2,729 ft | Greenbrier |
|
Middle Island Creek At Little, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03114500 |
59 cfs | 2.42 ft | 78°F | 90°F | 634 ft | Little Muskingum-Middle Island |
|
N F South Br Potomac R At Cabins, Wv
10 hours ago · USGS 01606000 |
54 cfs | 4.19 ft | · | 85°F | 1,053 ft | South Branch Potomac |
|
West Fork R Bl Stonewall Jackson Dam Nr Weston, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03058000 |
51 cfs | 8.54 ft | 74°F | 91°F | 1,021 ft | West Fork |
|
Cranberry River Near Richwood, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03187500 |
50 cfs | 2.42 ft | 68°F | 83°F | 2,138 ft | Gauley |
|
Shavers Fork Nr Cheat Bridge, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03067510 |
48 cfs | 4.52 ft | 64°F | 78°F | 3,542 ft | Cheat |
|
Dry Fork At Beartown, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03212980 |
47 cfs | 2.76 ft | · | 92°F | 1,076 ft | Tug |
|
South Branch Potomac River At Franklin, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 01605500 |
42 cfs | 1.69 ft | · | 83°F | 1,697 ft | South Branch Potomac |
|
So Fk South Branch Potomac R Nr Moorefield, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 01608000 |
39 cfs | 2.78 ft | · | 87°F | 864 ft | South Branch Potomac |
|
Three Fork Creek Nr Grafton, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03056250 |
39 cfs | 2.94 ft | · | 89°F | 1,004 ft | Tygart Valley |
|
Blackwater R At Davis, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03066000 |
39 cfs | 1.57 ft | 68°F | 81°F | 3,071 ft | Cheat |
|
Buckhannon River At Alton, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03052120 |
38 cfs | 4.92 ft | · | 86°F | 1,785 ft | Tygart Valley |
|
Buffalo Creek At Barrackville, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03061500 |
34 cfs | 2.21 ft | · | 90°F | 903 ft | Upper Monongahela |
|
Clear Fork At Whitesville, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03198350 |
34 cfs | 12.19 ft | · | 92°F | 842 ft | Coal |
|
Clear Fork At Clear Fork, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03202750 |
34 cfs | 1.98 ft | · | 92°F | 1,140 ft | Upper Guyandotte |
|
Deckers Creek At Morgantown, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03062500 |
29 cfs | · | · | 89°F | 806 ft | Upper Monongahela |
|
Piney Creek At Raleigh, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03185000 |
26 cfs | 1.94 ft | · | 88°F | 2,104 ft | Lower New |
|
W.Fork Little Kanawha River At Rocksdale, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03154000 |
26 cfs | 5.76 ft | · | 93°F | 673 ft | Little Kanawha |
|
L Kanawha River Nr Wildcat, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03151400 |
24 cfs | 4.12 ft | · | 91°F | 866 ft | Little Kanawha |
|
Kings Creek At Weirton, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03110830 |
23 cfs | 1.35 ft | · | 89°F | 685 ft | Upper Ohio |
|
Peters Creek Near Lockwood, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03191500 |
22 cfs | 5.21 ft | · | 92°F | 1,073 ft | Gauley |
|
So Fk So Br Potomac R At Brandywine, Wv
10 hours ago · USGS 01607500 |
13 cfs | 1.39 ft | · | 85°F | 1,558 ft | South Branch Potomac |
|
Patterson Creek Near Headsville, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 01604500 |
11 cfs | 2.97 ft | · | 90°F | 623 ft | North Branch Potomac |
|
Back Creek Near Jones Springs, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 01614000 |
11 cfs | 1.60 ft | · | 91°F | 436 ft | Conococheague-Opequon |
|
Pocatalico River At Sissonville, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03201000 |
11 cfs | 1.97 ft | · | 95°F | 613 ft | Lower Kanawha |
|
Abram Creek At Oakmont, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 01595300 |
6 cfs | 2.58 ft | · | 68°F | 1,846 ft | North Branch Potomac |
|
Tuscarora Creek Above Martinsburg, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 01617000 |
6 cfs | 2.37 ft | · | 92°F | 456 ft | Conococheague-Opequon |
|
Panther Creek Near Panther, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03213500 |
4 cfs | 2.45 ft | · | 93°F | 1,060 ft | Tug |
|
East Fork Twelvepole Creek Near Dunlow, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03206600 |
3 cfs | 3.48 ft | · | 92°F | 719 ft | Twelvepole |
|
Hurricane Creek At Hurricane, Wv
9 hours ago · USGS 03201405 |
2 cfs | 4.92 ft | · | 96°F | 630 ft | Lower Kanawha |
|
Waites Run Near Wardensville, Wv
10 hours ago · USGS 01610400 |
1 cfs | 3.27 ft | 68°F | 87°F | 1,258 ft | Cacapon-Town |
See every West Virginia gauge ranked against normal.
- Percentile rank & % of median for all 74 gauges
- 15-day PULSE forecast on every gauge
- Custom flow alerts & full daily history
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 |
See when every West Virginia run is runnable.
- Runnable-window alerts on every river run
- 15-day PULSE flow forecast per run
- Full whitewater class & gauge history
About West Virginia streamflow
What are river levels like in West Virginia right now?
As of September 1, 2026, West Virginia rivers are running at 117% of normal across 74 USGS streamgauges, and the Kanawha River At Charleston is reporting the highest discharge at 4,610 cfs. The full sortable gauge table is below.
Which West Virginia river is running highest right now?
As of September 1, 2026, the highest discharge in West Virginia is 4,610 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.
Streamflow in every state
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