Ohio River river
Total streamflow across the Ohio River was last observed at 945,000 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 1,874,385 acre-ft of water today; about 240% of normal. River levels are high. Average streamflow for this time of year is 393,136 cfs, with recent peaks last observed on 2021-08-25 when daily discharge volume was observed at 29,203,700 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the Ohio River At Cannelton Dam At Cannelton reporting a streamflow rate of 270,000 cfs. However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the Ohio River At Ironton with a gauge stage of 35.58 ft. This river is monitored from 7 different streamgauging stations along the Ohio River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 690 ft, the Ohio River At Sewickley.
River streamflow levels
Daily aggregate streamflow across every monitored gauge along the Ohio River. Use the range buttons to zoom in on a specific period.
Total streamflow
Sum of all monitored streamgauges · daily
Every streamgauge along the Ohio River
All 7 USGS gauges Snoflo tracks for this river, with current flow, stage, recent change, percent of normal, and the gauge's all-time min / max. Click any header to sort. Cells are heatmapped relative to the column min/max -- darker blue = higher.
| Streamgauge▾ | Streamflow (cfs)▾ | Gauge stage (ft)▾ | 24h Δ (%)▾ | % Normal▾ | Min (cfs)▾ | Max (cfs)▾ | Elevation (ft)▾ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Ohio River At Sewickley
PA
USGS 03086000
|
54,600 | 16.46 | -5.5 | 209% | 2,500 | 257,000 | 690 |
|
Ohio River Above Sardis
OH
USGS 03114306
|
74,400 | 16.02 | 1.9 | 224% | 74 | 289,000 | 605 |
|
Ohio River At Ironton
OH
USGS 03216070
|
155,000 | 35.58 | 19.2 | 267% | 342 | 440,000 | 547 |
|
Ohio River At Greenup Dam Near Greenup
KY
USGS 03216600
|
165,000 | 31.34 | 18.7 | 127% | 720 | 28,900,000 | 513 |
|
Ohio River At Markland Dam Near Warsaw
KY
USGS 03277200
|
226,000 | 32.29 | 2.3 | 146% | 3,020 | 13,600,000 | 454 |
|
Ohio River At Cannelton Dam At Cannelton
KY
USGS 03303280
|
270,000 | 27.86 | · | 158% | 1,520 | 999,000 | 391 |
|
Ohio River At Old Shawneetown
KY
USGS 03381700
|
259,000 | 27.58 | 54.2 | 79% | 3,720 | 1,260,000 | 334 |
Maximum streamflow discharge by year
The single highest aggregate discharge recorded each year. Spotting the multi-year trend reveals droughts vs. wet cycles long before the headline daily flow does.
Annual peak discharge
From the river's full record · one point per water year
Streamflow elevation profile
Each bubble is one gauge along the river, plotted by current streamflow (x-axis) vs elevation (y-axis), sized by gauge stage. Reading top-to-bottom traces the river from headwaters down to its mouth -- you can see flow accumulate as elevation drops.
Elevation vs streamflow
One point per monitored gauge · bubble size = gauge stage
Ohio River
The Ohio River is a 981-mile-long river that flows through six U.S. states. It was a significant pathway for westward expansion and played a vital role in the development of the Midwest. The river's hydrology is influenced by precipitation and snowmelt, and it is now heavily managed with a series of locks and dams to aid in navigation and control flooding. The two largest reservoirs on the river are the 50-mile-long Kinzua Dam and the 104-mile-long Barkley Dam. The river provides a source of drinking water for millions of people and supports agricultural activities such as crop irrigation. Recreation opportunities include fishing, boating, and camping along the river's banks. The Ohio River remains an important economic and cultural resource for the region.
Recreation along the Ohio River
Fishing access and paddle runs Snoflo tracks within the watershed.
Track the Ohio River in the Snoflo app
Set per-gauge push alerts (e.g. "alert me when flow at the Russian R Nr Healdsburg crosses 5,000 cfs"), and Snoflo's iOS app pushes the moment USGS reports the crossing.
About the Ohio River
Where does the data for the Ohio River come from?
Streamflow and gauge stage data are sourced from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Information System. The aggregate flow shown at the top of the page is computed by Snoflo as the sum of all monitored gauges along the river.
How is "percent of normal" calculated?
Today's aggregate streamflow is compared to the historical average aggregate streamflow on this calendar day across the river's full record. 100% means right on average; values above 100% indicate above-normal flow (wet year); values below indicate below-normal (dry year or drought).
Why are some gauges showing very different flows?
Gauges along a river measure flow at different points: headwater gauges read what's coming off the snowpack or mountain runoff; downstream gauges integrate everything upstream, including tributary inputs. Wide spreads usually mean a tributary is contributing significantly between gauges.
What's the elevation profile chart showing?
Each bubble is one gauge along the river, plotted by streamflow (x-axis) and elevation (y-axis), sized by gauge stage. Reading top-down traces the river from headwaters to mouth -- you can see flow build as elevation drops.
Can I get alerts when a specific gauge crosses a threshold?
Yes -- alerts are managed in the Snoflo iOS app on a per-gauge basis. Open any individual streamgauge from the table above and favorite it to set a discharge threshold.