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Ohio River at Powhatan Point

Highest listed crest 53.30 ftFlood stage 37.0 ft11 crests since 1936

The Ohio River at Powhatan Point crested at major flood stage 5 times among the 11 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1936 to 2024. The highest, 53.30 ft on March 19, 1936, was major flooding, 16.30 feet above flood stage. 12 other gauges on the Ohio River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 6 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
53.30 ft
March 19, 1936
Flood stage
37.0 ft
Major flooding from 41.0 ft
Crests at major
5
16th of 129 gauges in Ohio
Most recent flood crest
April 4, 2024
42.00 ft, major flooding
Location
Belmont County
Ohio
Identifiers
NWS POWO1
No USGS station

Flood stages

The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.

Flood categories, Ohio River at Powhatan Point
Action stage29.06Jan 13, 2005The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)37.00—Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage39.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage41.05Apr 4, 2024Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

11 crests from 1936 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Ohio River at Powhatan Point, 1936 to 2024 303540455055ft Flood stage 37.0 ftMajor 41.0 ft Mar 19, 1936: 53.30 ft, major floodingFeb 16, 1984: 33.40 ft, action stageNov 6, 1985: 35.30 ft, action stageNov 17, 1985: 34.30 ft, action stageNov 28, 1985: 34.70 ft, action stageJan 21, 1996: 44.70 ft, major flooding; 337,000 cubic feet per secondJan 6, 2004: 36.80 ft, action stage; 245,000 cubic feet per secondSep 19, 2004: 45.60 ft, major flooding; 353,000 cubic feet per secondJan 7, 2005: 42.65 ft, major floodingJan 13, 2005: 35.80 ft, action stageApr 4, 2024: 42.00 ft, major flooding Highest, 53.30 ft, Mar 19, 1936 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Ohio River at Powhatan Point 1930s: 1 1940s: 0 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 1 2000s: 2 2 2010s: 0 2020s: 1 1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  1. These are the crests the local National Weather Service office lists for the gauge: the highest on record and recent crests. Lesser floods between them may be missing, so counts by decade are a floor.
  2. Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Ohio River at Powhatan Point
1Mar 19, 193653.30+16.30Major—
2Sep 19, 200445.60+8.60Major353,000
3Jan 21, 199644.70+7.70Major337,000
4Jan 7, 200542.65+5.65Major—
5Apr 4, 202442.00+5.00Major—
6Jan 6, 200436.80−0.20Action245,000
7Jan 13, 200535.80−1.20Action—
8Nov 6, 198535.30−1.70Action—
9Nov 28, 198534.70−2.30Action—
10Nov 17, 198534.30−2.70Action—
11Feb 16, 198433.40−3.60Action—

The worst floods along the Ohio River

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Ohio River that crested above flood stage within a week.

March 19, 1936: 53.30 ft here, major flooding

September 19, 2004: 45.60 ft here, major flooding

January 21, 1996: 44.70 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Ohio River

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Ohio River
AshlandKY52.074.21 ft, Jan 27, 19374
Belleville LockWV35.061.80 ft, Mar 29, 191315
CairoIL40.061.72 ft, May 2, 201119
Cannelton Lock and DamKY42.060.80 ft, Jan 27, 19378
CincinnatiOH52.066.20 ft, Mar 11, 19641
Clifty CreekIN451.0475.90 ft, Jan 27, 19371
Dashields Lock and DamPA25.042.80 ft, Mar 18, 19365
East LiverpoolWV14.029.90 ft, Mar 19, 193611
EvansvilleIN42.053.75 ft, Jan 31, 19371
GolcondaIL40.062.60 ft, Feb 2, 19373
Hannibal Lock and DamOH35.041.90 ft, Jun 25, 19722
HendersonKY36.043.08 ft, Apr 12, 20250
IrontonOH52.054.67 ft, Feb 19, 20180
J.T. Myers Lock and DamKY37.064.40 ft, Feb 1, 19371
Lloyd Greenup LockKY54.064.50 ft, Mar 31, 19133
Marietta PumphouseOH35.058.30 ft, Mar 29, 19133
Markland LowerKY51.076.10 ft, Jan 26, 19371
MaysvilleKY50.075.60 ft, Jan 27, 19372
McAlpine LowerKY55.085.44 ft, Jan 27, 19374
McAlpine UpperKY23.052.15 ft, Jan 27, 19377
Meldahl DamOH51.076.00 ft, Jan 26, 19373
Montgomery Lock and DamPA33.055.00 ft, Mar 18, 193610
MoundsvilleWV37.057.90 ft, Mar 19, 19363
Mount VernonIN35.059.21 ft, Feb 1, 19372
New Cumberland Lock and DamOH36.050.20 ft, Dec 31, 194215
Newburgh Lock and DamKY38.056.60 ft, Jan 31, 19371
Olmsted Lock and Dam HeadwaterKY36.048.20 ft, Feb 21, 20201
OwensboroKY40.054.80 ft, Jan 29, 19375
PaducahKY39.060.60 ft, Feb 2, 19377
ParkersburgWV36.045.20 ft, Mar 12, 19645
Pike Island Lock and DamWV37.047.70 ft, Mar 11, 19645
PittsburghPA22.046.00 ft, Mar 18, 193622
Point PleasantWV40.062.80 ft, Mar 30, 191325
PomeroyOH46.068.80 ft, Apr 1, 191334
PortsmouthOH50.053.78 ft, Apr 7, 20250
Powhatan Point this gaugeOH37.053.30 ft, Mar 19, 19365
R C Byrd LockWV50.069.60 ft, Jan 27, 19379
Racine LockWV41.050.23 ft, Sep 20, 20043
ShawneetownKY33.065.64 ft, Jan 30, 19377
Smithland Lock and DamKY40.054.83 ft, May 6, 20114
SteubenvilleOH36.044.00 ft, Jan 20, 19961
Tell CityIN38.056.95 ft, Jan 29, 19376
WellsburgWV36.054.60 ft, Mar 19, 19369
WellsvilleOH11.020.90 ft, Jan 20, 19963
WheelingWV36.045.40 ft, Jan 20, 19963
Willow Island LockWV37.044.78 ft, Sep 19, 20042
HuntingtonOH50.057.52 ft, Mar 5, 19970

Other gauges in Belmont County

Flood gauges in Belmont County
Blaine6.012.54 ft, Sep 17, 20040

Belmont County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Ohio

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge POWO1, retrieved October 30, 2026. Stages in feet on the gauge's own datum, not elevation. Crests are as the National Weather Service lists them; preliminary values may be revised.