Ohio River at Wellsville

Highest listed crest 20.90 ftFlood stage 11.0 ft5 crests since 1996

The Ohio River at Wellsville crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 5 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1996 to 2024. The highest, 20.90 ft on January 20, 1996, was major flooding, 9.90 feet above flood stage. 28 other gauges on the Ohio River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 2 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest: 20.90 ft; January 20, 1996; 392,080 cubic feet per second
Flood stage: 11.0 ft; Major flooding from 16.0 ft
Crests at major: 3; 28th of 129 gauges in Ohio
Most recent flood crest: April 4, 2024; 14.00 ft, moderate flooding
Location: Columbiana County; Near Weirton (14.9 mi)
Identifiers: NWS WLVO1; 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 Wellsville

Action stage	9.0	1	Apr 13, 2024	The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)	11.0	0	—	Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage	14.0	1	Apr 4, 2024	Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage	16.0	3	Jan 6, 2005	Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

5 crests from 1996 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

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.
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 Wellsville

1	Jan 20, 1996	20.90	+9.90	Major	392,080
2	Sep 18, 2004	20.20	+9.20	Major	381,498
3	Jan 6, 2005	16.70	+5.70	Major	327,437
4	Apr 4, 2024	14.00	+3.00	Moderate	288,000
5	Apr 13, 2024	10.40	−0.60	Action	245,945

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.

January 20, 1996: 20.90 ft here, major flooding

PomeroyOH · Jan 22, 1996 · 50.50 ft · Major
WellsburgWV · Jan 20, 1996 · 46.20 ft · Major
MoundsvilleWV · Jan 21, 1996 · 46.00 ft · Major
Pike Island Lock and DamWV · Jan 21, 1996 · 46.00 ft · Major
New Cumberland Lock and DamOH · Jan 20, 1996 · 45.60 ft · Major
WheelingWV · Jan 20, 1996 · 45.40 ft · Major · its highest
Powhatan PointOH · Jan 21, 1996 · 44.70 ft · Major
SteubenvilleOH · Jan 20, 1996 · 44.00 ft · Major · its highest
Montgomery Lock and DamPA · Jan 19, 1996 · 43.00 ft · Major
PittsburghPA · Jan 20, 1996 · 34.60 ft · Major

September 18, 2004: 20.20 ft here, major flooding

PomeroyOH · Sep 19, 2004 · 52.20 ft · Major
Racine LockWV · Sep 20, 2004 · 50.23 ft · Major · its highest
MoundsvilleWV · Sep 19, 2004 · 47.00 ft · Major
Pike Island Lock and DamWV · Sep 19, 2004 · 46.30 ft · Major
Belleville LockWV · Sep 19, 2004 · 45.80 ft · Major
Powhatan PointOH · Sep 19, 2004 · 45.60 ft · Major
WheelingWV · Sep 19, 2004 · 45.30 ft · Major
WellsburgWV · Sep 19, 2004 · 45.10 ft · Major
Willow Island LockWV · Sep 19, 2004 · 44.78 ft · Major · its highest
New Cumberland Lock and DamOH · Sep 19, 2004 · 44.50 ft · Major

January 6, 2005: 16.70 ft here, major flooding

PomeroyOH · Jan 9, 2005 · 50.40 ft · Major
Racine LockWV · Jan 9, 2005 · 48.87 ft · Major
Marietta PumphouseOH · Jan 8, 2005 · 43.60 ft · Major
Pike Island Lock and DamWV · Jan 7, 2005 · 43.04 ft · Major
Willow Island LockWV · Jan 8, 2005 · 42.90 ft · Major
Powhatan PointOH · Jan 7, 2005 · 42.65 ft · Major
ParkersburgWV · Jan 8, 2005 · 42.41 ft · Major
WellsburgWV · Jan 7, 2005 · 42.20 ft · Major
WheelingWV · Jan 7, 2005 · 42.17 ft · Major
New Cumberland Lock and DamOH · Jan 7, 2005 · 41.00 ft · Major

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

Ashland	KY	52.0	74.21 ft, Jan 27, 1937	4
Belleville Lock	WV	35.0	61.80 ft, Mar 29, 1913	15
Cairo	IL	40.0	61.72 ft, May 2, 2011	19
Cannelton Lock and Dam	KY	42.0	60.80 ft, Jan 27, 1937	8
Cincinnati	OH	52.0	66.20 ft, Mar 11, 1964	1
Clifty Creek	IN	451.0	475.90 ft, Jan 27, 1937	1
Dashields Lock and Dam	PA	25.0	42.80 ft, Mar 18, 1936	5
East Liverpool	WV	14.0	29.90 ft, Mar 19, 1936	11
Evansville	IN	42.0	53.75 ft, Jan 31, 1937	1
Golconda	IL	40.0	62.60 ft, Feb 2, 1937	3
Hannibal Lock and Dam	OH	35.0	41.90 ft, Jun 25, 1972	2
Henderson	KY	36.0	43.08 ft, Apr 12, 2025	0
Ironton	OH	52.0	54.67 ft, Feb 19, 2018	0
J.T. Myers Lock and Dam	KY	37.0	64.40 ft, Feb 1, 1937	1
Lloyd Greenup Lock	KY	54.0	64.50 ft, Mar 31, 1913	3
Marietta Pumphouse	OH	35.0	58.30 ft, Mar 29, 1913	3
Markland Lower	KY	51.0	76.10 ft, Jan 26, 1937	1
Maysville	KY	50.0	75.60 ft, Jan 27, 1937	2
McAlpine Lower	KY	55.0	85.44 ft, Jan 27, 1937	4
McAlpine Upper	KY	23.0	52.15 ft, Jan 27, 1937	7
Meldahl Dam	OH	51.0	76.00 ft, Jan 26, 1937	3
Montgomery Lock and Dam	PA	33.0	55.00 ft, Mar 18, 1936	10
Moundsville	WV	37.0	57.90 ft, Mar 19, 1936	3
Mount Vernon	IN	35.0	59.21 ft, Feb 1, 1937	2
New Cumberland Lock and Dam	OH	36.0	50.20 ft, Dec 31, 1942	15
Newburgh Lock and Dam	KY	38.0	56.60 ft, Jan 31, 1937	1
Olmsted Lock and Dam Headwater	KY	36.0	48.20 ft, Feb 21, 2020	1
Owensboro	KY	40.0	54.80 ft, Jan 29, 1937	5
Paducah	KY	39.0	60.60 ft, Feb 2, 1937	7
Parkersburg	WV	36.0	45.20 ft, Mar 12, 1964	5
Pike Island Lock and Dam	WV	37.0	47.70 ft, Mar 11, 1964	5
Pittsburgh	PA	22.0	46.00 ft, Mar 18, 1936	22
Point Pleasant	WV	40.0	62.80 ft, Mar 30, 1913	25
Pomeroy	OH	46.0	68.80 ft, Apr 1, 1913	34
Portsmouth	OH	50.0	53.78 ft, Apr 7, 2025	0
Powhatan Point	OH	37.0	53.30 ft, Mar 19, 1936	5
R C Byrd Lock	WV	50.0	69.60 ft, Jan 27, 1937	9
Racine Lock	WV	41.0	50.23 ft, Sep 20, 2004	3
Shawneetown	KY	33.0	65.64 ft, Jan 30, 1937	7
Smithland Lock and Dam	KY	40.0	54.83 ft, May 6, 2011	4
Steubenville	OH	36.0	44.00 ft, Jan 20, 1996	1
Tell City	IN	38.0	56.95 ft, Jan 29, 1937	6
Wellsburg	WV	36.0	54.60 ft, Mar 19, 1936	9
Wellsville this gauge	OH	11.0	20.90 ft, Jan 20, 1996	3
Wheeling	WV	36.0	45.40 ft, Jan 20, 1996	3
Willow Island Lock	WV	37.0	44.78 ft, Sep 19, 2004	2
Huntington	OH	50.0	57.52 ft, Mar 5, 1997	0

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge WLVO1, 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.