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Scioto River at Chillicothe

Highest listed crest 32.50 ftFlood stage 16.0 ft28 crests since 1898

The Scioto River at Chillicothe crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 28 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1898 to 2024. The highest, 32.50 ft on January 23, 1959, was major flooding, 16.50 feet above flood stage. 4 other gauges on the Scioto River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 3 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
32.50 ft
January 23, 1959
Flood stage
16.0 ft
Major flooding from 31.0 ft
Crests at major
1
46th of 129 gauges in Ohio
Most recent flood crest
April 5, 2024
16.79 ft, minor flooding
Location
Ross County
Near Chillicothe (1.3 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Scioto River at Chillicothe
Action stage14.05Mar 22, 2020The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)16.011Apr 5, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage22.010Mar 11, 1964Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage31.01Jan 23, 1959Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

28 crests from 1898 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Scioto River at Chillicothe, 1898 to 2024 101520253035ft Flood stage 16.0 ftMajor 31.0 ft Mar 24, 1898: 28.30 ft, moderate floodingMar 29, 1916: 22.70 ft, moderate floodingMar 23, 1927: 21.60 ft, minor floodingFeb 28, 1929: 26.00 ft, moderate floodingMay 16, 1933: 22.30 ft, moderate floodingJan 23, 1937: 27.80 ft, moderate floodingApr 21, 1940: 23.90 ft, moderate floodingMar 8, 1945: 25.70 ft, moderate floodingJan 28, 1952: 26.80 ft, moderate floodingJan 23, 1959: 32.50 ft, major floodingMar 1, 1962: 18.28 ft, minor flooding; 35,400 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1963: 25.20 ft, moderate flooding; 77,000 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1964: 24.55 ft, moderate flooding; 79,400 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 1968: 17.66 ft, minor flooding; 39,000 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 1979: 15.94 ft, action stage; 40,700 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1980: 13.90 ft, below flood stage; 31,600 cubic feet per secondJan 2, 1991: 17.58 ft, minor flooding; 49,400 cubic feet per secondJan 21, 1996: 14.58 ft, action stageMay 2, 1996: 15.39 ft, action stage; 38,300 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1997: 16.23 ft, minor floodingJan 7, 2004: 17.73 ft, minor floodingJan 8, 2005: 20.89 ft, minor floodingJan 14, 2005: 19.12 ft, minor floodingMar 21, 2008: 15.96 ft, action stage; 43,200 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 2018: 16.17 ft, minor flooding; 41,378 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 2020: 15.70 ft, action stageMay 22, 2020: 16.51 ft, minor flooding; 43,769 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 2024: 16.79 ft, minor flooding; 45,076 cubic feet per second Highest, 32.50 ft, Jan 23, 1959 1900192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Scioto River at Chillicothe 1890s: 1 1900s: 0 1910s: 1 1920s: 2 1930s: 2 1940s: 2 1950s: 2 1960s: 4 4 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 2 2000s: 3 2010s: 1 2020s: 2 1890s1900s1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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.
  3. 1 crest measured on an earlier gauge datum is left out: 39.80 ft on Mar 26, 1913.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Scioto River at Chillicothe
1Jan 23, 195932.50+16.50Major—
2Mar 24, 189828.30+12.30Moderate—
3Jan 23, 193727.80+11.80Moderate—
4Jan 28, 195226.80+10.80Moderate—
5Feb 28, 192926.00+10.00Moderate—
6Mar 8, 194525.70+9.70Moderate—
7Mar 6, 196325.20+9.20Moderate77,000
8Mar 11, 196424.55+8.55Moderate79,400
9Apr 21, 194023.90+7.90Moderate—
10Mar 29, 191622.70+6.70Moderate—
11May 16, 193322.30+6.30Moderate—
12Mar 23, 192721.60+5.60Minor—
13Jan 8, 200520.89+4.89Minor—
14Jan 14, 200519.12+3.12Minor—
15Mar 1, 196218.28+2.28Minor35,400
16Jan 7, 200417.73+1.73Minor—
17May 29, 196817.66+1.66Minor39,000
18Jan 2, 199117.58+1.58Minor49,400
19Apr 5, 202416.79+0.79Minor45,076
20May 22, 202016.51+0.51Minor43,769
21Jun 4, 199716.23+0.23Minor—
22Apr 6, 201816.17+0.17Minor41,378
23Mar 21, 200815.96−0.04Action43,200
24Sep 17, 197915.94−0.06Action40,700
25Mar 22, 202015.70−0.30Action—
26May 2, 199615.39−0.61Action38,300
27Jan 21, 199614.58−1.42Action—
28Jun 5, 198013.90−2.10Below flood stage31,600

The worst floods along the Scioto River

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

January 23, 1959: 32.50 ft here, major flooding

  • Frank RoadOH · Jan 22, 1959 · 27.22 ft · Major · its highest
  • CirclevilleOH · Jan 22, 1959 · 26.17 ft · Major · its highest
  • ProspectOH · Jan 21, 1959 · 15.30 ft · Major
  • PiketonOH · Jan 25, 1959 · 32.56 ft · Moderate · its highest

January 23, 1937: 27.80 ft here, moderate flooding

  • ProspectOH · Jan 23, 1937 · 13.40 ft · Minor

January 28, 1952: 26.80 ft here, moderate flooding

  • PiketonOH · Jan 29, 1952 · 28.00 ft · Moderate
  • CirclevilleOH · Jan 28, 1952 · 22.50 ft · Moderate
  • Frank RoadOH · Jan 27, 1952 · 24.70 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Scioto River

In USGS station-number order, which runs downstream within a river basin.

Flood gauges on the Scioto River
LarueOH12.014.70 ft, Feb 26, 19296
ProspectOH12.021.10 ft, Mar 25, 19133
Frank RoadOH24.027.22 ft, Jan 22, 19591
CirclevilleOH15.026.17 ft, Jan 22, 19591
Chillicothe this gaugeOH16.032.50 ft, Jan 23, 19591
PiketonOH20.032.56 ft, Jan 25, 19590

Other gauges in Ross County

Flood gauges in Ross County
Bourneville12.020.50 ft, Mar 10, 19642

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CHCO1, 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.