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Cheat River at Parsons

Highest listed crest 24.30 ftFlood stage 18.5 ft37 crests since 1888

The Cheat River at Parsons crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 37 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1888 to 2021. The highest, 24.30 ft on November 5, 1985, was major flooding, 5.80 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Cheat River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 2 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
24.30 ft
November 5, 1985; 100,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
18.5 ft
Major flooding from 23.5 ft
Crests at major
1
40th of 116 gauges in West Virginia
Most recent flood crest
January 19, 1996
19.80 ft, minor flooding
Location
Tucker County
West Virginia

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Cheat River at Parsons
Action stage15.110Mar 1, 2021The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)18.55Jan 19, 1996Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage21.50—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage23.51Nov 5, 1985Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

37 crests from 1888 to 2021. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Cheat River at Parsons, 1888 to 2021 510152025ft Flood stage 18.5 ftMajor 23.5 ft Jul 10, 1888: 20.50 ft, minor flooding; 51,300 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1917: 18.90 ft, minor floodingMar 13, 1918: 17.00 ft, action stageMar 29, 1924: 17.50 ft, action stageFeb 4, 1932: 17.20 ft, action stageMar 17, 1936: 16.19 ft, action stageOct 16, 1954: 19.08 ft, minor floodingMar 31, 1960: 13.05 ft, below flood stageMar 22, 1962: 13.50 ft, below flood stageMar 19, 1963: 16.18 ft, action stageMar 5, 1964: 13.50 ft, below flood stageMar 7, 1967: 15.00 ft, below flood stageDec 22, 1970: 13.78 ft, below flood stageJun 23, 1972: 13.79 ft, below flood stageOct 6, 1972: 13.00 ft, below flood stageOct 9, 1976: 14.50 ft, below flood stageMar 20, 1982: 13.00 ft, below flood stageMar 14, 1984: 13.23 ft, below flood stageNov 5, 1985: 24.30 ft, major flooding; 100,000 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 1990: 14.77 ft, below flood stageFeb 9, 1994: 18.97 ft, minor floodingMay 8, 1994: 16.18 ft, action stageJan 19, 1996: 19.80 ft, minor flooding; 65,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 2000: 16.70 ft, action stage; 46,100 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 2002: 14.70 ft, below flood stage; 42,900 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 2002: 13.10 ft, below flood stage; 32,600 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2008: 11.16 ft, below flood stage; 21,959 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 2010: 13.80 ft, below flood stage; 36,708 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 2011: 11.35 ft, below flood stage; 22,880 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 2014: 12.54 ft, below flood stageMar 5, 2015: 12.77 ft, below flood stage; 30,456 cubic feet per secondJul 29, 2017: 16.90 ft, action stage; 40,200 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 2018: 13.10 ft, below flood stage; 21,940 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 2019: 10.82 ft, below flood stage; 13,834 cubic feet per secondFeb 8, 2019: 8.66 ft, below flood stage; 8,043 cubic feet per secondJun 30, 2019: 17.58 ft, action stage; 43,997 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 2021: 16.25 ft, action stage; 36,541 cubic feet per second Highest, 24.30 ft, Nov 5, 1985 1900192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Cheat River at Parsons 1880s: 1 1890s: 0 1900s: 0 1910s: 1 1920s: 0 1930s: 0 1940s: 0 1950s: 1 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 1 1990s: 2 2 2000s: 0 2010s: 0 2020s: 0 1880s1900s1920s1940s1960s1980s2000s2020s
  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, Cheat River at Parsons
1Nov 5, 198524.30+5.80Major100,000
2Jul 10, 188820.50+2.00Minor51,300
3Jan 19, 199619.80+1.30Minor65,000
4Oct 16, 195419.08+0.58Minor—
5Feb 9, 199418.97+0.47Minor—
6Mar 12, 191718.90+0.40Minor—
7Jun 30, 201917.58−0.92Action43,997
8Mar 29, 192417.50−1.00Action—
9Feb 4, 193217.20−1.30Action—
10Mar 13, 191817.00−1.50Action—
11Jul 29, 201716.90−1.60Action40,200
12Feb 19, 200016.70−1.80Action46,100
13Mar 1, 202116.25−2.25Action36,541
14Mar 17, 193616.19−2.31Action—
15Mar 19, 196316.18−2.32Action—
16May 8, 199416.18−2.32Action—
17Mar 7, 196715.00−3.50Below flood stage—
18May 26, 199014.77−3.73Below flood stage—
19Mar 20, 200214.70−3.80Below flood stage42,900
20Oct 9, 197614.50−4.00Below flood stage—
21Jan 26, 201013.80−4.70Below flood stage36,708
22Jun 23, 197213.79−4.71Below flood stage—
23Dec 22, 197013.78−4.72Below flood stage—
24Mar 22, 196213.50−5.00Below flood stage—
25Mar 5, 196413.50−5.00Below flood stage—
26Mar 14, 198413.23−5.27Below flood stage—
27Apr 22, 200213.10−5.40Below flood stage32,600
28Sep 28, 201813.10−5.40Below flood stage21,940
29Mar 31, 196013.05−5.45Below flood stage—
30Oct 6, 197213.00−5.50Below flood stage—
31Mar 20, 198213.00−5.50Below flood stage—
32Mar 5, 201512.77−5.73Below flood stage30,456
33May 16, 201412.54−5.96Below flood stage—
34May 18, 201111.35−7.15Below flood stage22,880
35Jun 4, 200811.16−7.34Below flood stage21,959
36Jan 20, 201910.82−7.68Below flood stage13,834
37Feb 8, 20198.66−9.84Below flood stage8,043

The worst floods along the Cheat River

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

November 5, 1985: 24.30 ft here, major flooding

  • RowlesburgWV · Nov 5, 1985 · 36.90 ft · Major · its highest
  • RowlesburgWV · Nov 5, 1985 · 32.00 ft · Major · its highest

January 19, 1996: 19.80 ft here, minor flooding

February 9, 1994: 18.97 ft here, minor flooding

Gauges on the Cheat River

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

Flood gauges on the Cheat River
Parsons this gaugeWV18.524.30 ft, Nov 5, 19851
RowlesburgWV19.032.00 ft, Nov 5, 19851
RowlesburgWV16.036.90 ft, Nov 5, 19853
AlbrightWV27.027.23 ft, Jul 29, 20170

Other gauges in Tucker County

Flood gauges in Tucker County
Hendricks14.020.74 ft, Nov 5, 19851

Tucker County: every hazard · River floods across the country · West Virginia

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge PSNW2, 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.