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Elk River at Clay

Highest listed crest 32.40 ftFlood stage 18.0 ft32 crests since 1861

The Elk River at Clay crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 32 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1861 to 2025. The highest, 32.40 ft on March 14, 1918, was major flooding, 14.40 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
32.40 ft
March 14, 1918
Flood stage
18.0 ft
Major flooding from 29.0 ft
Crests at major
3
25th of 116 gauges in West Virginia
Most recent flood crest
March 1, 2021
19.63 ft, minor flooding
Location
Clay 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, Elk River at Clay
Action stage16.03Feb 6, 2025The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)18.08Mar 1, 2021Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage20.017Nov 19, 2003Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage29.03Jun 24, 2016Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

32 crests from 1861 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Elk River at Clay, 1861 to 2025 101520253035ft Flood stage 18.0 ftMajor 29.0 ft Jan 1, 1861: 31.00 ft, major floodingMar 12, 1917: 20.30 ft, moderate flooding; 39,250 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1918: 32.40 ft, major floodingJan 2, 1919: 22.70 ft, moderate flooding; 47,650 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 1924: 23.60 ft, moderate floodingOct 3, 1929: 23.00 ft, moderate flooding; 48,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 1932: 26.60 ft, moderate floodingApr 16, 1932: 23.50 ft, moderate floodingJul 4, 1932: 26.50 ft, moderate floodingFeb 4, 1939: 25.40 ft, moderate floodingDec 4, 1950: 20.50 ft, moderate flooding; 39,950 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 1951: 20.10 ft, moderate flooding; 38,550 cubic feet per secondJul 21, 1954: 19.70 ft, minor flooding; 37,150 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1955: 18.45 ft, minor flooding; 32,950 cubic feet per secondJan 30, 1957: 22.60 ft, moderate flooding; 47,300 cubic feet per secondAug 9, 1958: 20.00 ft, moderate flooding; 38,200 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1967: 22.80 ft, moderate flooding; 48,000 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 1969: 18.23 ft, minor flooding; 32,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 1972: 18.57 ft, minor flooding; 33,200 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 1978: 18.40 ft, minor flooding; 32,600 cubic feet per secondDec 9, 1978: 18.33 ft, minor flooding; 32,400 cubic feet per secondDec 3, 1991: 20.83 ft, moderate flooding; 41,100 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1996: 17.50 ft, action stageJul 31, 1996: 21.84 ft, moderate floodingMar 1, 1997: 23.00 ft, moderate floodingNov 19, 2003: 20.96 ft, moderate flooding; 42,000 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 2013: 14.79 ft, below flood stage; 21,370 cubic feet per secondDec 7, 2013: 19.45 ft, minor flooding; 36,600 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 2015: 16.71 ft, action stage; 27,330 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 2016: 30.30 ft, major flooding; 93,000 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 2021: 19.63 ft, minor flooding; 36,645 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 2025: 17.76 ft, action stage Highest, 32.40 ft, Mar 14, 1918 1880192019602000

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Elk River at Clay 1860s: 1 1870s: 0 1880s: 0 1890s: 0 1900s: 0 1910s: 3 1920s: 2 1930s: 4 1940s: 0 1950s: 6 6 1960s: 2 1970s: 3 1980s: 0 1990s: 3 2000s: 1 2010s: 2 2020s: 1 1860s1880s1900s1920s1940s1960s1980s2000s2020s
  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, Elk River at Clay
1Mar 14, 191832.40+14.40Major—
2Jan 1, 186131.00+13.00Major—
3Jun 24, 201630.30+12.30Major93,000
4Feb 5, 193226.60+8.60Moderate—
5Jul 4, 193226.50+8.50Moderate—
6Feb 4, 193925.40+7.40Moderate—
7May 12, 192423.60+5.60Moderate—
8Apr 16, 193223.50+5.50Moderate—
9Oct 3, 192923.00+5.00Moderate48,700
10Mar 1, 199723.00+5.00Moderate—
11Mar 15, 196722.80+4.80Moderate48,000
12Jan 2, 191922.70+4.70Moderate47,650
13Jan 30, 195722.60+4.60Moderate47,300
14Jul 31, 199621.84+3.84Moderate—
15Nov 19, 200320.96+2.96Moderate42,000
16Dec 3, 199120.83+2.83Moderate41,100
17Dec 4, 195020.50+2.50Moderate39,950
18Mar 12, 191720.30+2.30Moderate39,250
19Feb 1, 195120.10+2.10Moderate38,550
20Aug 9, 195820.00+2.00Moderate38,200
21Jul 21, 195419.70+1.70Minor37,150
22Mar 1, 202119.63+1.63Minor36,645
23Dec 7, 201319.45+1.45Minor36,600
24Feb 26, 197218.57+0.57Minor33,200
25Mar 6, 195518.45+0.45Minor32,950
26Jan 26, 197818.40+0.40Minor32,600
27Dec 9, 197818.33+0.33Minor32,400
28Dec 30, 196918.23+0.23Minor32,000
29Feb 6, 202517.76−0.24Action—
30Jan 19, 199617.50−0.50Action—
31Mar 5, 201516.71−1.29Action27,330
32Jan 31, 201314.79−3.21Below flood stage21,370

The worst floods along the Elk River

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

June 24, 2016: 30.30 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Elk River

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

Flood gauges on the Elk River
Clay this gaugeWV18.032.40 ft, Mar 14, 19183
Clifton Ford near Big RunWV13.026.34 ft, Sep 1, 18612
GuardianWV11.014.50 ft, Jul 16, 19790
Queen ShoalsWV19.033.31 ft, Jun 24, 20161
FrametownWV18.020.39 ft, Jul 31, 19960

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CLYW2, 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.