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Ohio River at R C Byrd Lock

Highest listed crest 69.60 ftFlood stage 50.0 ft26 crests since 1884

The Ohio River at R C Byrd Lock crested at major flood stage 9 times among the 26 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1884 to 2021. The highest, 69.60 ft on January 27, 1937, was major flooding, 19.60 feet above flood stage. 24 other gauges on the Ohio River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 17 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
69.60 ft
January 27, 1937
Flood stage
50.0 ft
Major flooding from 56.0 ft
Crests at major
9
7th of 116 gauges in West Virginia
Most recent flood crest
March 3, 2021
51.23 ft, minor flooding
Location
Mason County
West Virginia
Identifiers
NWS GALW2
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 R C Byrd Lock
Action stage48.01Mar 6, 2015The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)50.08Mar 3, 2021Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage52.07Feb 19, 2018Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage56.09Mar 8, 1955Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

26 crests from 1884 to 2021. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Ohio River at R C Byrd Lock, 1884 to 2021 455055606570ft Flood stage 50.0 ftMajor 56.0 ft Feb 11, 1884: 65.50 ft, major floodingMar 22, 1933: 56.40 ft, major floodingMar 23, 1936: 60.45 ft, major floodingJan 27, 1937: 69.60 ft, major floodingFeb 5, 1939: 54.60 ft, moderate floodingApr 23, 1940: 57.10 ft, major floodingJan 2, 1943: 60.40 ft, major floodingMar 10, 1945: 59.25 ft, major floodingApr 16, 1948: 61.10 ft, major floodingFeb 3, 1950: 53.60 ft, moderate floodingDec 9, 1950: 52.10 ft, moderate floodingJan 30, 1952: 53.90 ft, moderate floodingMar 8, 1955: 57.50 ft, major floodingDec 11, 1978: 51.20 ft, minor floodingFeb 27, 1979: 52.60 ft, moderate floodingJan 2, 1991: 50.40 ft, minor floodingJan 30, 1994: 50.09 ft, minor floodingJan 21, 1996: 51.60 ft, minor floodingMar 4, 1997: 55.00 ft, moderate floodingFeb 25, 2003: 46.96 ft, below flood stageSep 20, 2004: 51.01 ft, minor floodingJan 9, 2005: 50.31 ft, minor floodingMar 13, 2011: 51.31 ft, minor floodingMar 6, 2015: 49.11 ft, action stageFeb 19, 2018: 52.10 ft, moderate floodingMar 3, 2021: 51.23 ft, minor flooding Highest, 69.60 ft, Jan 27, 1937 1900192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Ohio River at R C Byrd Lock 1880s: 1 1890s: 0 1900s: 0 1910s: 0 1920s: 0 1930s: 4 4 1940s: 4 1950s: 4 1960s: 0 1970s: 2 1980s: 0 1990s: 4 2000s: 2 2010s: 2 2020s: 1 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.
  3. 1 crest measured on an earlier gauge datum is left out: 67.90 ft on Mar 30, 1913.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Ohio River at R C Byrd Lock
1Jan 27, 193769.60+19.60Major—
2Feb 11, 188465.50+15.50Major—
3Apr 16, 194861.10+11.10Major—
4Mar 23, 193660.45+10.45Major—
5Jan 2, 194360.40+10.40Major—
6Mar 10, 194559.25+9.25Major—
7Mar 8, 195557.50+7.50Major—
8Apr 23, 194057.10+7.10Major—
9Mar 22, 193356.40+6.40Major—
10Mar 4, 199755.00+5.00Moderate—
11Feb 5, 193954.60+4.60Moderate—
12Jan 30, 195253.90+3.90Moderate—
13Feb 3, 195053.60+3.60Moderate—
14Feb 27, 197952.60+2.60Moderate—
15Dec 9, 195052.10+2.10Moderate—
16Feb 19, 201852.10+2.10Moderate—
17Jan 21, 199651.60+1.60Minor—
18Mar 13, 201151.31+1.31Minor—
19Mar 3, 202151.23+1.23Minor—
20Dec 11, 197851.20+1.20Minor—
21Sep 20, 200451.01+1.01Minor—
22Jan 2, 199150.40+0.40Minor—
23Jan 9, 200550.31+0.31Minor—
24Jan 30, 199450.09+0.09Minor—
25Mar 6, 201549.11−0.89Action—
26Feb 25, 200346.96−3.04Below flood stage—

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 27, 1937: 69.60 ft here, major flooding

  • Clifty CreekIN · Jan 27, 1937 · 475.90 ft · Major · its highest
  • McAlpine LowerKY · Jan 27, 1937 · 85.44 ft · Major · its highest
  • Markland LowerKY · Jan 26, 1937 · 76.10 ft · Major · its highest
  • Meldahl DamOH · Jan 26, 1937 · 76.00 ft · Major · its highest
  • MaysvilleKY · Jan 27, 1937 · 75.60 ft · Major · its highest
  • AshlandKY · Jan 27, 1937 · 74.21 ft · Major · its highest
  • PomeroyOH · Jan 26, 1937 · 67.80 ft · Major
  • ShawneetownKY · Jan 30, 1937 · 65.64 ft · Major · its highest
  • J.T. Myers Lock and DamKY · Feb 1, 1937 · 64.40 ft · Major · its highest
  • Point PleasantWV · Jan 27, 1937 · 62.70 ft · Major

February 11, 1884: 65.50 ft here, major flooding

April 16, 1948: 61.10 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 PointOH37.053.30 ft, Mar 19, 19365
R C Byrd Lock this gaugeWV50.069.60 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 Mason County

Flood gauges in Mason County
Point Pleasant40.062.80 ft, Mar 30, 191325
Racine Lock41.050.23 ft, Sep 20, 20043

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge GALW2, 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.