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Ohio River at Willow Island Lock

Highest listed crest 44.78 ftFlood stage 37.0 ft11 crests since 2000

The Ohio River at Willow Island Lock crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 11 crests the National Weather Service lists from 2000 to 2024. The highest, 44.78 ft on September 19, 2004, was major flooding, 7.78 feet above flood stage. 21 other gauges on the Ohio River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
44.78 ft
September 19, 2004
Flood stage
37.0 ft
Major flooding from 42.0 ft
Crests at major
2
32nd of 116 gauges in West Virginia
Most recent flood crest
April 14, 2024
38.83 ft, minor flooding
Location
Pleasants County
Near Marietta (8.0 mi), Vienna (11.5 mi), Parkersburg (13.7 mi)
Identifiers
NWS RNOO1
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 Willow Island Lock
Action stage35.01Apr 5, 2018The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)37.04Apr 14, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage41.01Apr 5, 2024Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage42.02Jan 8, 2005Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

11 crests from 2000 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Ohio River at Willow Island Lock, 2000 to 2024 3035404550ft Flood stage 37.0 ftMajor 42.0 ft Feb 20, 2000: 33.12 ft, below flood stageSep 19, 2004: 44.78 ft, major floodingJan 8, 2005: 42.90 ft, major floodingFeb 8, 2008: 34.30 ft, below flood stageMar 13, 2011: 38.51 ft, minor floodingMar 16, 2015: 32.19 ft, below flood stageFeb 18, 2018: 40.43 ft, minor floodingApr 5, 2018: 36.38 ft, action stageSep 12, 2018: 37.21 ft, minor floodingApr 5, 2024: 41.32 ft, moderate floodingApr 14, 2024: 38.83 ft, minor flooding Highest, 44.78 ft, Sep 19, 2004 200020052010201520202025

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Ohio River at Willow Island Lock 2000s: 2 2010s: 3 3 2020s: 2 2000s2010s2020s
  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, Ohio River at Willow Island Lock
1Sep 19, 200444.78+7.78Major—
2Jan 8, 200542.90+5.90Major—
3Apr 5, 202441.32+4.32Moderate—
4Feb 18, 201840.43+3.43Minor—
5Apr 14, 202438.83+1.83Minor—
6Mar 13, 201138.51+1.51Minor—
7Sep 12, 201837.21+0.21Minor—
8Apr 5, 201836.38−0.62Action—
9Feb 8, 200834.30−2.70Below flood stage—
10Feb 20, 200033.12−3.88Below flood stage—
11Mar 16, 201532.19−4.81Below 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.

September 19, 2004: 44.78 ft here, major flooding

January 8, 2005: 42.90 ft here, major flooding

April 5, 2024: 41.32 ft here, moderate 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 LockWV50.069.60 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 Lock this gaugeWV37.044.78 ft, Sep 19, 20042
HuntingtonOH50.057.52 ft, Mar 5, 19970

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge RNOO1, 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.