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Tug Fork River at Welch

Highest listed crest 22.10 ftFlood stage 17.0 ft18 crests since 1987

The Tug Fork River at Welch crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 18 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1987 to 2025. The highest, 22.10 ft on May 2, 2002, was major flooding, 5.10 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Tug Fork River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
22.10 ft
May 2, 2002; 14,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
17.0 ft
Major flooding from 20.0 ft
Crests at major
2
32nd of 116 gauges in West Virginia
Most recent flood crest
February 16, 2025
22.10 ft, major flooding
Location
McDowell 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, Tug Fork River at Welch
Action stage15.01Nov 19, 2003The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)17.00—Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage19.01Jul 8, 2001Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage20.02Feb 16, 2025Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

18 crests from 1987 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Tug Fork River at Welch, 1987 to 2025 510152025ft Flood stage 17.0 ftMajor 20.0 ft Apr 24, 1987: 11.90 ft, below flood stage; 5,490 cubic feet per secondDec 25, 1987: 5.22 ft, below flood stage; 656 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 1989: 10.65 ft, below flood stage; 4,270 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 1990: 9.02 ft, below flood stage; 2,900 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1991: 7.45 ft, below flood stage; 1,810 cubic feet per secondDec 2, 1991: 8.04 ft, below flood stage; 2,190 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1993: 9.63 ft, below flood stageFeb 11, 1994: 11.45 ft, below flood stage; 4,800 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 1996: 13.41 ft, below flood stageApr 17, 1998: 10.40 ft, below flood stageJul 8, 2001: 19.77 ft, moderate flooding; 13,850 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 2002: 22.10 ft, major flooding; 14,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 2003: 11.63 ft, below flood stage; 5,220 cubic feet per secondNov 19, 2003: 15.17 ft, action stageApr 14, 2004: 10.17 ft, below flood stageJan 31, 2013: 10.86 ft, below flood stage; 4,225 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 2020: 12.92 ft, below flood stage; 6,173 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 2025: 22.10 ft, major flooding; 13,230 cubic feet per second Highest, 22.10 ft, May 2, 2002 1990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Tug Fork River at Welch 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 2 2 2010s: 0 2020s: 1 1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Tug Fork River at Welch
1May 2, 200222.10+5.10Major14,000
2Feb 16, 202522.10+5.10Major13,230
3Jul 8, 200119.77+2.77Moderate13,850
4Nov 19, 200315.17−1.83Action—
5May 16, 199613.41−3.59Below flood stage—
6Feb 6, 202012.92−4.08Below flood stage6,173
7Apr 24, 198711.90−5.10Below flood stage5,490
8Feb 22, 200311.63−5.37Below flood stage5,220
9Feb 11, 199411.45−5.55Below flood stage4,800
10Jan 31, 201310.86−6.14Below flood stage4,225
11May 6, 198910.65−6.35Below flood stage4,270
12Apr 17, 199810.40−6.60Below flood stage—
13Apr 14, 200410.17−6.83Below flood stage—
14Mar 24, 19939.63−7.37Below flood stage—
15Feb 10, 19909.02−7.98Below flood stage2,900
16Dec 2, 19918.04−8.96Below flood stage2,190
17Mar 30, 19917.45−9.55Below flood stage1,810
18Dec 25, 19875.22−11.78Below flood stage656

The worst floods along the Tug Fork River

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

May 2, 2002: 22.10 ft here, major flooding

  • WilliamsonKY · May 3, 2002 · 42.15 ft · Moderate

February 16, 2025: 22.10 ft here, major flooding

  • KermitWV · Feb 17, 2025 · 51.28 ft · Major · its highest
  • WilliamsonKY · Feb 16, 2025 · 48.35 ft · Major · its highest
  • LitwarWV · Feb 16, 2025 · 30.97 ft · Major · its highest

Gauges on the Tug Fork River

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

Flood gauges on the Tug Fork River
Welch this gaugeWV17.022.10 ft, May 2, 20022
LitwarWV24.030.97 ft, Feb 16, 20251
WilliamsonKY27.048.35 ft, Feb 16, 20254
KermitWV38.051.28 ft, Feb 17, 20251

Other gauges in McDowell County

Flood gauges in McDowell County
Bradshaw10.018.16 ft, Feb 16, 20250
Panther10.016.57 ft, May 2, 20021
Litwar24.030.97 ft, Feb 16, 20251

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge WLCW2, 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.