Black River at Elyria, OH
River level and flood forecast · Lorain County
Normal0.9 ftas of Mon 2:15 PM
The river is 8.6 ft below flood stage (9.5 ft).
Flow: 25 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Sun, Dec 31, 7 PM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 20 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 17 ft |
| Flood stage | 9.5 ft |
| Action stage | 7 ft |
| Record crest (July 6, 1969) | 26.4 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 26.5 ftHistoric flooding exceeding 1969 levels.
- 24 ftRiver gage flooded in Cascade Park.
- 23.5 ftFlood levels near the 0.2 percent, or 500 year, recurrence interval.
- 21 ftFlood levels around the 1 percent, or 100 year, flood recurrence interval.
- 20 ftFlood waters up to East Bridge Street and Fourth Street bridges in Elyria.
- 19 ftFlood waters surround low lying properties on Quincy Street and Tannery Street in Elyria. Water overtops Grafton Road bridge.
- 18 ftThe East and West Branches of the Black River are out of banks in several locations between Carlisle, Penfield, and Elyria. Many creeks backed up as a result with widespread flooding. Several homes in Carlisle Township along Woodside Avenue and Greenview Drive flooded.
- 17 ftNickle Plate Diagonal Road inundated between Parsons and Whitehead Roads north of Carlisle Township.
- 16 ftState Route 303 east of Vermont Street becomes flooded. Vermont Street is also flooded south of State Route 303.
- 14 ftFlooding begins throughout Cascade Park in Elyria.
- 11 ftFlooding along the East Branch of the Black River on Foster Road in Penfield Township. Ford Road hear I-90 may be closed for high water.
- 9.5 ftFlooding begins south of Elyria in Carlisle Township along Woodside Drive.
Highest crests on record
- 26.4 ft — July 6, 1969
- 22.9 ft — January 22, 1959
- 18.02 ft — May 13, 1956
- 17.29 ft — May 22, 2004
- 17.03 ft — December 15, 1977
Recent crests: 14.39 ft (April 3, 2026) · 9.69 ft (May 7, 2025) · 12.14 ft (April 6, 2025) · 9.9 ft (April 12, 2024) · 12.53 ft (April 3, 2024)
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (ELRO1); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.