Great Miami River at Dayton, OH
River level and flood forecast · Montgomery County
Normal24.6 ftas of Mon 4:30 PM
The river is 16.4 ft below flood stage (41 ft).
Forecast to fall to 24.2 ft by Sat, Oct 17, 8 AM.
Flow: 1,110 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 10:22 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 48 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 44 ft |
| Flood stage | 41 ft |
| Action stage | 29.5 ft |
| Record crest (January 22, 1959) | 36 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 47.4 ftThis is the top of the levee system protecting Dayton from Great Miami River flooding. River stages exceeding this level would result in widespread catastrophic flooding within Dayton.
- 42 ftThis is equivalent of the FEMA 0.2% or 500 year flood. Flood protection by MCD protects to a stage of 47.4 feet. Low-lying areas in communities south of Dayton along tributaries of the Great Miami River experience flooding, especially from Moraine to near Miamisburg.
- 41 ftLow lying areas outside of the floodwall experience flooding. Several feet of water now flood Island Metropark at east Helena Street as well as sections of Rip Rap Road near Huber Heights. University of Dayton operates pumps to keep Arena floor from flooding. Much of the city is protected by levees to a stage of 47.4 feet.
- 40 ftA stop log wall must be installed at Riverscape to prevent the levee in the Riverscape area from being overtopped. The Miami Conservancy District flood protection system provides protection to the City of Dayton up to a river stage of 47.4 feet. There is some flooding outside of flood protected areas such as along Rip Rap Road in Huber Heights.
- 39.4 ftThis is the FEMA 1 percent flood elevation level. The Miami Conservancy District flood protection system provides protection to the City of Dayton up to a river stage of 47.4 feet. This system includes dams and levees on the Great Miami and tributaries. There is flooding outside of flood protected areas along Rip Rap Road in Huber Heights.
- 34 ftIsland Metro Park becomes inundated as well as Helena Street. Several inches of water cover sections of Rip Rap Road near Huber Heights. While there is some groundwater flooding problems near University of Dayton due to the high river level the city of Dayton is protected by a flood wall up to 47.4 feet.
- 33 ftIsland Metro Park and Helena Street experience some flooding as well as portions of Rip Rap Road near Huber Heights. The MCD flood protection system provides protection to the City of Dayton up to a river stage of 47.4 feet. This system includes dams and levees along the Miami River and tributaries in the Dayton area. In addition, some groundwater flooding may occur due to the high river near the University of Dayton.
- 30 ftFlooding occurs near Rip Rap Road between Bridgewater and Little York Roads near Huber Heights. The MCD flood protection system provides protection to selected areas in the City of Dayton up to a river stage of 47.4 feet. This system provides flood reduction from four dams and reduced risk in leveed areas.
- 26.5 ftFlooding begins along the bike trail along river in the city.
Highest crests on record
- 36 ft — January 22, 1959
- 35.4 ft — February 27, 1929
- 35.21 ft — December 23, 2013
- 34.33 ft — January 7, 2005
- 34.2 ft — January 22, 1937
Recent crests: 33.24 ft (April 6, 2025) · 35.21 ft (December 23, 2013) · 34.33 ft (January 7, 2005) · 32.71 ft (July 10, 2003) · 30.35 ft (January 24, 1996)
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (DTNO1); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.