Hocking River at Athens, OH
River level and flood forecast · Athens County
Normal4.5 ftas of Mon 2:15 PM
The river is 15.5 ft below flood stage (20 ft).
Forecast to fall to 3.4 ft by Sat, Oct 17, 8 AM.
Flow: 648 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 9:30 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 28 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 22 ft |
| Flood stage | 20 ft |
| Action stage | 18 ft |
| Record crest (April 5, 2018) | 22.52 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 33.7 ftIn Athens, Ohio University, U.S. Route 3, two eastern pump stations, the heating plant, and most of the city flood.
- 28 ftAreas in Athens, located near the river and Ohio University, flood.
- 26 ftAreas in downtown Athens begin to flood. Water surrounds the hospital.
- 25 ftIn Coolville, Frost Road bridge floods.
- 24 ftIn Nelsonville, four homes adjacent to the river and across railroad below Farrow Street flood.
- 23 ftNumerous homes and roads along the mouth of the river flood. In Athens, several businesses and homes along West Union Street near the river flood.
- 22.5 ftNumerous homes and roads along the river, approximately 1 mile upstream from Ohio River, flood. In Coolville, Frost Road and Ohio Route 144 flood.
- 22 ftSections of East State Street along with adjacent business parking lots flood. Ohio Route 33 south of Nelsonville begins to flood.
- 21.5 ftFour homes along 1100 block of Harmony Road flood at 21 to 22 feet. Athens Community Center parking lot and tennis courts flood.
- 21 ftSouth Canaan Road and Township Road 605 in the vicinity of US Route 50 flood. Glen Ebon Road begins to flood. Hockhocking Adena Bikeway near West State Street begins to flood. In Chauncey, areas along Ohio Routes 13 and 682 flood.
- 20 ftLow areas, campground, and private camps along the river between Athens and Coolville begin to flood. Much of the city of Athens is protected up to 26 feet by levees. In Nelsonville, the baseball field adjacent to Lake Hope Drive floods.
- 18 ftLow sections of Harmony Road begin to flood. In Nelsonville, the baseball fields along Watkins Street flood.
Highest crests on record
- 22.52 ft — April 5, 2018
- 22.08 ft — February 9, 2019
- 21.3 ft — March 3, 2017
- 21.11 ft — February 14, 2019
- 20.83 ft — April 6, 2025
Recent crests: 20.83 ft (April 6, 2025) · 20.1 ft (February 19, 2022) · 21.11 ft (February 14, 2019) · 20.14 ft (February 10, 2019) · 22.08 ft (February 9, 2019)
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (ATHO1); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.