Big Coal River at Ashford, WV
River level and flood forecast · Boone County
Normal3.8 ftas of Mon 4:45 PM
The river is 13.2 ft below flood stage (17 ft).
Flow: 724 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 | 25 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 20 ft |
| Flood stage | 17 ft |
| Action stage | 16 ft |
| Record crest (August 9, 1916) | 35.66 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 30 ftSeveral homes along Emmons Road toward White Oak Road flood. A significant portion of the railroad from just above Ashford down to Emmons is under water. Many homes next to the river from Ashford to Emmons flood.
- 28 ftAshford Lane at intersection with the Ashford Nellis Road bridge begins to flood. Nearly the entire length of Emmons Road is under water.
- 25 ftThe church on Ashford Nellis Road and some homes along Ashford Lane, next to the river, flood at stages between 25 and 27 feet.
- 22 ftIntersection of Emmons Road and Lower White Oak Road floods.
- 21 ftThree homes along Dartmouth Ashford Road, just below the intersection with Ashford Nellis Road, flood.
- 20 ftDartmouth Ashford Road just below the intersection with Ashford Nellis Road floods.
- 18 ftIntersection of Darmouth Ashford Road and Ashford Nellis Road in Ashford floods. Sections of Emmons Road begin to flood below the intersection with the Ashford Nellis Road bridge.
- 17 ftRidgeview Nellis Road just above the Ashford Nellis Road bridge floods.
Highest crests on record
- 35.66 ft — August 9, 1916
- 27 ft — March 7, 1967
- 26.14 ft — December 31, 1969
- 26.05 ft — January 26, 1978
- 25.95 ft — November 19, 2003
Recent crests: 22.47 ft (February 16, 2025) · 17.43 ft (February 19, 2023) · 23.25 ft (March 1, 2021) · 13.98 ft (February 11, 2020) · 14.78 ft (December 22, 2018)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- UpstreamClear Fork (Big Coal) at Whitesville, WV
- DownstreamCoal River (WV) at Tornado, WV
- Little Coal River at Danville, WV
- Kanawha River at South Side Bridge, WV
- Kanawha River at Charleston Old Lock 6, WV
- Elk Twomile Creek at Charleston, WV
- Mud River (WV) near Griffithsville, WV
- Mud River (WV) at Palermo, WV
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (ASHW2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.