Kanawha River at South Side Bridge, WV
River level and flood forecast · Kanawha County
Normal8.0 ftas of Mon 4 PM
The river is 22.0 ft below flood stage (30 ft).
Forecast to rise to 8.9 ft Tue 8 PM, below the 30 ft flood stage.
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 10:36 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 40 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 35 ft |
| Flood stage | 30 ft |
| Action stage | 23.5 ft |
| Record crest (January 1, 1840) | 47.6 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 48 ftMajor flooding of the City of Charleston and surrounding areas.
- 47 ftKanawha Boulevard near the South Side Bridge is flooded.
- 44 ftWater reaches the base of homes along Kanawha Boulevard, west of the interstate bridge, near Magic Island. Kanawha Boulevard is also flooded in this area. Sections of MacCorkle Avenue (Route 61) near the interstate bridge are flooded.
- 43 ftWater is at the base of Union building on Kanawha Boulevard.
- 40 ftThe South Side Bridge parking lot along Kanawha Boulevard is flooded.
- 38.7 ftWater is to bottom of Haddad Riverfront Park bathrooms and most of park is flooded.
- 38 ftThe CSX Railroad tracks, Kanawha Boulevard, and Park Avenue on the west side of Charleston begins to flood.
- 35 ftLow sections of MacCorkle Avenue between the South Side Bridge, the Thirty Fifth Street bridge, Thirty Fifth, and Thirty Third Streets in Kanawha City begin to flood.
- 32 ftU.S. Route 60, Patrick Street and U.S. Route 119 in the City of Charleston begin to flood.
- 31.6 ftPatrick Street at 6th Avenue begins to flood.
- 30 ftBigley Avenue at Magazine Branch begins to flood.
- 29.5 ftCrescent Road at Magazine Branch begins to flood.
- 29.3 ftGrant Street at Elm Street begins to flood.
- 29 ftThe railroad underpass on US Route 119 (Corridor G), near its intersection with MacCorkle Ave, begins to flood from backwater up Ferry Branch. Water also backs up Lower Donnally Branch and begins to flood the 4400 block dip in Kanawha Ave in Kanawha City.
- 28 ftThe protective earth dike/levee, around the South Charleston Community Center, has accumulating backwater near its top. Also, the lower west end of Spring Hill in South Charleston has backwater pool in the vicinity of Roxbury, Kentucky, and Ohio Streets.
- 27 ftIowa Street at 5th Avenue begins to flood due to backwater up Kanawha Two Mile. Also, Gap View Drive begins to flood near the WV DOH Materials Building from backwater up Campbells Creek and Dry Branch.
- 25.5 ftThe lower riverbank sidewalk, along Kanawha Blvd, begins to flood.
- 25 ftOregon Street, 6th Avenue, and Kemp Avenue have water backing up from Kanawha Two Mile - and pools near homes. Also, the lower parking lot #2 of the Kenna Homes off Kenna Drive in South Charleston begins to flood.
- 24.5 ftConcrete splash pads on Magic Island begin to flood.
- 24 ftPooling backwater reaches around the base of the South Charleston Community Center protective earth dike/levee. (also the elevation of their gym floor)
- 23.6 ftThe North Charleston Fire Department basement begins to flood.
- 23.5 ftPiedmont Road and Dry Branch Drive flood from backwater up Campbells Creek.
- 22 ftPortions of Magic Island are under water. Backwater flooding starts along the Elk River portion of the city. Additionally, a catch basin field between the South Charleston Community Center and Kenna Homes begins to accumulate backwater. This water comes up through the drains that feed into Davis Creek.
- 20 ftThe concrete floor of the elevated stage at Haddad Riverfront Park is flooded.
- 17.5 ftWater is up to the bottom steps of the seating area in Haddad Riverfront Park. Also, the lower loop road to the boat ramp at Daniel Boone Park floods.
Highest crests on record
- 47.6 ft — January 1, 1840
- 46.87 ft — September 29, 1861
- 43 ft — January 1, 1822
- 41.63 ft — September 14, 1878
- 41.5 ft — February 23, 1897
Recent crests: 27 ft (February 17, 2025) · 29.71 ft (March 2, 2021) · 24.31 ft (February 7, 2020) · 26.3 ft (February 24, 2019) · 25.2 ft (April 17, 2018)
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (CRSW2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.