Little Kanawha River at Elizabeth, WV
River level and flood forecast · Wirt County
Normal18.8 ftas of Mon 3 PM
The river is 17.2 ft below flood stage (36 ft).
Forecast to fall to 15.6 ft by Sat, Oct 17, 8 AM.
Flow: 7,180 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 9:59 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 44 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 38 ft |
| Flood stage | 36 ft |
| Action stage | 34 ft |
| Record crest (March 3, 1997) | 40.04 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 44 ftMajor flooding occurs in and around Elizabeth and Palestine. Flood water reaches the middle school, high school, water plant, and some homes along the river.
- 38 ftHomes along the river and Snodgrass Road begin to flood. Low sections near the river around Elizabeth and Palestine also begin to flood.
- 36 ftSections of Snodgrass Road adjacent to the river flood.
Highest crests on record
- 40.04 ft — March 3, 1997
- 39.14 ft — March 7, 1967
- 36.44 ft — February 24, 2003
- 36.37 ft — December 10, 1979
- 36.34 ft — November 23, 2011
Recent crests: 33.01 ft (March 5, 2015) · 36.34 ft (November 23, 2011) · 33.14 ft (June 6, 2008) · 36.44 ft (February 24, 2003) · 33.43 ft (March 21, 2002)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- UpstreamLittle Kanawha River at Grantsville, WV
- South Fork Hughes River below Macfarlan, WV
- Little Tygart Creek (WV) at Mineral Wells, WV
- Ohio River at Parkersburg, WV
- Little Kanawha River above Rocksdale, WV
- North Fork Hughes River near Cairo, WV
- Ohio River at Marietta Pumphouse, OH
- Shade River near Chester, OH
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (ELZW2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.