South Fork Hughes River below Macfarlan, WV
River level and flood forecast · Ritchie County
Normal8.7 ftas of Mon 4:15 PM
The river is 13.3 ft below flood stage (22 ft).
Flow: 1,060 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 | 28 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 26 ft |
| Flood stage | 22 ft |
| Action stage | 16 ft |
| Record crest (November 23, 2011) | 26.73 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 32 ftThe Macfarlan Post Office and adjacent mobile home begin to flood.
- 31.5 ftIn Macfarlan, several abandoned buildings on Staunton Turnpike Road at the intersection with County Road 30 begin to flood.
- 31 ftA couple of homes just below the mouth of Laurel run on Laurel Run Road begin to flood.
- 30 ftIn Macfarlan, low section of Staunton Turnpike Road floods.
- 28 ftHomes in the 300-400 block of Laurel Run Road begin to flood.
- 22 ftAdditional low sections of Oxbow Road below the gage flood.
- 20 ftAgricultural field next to the river and just below the Staunton Turnpike bridge floods.
- 16 ftLow spot on Oxbow Road below the gage floods.
Highest crests on record
- 26.73 ft — November 23, 2011
- 25.27 ft — March 5, 2015
- 25.19 ft — April 12, 2024
- 25 ft — February 4, 2022
- 23.58 ft — February 16, 2018
Recent crests: 23.5 ft (July 22, 2026) · 22.14 ft (February 6, 2025) · 25.19 ft (April 12, 2024) · 25 ft (February 4, 2022) · 23.43 ft (December 17, 2019)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- DownstreamOhio River at Parkersburg, WV
- Little Kanawha River at Elizabeth, WV
- North Fork Hughes River near Cairo, WV
- Little Kanawha River at Grantsville, WV
- Little Kanawha River above Rocksdale, WV
- Little Tygart Creek (WV) at Mineral Wells, WV
- Little Kanawha River at Glenville, WV
- Ohio River at Marietta Pumphouse, OH
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (MCFW2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.