Ohio River at Ashland Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Ohio River at Ashland in KY, United States, built from official government gauge data.
- Water body OHIO RIVER AT ASHLAND
- Location KY, United States
- Watershed little scioto tygarts
- Primary gauge 03216000 (USGS)
About Ohio River at Ashland
The Ohio River at Ashland sits in the Little Scioto-Tygarts watershed in Kentucky.
Season by season
This reach has a modest seasonal range in the station record. The typical high month is March at 35.91 ft (10.95 m), while the typical low month is October at 34.45 ft (10.5 m). For someone with a dock, intake, or bank access, that means the river usually sits a little higher in late winter and early spring, then eases back by autumn.
The station’s typical annual swing is 17.6 in (44.7 cm), so the usual rise and fall over the year is not large at this gauge. Even so, the surrounding Appalachian-foothill pattern can bring sharper winter and spring rises when rain falls on already wet ground, so short climbs can matter more than the seasonal average suggests.
Records and rises
The highest level in the record is 57.68 ft (17.58 m) in March 2021. The lowest is 33.3 ft (10.15 m) in October 2015. Those two numbers show the range this reach has already handled during the 17 years on record.
For people using the river, the practical lesson is simple: the stage can move a long way from the usual month-to-month pattern. A high water mark in March is not just a number in the archive; it is the level this reach has shown it can reach on the riverfront and at nearby crossings.
The contributing area above this station is 60,750 sq mi (157,342 km2). That is a large upstream area for water to gather from, which is why this gauge deserves attention when rain is widespread across the basin.
Reading the hero number
The hero number on this page compares today’s stage with the median for the same calendar day across the station’s record, rather than showing raw elevation alone. That is the better check because USGS readers get a number that says whether the river is running high or low for this date, not just how high it sits above sea level or local datum.
With 17 years on record, that day-matched comparison gives a cleaner read on what is normal for this station and what is not.
How this page is built
Readings come from official government gauges and are rolled into daily records: the daily mean, high and low for every day on record. Each calendar day gets its own baseline from the full history, so the level you see is compared against what this specific date usually looks like rather than an annual average.
How Nibi Metrics works · Water stories
Nibi Metrics - live water levels, flow, and forecasts for lakes and rivers across Canada, the US and the UK
Real-time water levels, forecasts, and alerts for lakes and rivers across Canada, the US and the UK. Built on official government data.
Nibi Metrics tracks more than 13,000 gauged lakes and rivers across Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, reading directly from official federal monitoring networks: the Water Survey of Canada, the United States Geological Survey, Quebec's provincial hydrometric network, and the Environment Agency for England. Every number on the platform is measured, not modelled - taken from a government gauge on the water itself and compared against that location's own historical record for this exact date.
What you can see for any monitored lake or river
The level right now, in feet or metres, updated as the source agency publishes new readings - for many stations that is every five to fifteen minutes. How today compares to typical: every location carries its own typical-for-this-date band built from its historical record, so a reading is never just a number - it is above, below, or near what this water usually does on this calendar day. Which way it is moving: a measured RISING, FALLING, or STEADY verdict computed from the gauge's own recent readings, with the rate of change - the difference between a flood ending and one beginning. What comes next: level forecasts up to 72 hours ahead, driven by the gauge's recent behaviour, upstream water, and quantitative precipitation forecasts, alongside live radar, lightning, and weather for the surrounding region.
Alerts that watch the water for you
Set a threshold on any location - a level, a distance above typical, or a rate of climb - and Nibi emails or notifies you the moment the gauge crosses it. Cottagers use it for spring freshet, anglers for river conditions, marinas and municipalities for operations. The scanning runs around the clock against the same measured data shown on every page.
Where Nibi comes from
Nibi means water in Anishinaabemowin. The platform began at a family cottage on Lake Muskoka, Ontario, where the spring melt floods the shoreline most years and the only forecast was standing on the dock, looking, and guessing. It grew into an independent, member-funded platform run by Muskoka Research Inc. - no investors, no data resale, and a privacy policy shorter than most cookie banners. The core data is free for everyone, forever; paid plans add automation like multi-location alerts, deep history, and reports.
Coverage
Nibi spans the continent: every Canadian province and territory with active federal gauges - from Vancouver Island rivers to the Muskoka lakes, prairie reservoirs, and Quebec's hydrometric network - and the United States from Maine to the Texas Hill Country, the Ohio Valley, and the Pacific Northwest. Coverage grows where the water news is: when a basin floods, its gauges join the platform with their full historical records attached. Many stations report every five to fifteen minutes; most report at least hourly; every page states exactly when its gauge last spoke.
Free forever, funded by members
The core promise is simple: the water data is free, for everyone, forever. Live levels, maps, radar, and recent history never sit behind a paywall. Paid plans fund the platform by adding automation - multi-location alerts, decades of history, longer forecasts, and PDF reports - so the people who need more carry the cost for everyone who just needs to check the lake before driving up. There are no investors and no advertising deals shaping what the data says.
Water Stories
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The science of snow water equivalent and why it drives the season ahead.
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Why Central and South Texas rivers go from gravel beds to fifty-year records in an afternoon - including July 2026 on the Nueces.
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How every number is computed - About the platform
