Ohio River at Cannelton Dam at Cannelton, in Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Ohio River at Cannelton Dam at Cannelton, in in IN, United States, built from official government gauge data.
- Location IN, United States
- Watershed lower ohio little pigeon
- Primary gauge 03303280 (USGS)
About Ohio River at Cannelton Dam at Cannelton, in
Ohio River in the Lower Ohio-Little Pigeon watershed in Indiana.
What the record shows
The record at Cannelton Dam runs for more than 50 years. The highest level on file is 50.97 ft (15.54 m) in April 2025, and the lowest is 10.02 ft (3.05 m) in September 2014. That span matters for docks, ramps, and intakes: this river can sit in a fairly low September pattern and still reach a much higher spring crest when conditions turn wet.
The seasonal pattern is clear. March is the typical high month at 23.63 ft (7.2 m), while September is the typical low month at 11.26 ft (3.43 m). The usual annual swing is 12.4 ft (3.77 m). For anyone fishing or keeping equipment near the bank, that means the waterline does not stay put for long, and a fixed setup has to tolerate that range.
I do not see a fastest 24-hour rise in the facts here, so there is no rate-of-change number to use for short-term warning time.
The watershed
The gauge drains 97,000 sq mi (251,229 km2) upstream of the station. That is the area feeding this reading, not the full watershed name on its own.
In this part of the Midwest, the river commonly responds to winter-spring rain on saturated or frozen ground, summer convective storms, and lower flows in fall. At this site, the record and the monthly pattern fit that broad rhythm: higher water is most typical in March, and lower water is most typical in September.
For local users, the main point is variability. A channel that is near its seasonal low can still rise well beyond that typical range, so shoreline access, boat clearance, and pump placement should be checked against the full swing, not just the current level.
Reading the hero number
The number shown on the page is most useful when you compare today’s reading with the median for this calendar day across the station record. Raw elevation alone does not say whether the river is running high or low for this date.
This station is operated by the USGS, and the record covers more than 50 years. That longer record is what gives the daily median its value: it puts today’s level in context for this place, not just against an arbitrary elevation mark.
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.
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