Cumberland River at Rowena
Kentucky · Fishing & wading
Measured at USGS 03414000 — CUMBERLAND RIVER NEAR ROWENA, KY
Reading taken Apr 9, 8:00 PM UTC
Reading live
This gauge is reporting, but USGS has not published enough daily statistics for this site to compare today's reading against a seasonal normal.
Data-derived guidance from USGS and NWS published values — not official advice, and not a safety assessment.
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12 months of flow at Rowena
Daily values from USGS gauge 03414000. Provisional data, subject to revision.
About Cumberland River at Rowena
This gauge sits on Cumberland River at Rowena, Kentucky, immediately below Lake Cumberland. Flow here is controlled by releases from the dam, so it can change by hundreds of CFS within an hour with no rain anywhere in the basin — check it before you go, not the day before.
Reservoir feeding this stretch
Flow at this gauge is set by releases from Lake Cumberland. A full pool usually means more water is on its way down.
Cumberland River at Rowena — common questions
What is the current flow on Cumberland River at Rowena?
The live reading comes from USGS gauge 03414000, which reports every 15 to 60 minutes. The current value is shown at the top of this page.
Is that high or low for this time of year?
USGS has not published enough daily statistics for this site to compute a seasonal median, so this page shows the live reading and its recent trend rather than a percent-of-normal figure.
How often does this reading update?
USGS transmits from this gauge every 15 to 60 minutes. This page bakes in the most recent reading when it is rebuilt, then refreshes live from USGS when you open it. Readings are provisional and subject to revision by USGS.
Is Cumberland River at Rowena wadeable right now?
That depends on the reach and on your own judgement — riverlvl will not tell you the water is safe to stand in. What it will tell you is whether today's flow is unusually high or low for the date, which is the single most useful input to that decision. On a dam tailwater like this one, the bigger risk is a sudden generation release, which can raise the river several feet with little warning.
How do releases from Lake Cumberland affect this stretch?
Directly and quickly. When the dam generates or spills, flow at this gauge climbs — often within an hour, often by an order of magnitude. The reservoir level itself is tracked on lakelvl.com, and the link on this page goes straight to it, so you can see whether the pool is high enough that releases are likely.
Where does this data come from?
Flow and gage height are public-domain USGS data from gauge 03414000. riverlvl adds the seasonal comparison and plain-English summary; it is not an official source and does not issue warnings.