Youghiogheny River level at Ohiopyle
Pennsylvania · Paddling & whitewater
Measured at USGS 03081500 — Youghiogheny River at Ohiopyle, PA · NWS forecast point OPLP1
Reading taken · as of 48 min ago
In its normal runnable range
At 966 CFS, this gauge is running 111% of normal for mid-September — close to the 867 CFS median USGS has recorded for this date across 17 years of record (2003–2026).
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Flood stages at Ohiopyle
National Weather Service categories for gauge OPLP1, WFO PBZ. Impact wording is the NWS's own, verbatim.
-
Major flood 25.0 ft
- 25.0 ft Water reaches railraod tracks along right downsteam bank upstream of Route 381 bridge.
- 30.0 ft Water reaches Youghiogheny River Bike Trail.
- 39.0 ft Flooding begins in the parking lot at the top of Rafter Put-In Trail.
-
Moderate flood 22.0 ft
- 22.0 ft Route 381 flooded in Ohiopyle.
-
Minor flood 20.0 ft
- 20.0 ft Flooding begins at the waste water treatment plant.
-
Action 10.0 ft · 13,400 CFS
- 10.0 ft The Lower Yough below Ohiopyle is closed to all guided and unguided rafting.
- 14.0 ft Water approaches walkway in Ohiopyle State Park upstream of falls.
- 16.5 ft Water reaches steel girders under Route 381 bridge near left downstream bank.
- Right now 1.81 ft
NWS forecast: 3.00 ft by .
Flow history at Ohiopyle
Daily values from USGS 03081500, updated every 15 to 60 minutes; NWS forecast for OPLP1 reissued through the day. Provisional.
Highest crests on record at Ohiopyle
8 on record
| Stage | Flow | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 14.75 ft | 30,460 CFS | Mar 14, 2010 |
| 13.86 ft | 26,509 CFS | Feb 16, 2018 |
| 13.43 ft | 24,778 CFS | Mar 4, 2015 |
| 13.30 ft | 82,100 CFS | Mar 18, 1936 |
| 13.00 ft | 81,000 CFS | Mar 29, 1924 |
| 11.36 ft | 17,519 CFS | May 19, 2011 |
| 11.26 ft | 17,191 CFS | Feb 8, 2019 |
| 11.11 ft | 16,738 CFS | Mar 15, 2015 |
Crests published by the National Weather Service.
About Youghiogheny River at Ohiopyle
This is the gauge for the Lower Yough, the stretch below Ohiopyle Falls that carries more commercial rafting than anything else in the eastern United States. Its usefulness comes from being unusually predictable: summer flow here is held up by releases from Youghiogheny River Lake at Confluence, so the Lower runs on days when free-flowing rivers in the same weather have gone bony.
That predictability is not the same as stability. A summer thunderstorm over the Laurel Highlands puts the Yough up quickly and colours it brown, and the outfitters running the Loop and the Middle read this gauge before they read a forecast. Above the commercial range the character changes entirely and the river stops being the beginner run it is known as.
Youghiogheny River at Ohiopyle — common questions
5 questions
Is the Lower Yough dam-released or natural?
Both, and the mix is what makes it run all summer. Youghiogheny River Lake at Confluence sits upstream, and releases from it hold up a baseflow through the dry months. On top of that, rain in the Laurel Highlands arrives as a natural spike within hours. So a dry August week still has water, and a wet one is a different river.
What does the number on this page actually govern at Ohiopyle?
Whether the commercial trips run, and in what boats. Outfitters set their own flow bands and the Pennsylvania state park manages launch permits for the Lower separately, so this page tells you what the river is doing, not whether a trip is going. Check the number here, then call the outfitter — the two answers are different questions.
How fast can Youghiogheny River at Ohiopyle come up?
Fast. It is free-flowing, so rain upstream moves it directly. Several feet in a few hours is normal after a heavy storm.
Is Youghiogheny River at Ohiopyle high or low for this time of year?
The USGS median flow for mid-September here is 867 CFS, from 17 years of record (2003–2026). Today is 111% of it. The comparison is what makes the raw number mean anything: the same reading is a drought on one river and a flood on another.
How often does this reading update?
USGS transmits from gauge 03081500 every 15 to 60 minutes, and the National Weather Service reissues the flood forecast for OPLP1 a few times a day — more often when the river is rising. This page refreshes from both when you open it. The timestamp is in the gauge's local time.