Cheat River level at Albright
West Virginia · Paddling & whitewater
Measured at USGS 03070260 — CHEAT RIVER AT ALBRIGHT, WV · NWS forecast point ABRW2
Reading taken · as of 43 min ago
Very high — big-water conditions well above the seasonal norm
At 4,360 CFS, this gauge is in the highest 10% of the 16 years USGS has recorded for this date (1997–2026), against a 245 CFS median.
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Flood stages at Albright
National Weather Service categories for gauge ABRW2, WFO PBZ. Impact wording is the NWS's own, verbatim.
-
Major flood 32.0 ft
- 33.5 ft Water reaches homes on Wall Street.
- 35.0 ft Water reaches the I-beams under the Route 26 bridge in Albright
- 36.0 ft Flood waters reach Main Street in Albright.
-
Moderate flood 30.0 ft
- 30.0 ft St Joe Road floods south of gage.
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Minor flood 27.0 ft
- 27.0 ft Water begins to enter the parking lot at the Albright Power station. River is bankfull just north of route 26 bridge in Albright
- 28.3 ft Water reaches low spot on Route 26 north of gage location.
- 29.0 ft Water covers low spots in town along Bishop Ave and in Albright Memorial Park
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Action 24.0 ft
- Right now 14.05 ft
NWS forecast: 13.80 ft by .
Flow history at Albright
Daily values from USGS 03070260, updated every 15 to 60 minutes; NWS forecast for ABRW2 reissued through the day. Provisional.
Highest crests on record at Albright
8 on record
| Stage | Flow | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 27.23 ft | 50,000 CFS | Jul 29, 2017 |
| 24.82 ft | 38,044 CFS | Mar 1, 2021 |
| 24.72 ft | 37,573 CFS | Jun 30, 2019 |
| 24.23 ft | 35,503 CFS | Mar 5, 2015 |
| 22.68 ft | 28,878 CFS | Mar 15, 2015 |
| 18.10 ft | 12,971 CFS | Feb 8, 2019 |
| 16.83 ft | 9,677 CFS | Feb 13, 2019 |
| 7.95 ft | 40,380 CFS | Jun 4, 2008 |
Crests published by the National Weather Service.
About Cheat River at Albright
In West Virginia — the reading paddlers, anglers and outfitters here check before committing to a shuttle. Cheat Canyon; free-flowing so the reading is the trip decision.
Cheat River at Albright — common questions
3 questions
How fast can Cheat River at Albright 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 Cheat River at Albright high or low for this time of year?
The USGS median flow for late September here is 245 CFS, from 16 years of record (1997–2026). Today sits in the highest 10% of those years. 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 03070260 every 15 to 60 minutes, and the National Weather Service reissues the flood forecast for ABRW2 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.