Ohio River at Smithland Dam, Smithland, KY: flow right now vs. normal
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—flow right now
—of typical for this month
—gage height
The Ohio River at Smithland Dam, Smithland, KY gauge has averaged 195,366 cfs over 33 years of monthly records. Flow is usually highest in March (368,781 cfs) and lowest in September (56,614 cfs).
Typical flow by month
Highest in March (368,781 cfs), lowest in September (56,614 cfs).
Key figures
- Average flow
- 195,366 cfs
- Highest peak on record
- 1,170,000 cfs
- Year of that peak
- 2011
- Drainage area
- 144,000 sq mi
- Years of records
- 33
- Gauge elevation
- 289 ft
- River
- Ohio River
- County
- Pope
- State
- Illinois
Monthly numbers
| Month | Average | Median | Lowest | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 260,134 cfs | 232,000 cfs | 69,500 cfs | 600,000 cfs |
| Feb | 307,453 cfs | 273,500 cfs | 133,000 cfs | 682,500 cfs |
| Mar | 368,781 cfs | 312,000 cfs | 162,000 cfs | 732,000 cfs |
| Apr | 327,506 cfs | 308,750 cfs | 87,200 cfs | 733,500 cfs |
| May | 305,428 cfs | 265,000 cfs | 78,900 cfs | 802,000 cfs |
| Jun | 172,428 cfs | 156,500 cfs | 31,050 cfs | 423,500 cfs |
| Jul | 110,284 cfs | 84,400 cfs | 30,500 cfs | 477,000 cfs |
| Aug | 64,950 cfs | 60,100 cfs | 17,100 cfs | 150,000 cfs |
| Sep | 56,614 cfs | 36,175 cfs | 10,700 cfs | 257,000 cfs |
| Oct | 63,209 cfs | 42,500 cfs | 21,000 cfs | 174,000 cfs |
| Nov | 114,661 cfs | 83,350 cfs | 28,550 cfs | 323,000 cfs |
| Dec | 199,327 cfs | 159,000 cfs | 50,000 cfs | 520,000 cfs |
Monthly averages of daily flow over the gauge's record. Lowest and highest are the extreme monthly averages for that month.
How Ohio River at Smithland Dam, Smithland, KY compares in Illinois
- Ohio River at Smithland Dam, Smithland, KY ranks #4 of 189 gauges in Illinois in this dataset by average flow.
- That places it in the top 3% in Illinois by average flow.
- The median average flow of gauges in Illinois is 99.5 cfs.
- Among all 2,293 gauges in the dataset, Ohio River at Smithland Dam, Smithland, KY ranks #5 by average flow.
Data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) (public domain, U.S. federal data).· Updated 2026-11-02 · Text generated from the data and checked against it.
Live values are provisional USGS data. Measurements only, not a safety assessment — for flood warnings see the National Weather Service. Official page: USGS 03399800.