About this river
Potomac River is a 27.5 mile river near Cacapon River Outfitters in West Virginia. Streamflow is measured at the USGS gauge Potomac River at Hancock, MD (site 01613000). The National Hydrography Dataset places it at stream order 7. Reach geometry comes from the USGS National Hydrography Dataset.
Typical flow by month
1933 to 2026
Potomac River typically runs highest in March, at a median 6,060 cfs, and lowest in September, at 727 cfs. The highest flow on record for any single day is 261,000 cfs, in 1936.
| Month | Typical (cfs) | Usual range (cfs) | Relative level |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3,290 | 1,900 to 5,920 | |
| February | 4,110 | 2,470 to 7,840 | |
| March | 6,060 | 3,780 to 10,400 | |
| April | 5,005 | 3,140 to 8,575 | |
| May | 3,890 | 2,400 to 7,170 | |
| June | 1,905 | 1,250 to 3,090 | |
| July | 1,070 | 721 to 1,730 | |
| August | 853 | 579 to 1,430 | |
| September | 727 | 526 to 1,185 | |
| October | 774 | 558 to 1,430 | |
| November | 1,280 | 733 to 2,605 | |
| December | 2,590 | 1,400 to 4,790 |
Typical is the median of each month’s daily median values, and the usual range runs from the median 25th to the median 75th percentile, across about 94 years of record. Statistics published by the US Geological Survey for Potomac River at Hancock, MD (site 01613000). Conditions on any given day can fall well outside the usual range. Check the current reading before you go.
Embed this gauge on your site
Paste this snippet anywhere, an outfitter page, a club site, a trip report, to show Potomac River's live streamflow, water level and 7-day trend. It reads the USGS gauge directly, updates itself, and links back here.
See every free widget you can put on your site, including live conditions and a 7 day forecast.
