About this river
Potomac River is an 18.8 mile river near Harpers Ferry Adventure Center in Virginia. Streamflow is measured at the USGS gauge Potomac River at Shepherdstown, WV (site 01618000). The National Hydrography Dataset places it at stream order 8. Reach geometry comes from the USGS National Hydrography Dataset.
Typical flow by month
1928 to 2026
Potomac River typically runs highest in March, at a median 8,780 cfs, and lowest in September, at 1,205 cfs. The highest flow on record for any single day is 287,000 cfs, in 1936.
| Month | Typical (cfs) | Usual range (cfs) | Relative level |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4,530 | 2,600 to 8,330 | |
| February | 5,830 | 3,330 to 11,000 | |
| March | 8,780 | 5,480 to 15,000 | |
| April | 8,130 | 4,945 to 13,400 | |
| May | 5,980 | 3,560 to 10,400 | |
| June | 2,940 | 2,085 to 4,530 | |
| July | 1,810 | 1,310 to 2,970 | |
| August | 1,510 | 980 to 2,400 | |
| September | 1,205 | 842 to 2,050 | |
| October | 1,240 | 838 to 2,290 | |
| November | 1,965 | 1,100 to 4,005 | |
| December | 3,810 | 1,720 to 6,560 |
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 80 years of record. Statistics published by the US Geological Survey for Potomac River at Shepherdstown, WV (site 01618000). 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.
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