Potomac River at Harpers Ferry
River flow & level · USGS gauge 01620000 · Maryland · drains 6,290 sq mi
Latest reading Oct 26, 5:45 PM · gage height
The Potomac River at Harpers Ferry is at 1.19 ft gage height.
Gage height & flood stages
ft above gauge datumReading
Potomac River at Harpers Ferry fishing report & conditions
updated Oct 26, 6:49 PM ETWater 59°F, river steady, light WNW wind — excellent fall fishing day (8/10), best window 7:38 AM–8:38 AM (moonset near sunrise).
Water 59°F, river steady, calm wind — good fall fishing day (6/10), best window 6:29 PM–7:29 PM (moonrise near sunset).
- Water temp59°Fmeasured Oct 26, 5:55 PM · Potomac River At Point Of Rocks, Md, 10 mi away
- Air temphigh 67°F / low 44°FSunny
- WindLight WNW2–6 mph 6 AM–6 PM, gusts to 10
- Level1.19 ftRiver steady (±0.00 ft in 24 h)
Official Maryland fishing report: Maryland DNR — Maryland fishing report (weekly)
Best fishing times today
Today is an excellent fishing day (solunar + local conditions)
8/10
Full moon · 99% lit · New moon Mon, Nov 9 · Sunrise 7:32 AM · Sunset 6:16 PM
Major fishing times
- Moon underfoot12:17 PM–2:17 PM
Minor fishing times
- Moonset7:38 AM–8:38 AMSunrise
- Moonrise5:48 PM–6:48 PMSunset
Fishing times for the next 7 days
| TodayOct 26 | 8/10Excellent | Major 12:17 PM–2:17 PM Minor 7:38 AM–8:38 AM · 5:48 PM–6:48 PM Light wind 2–6 mph |
|---|---|---|
| TueOct 27 | 4/10Fair | Major 12:46 AM–2:46 AM · 1:15 PM–3:15 PM Minor 8:56 AM–9:56 AM · 6:29 PM–7:29 PM Calm wind 2–4 mph |
| WedOct 28 | 3/10Poor | Major 1:46 AM–3:46 AM · 2:18 PM–4:18 PM Minor 10:12 AM–11:12 AM · 7:21 PM–8:21 PM Light wind 4–7 mph |
| ThuOct 29 | 5/10Fair | Major 2:50 AM–4:50 AM · 3:23 PM–5:23 PM Minor 11:22 AM–12:22 PM · 8:23 PM–9:23 PM Light wind 4–6 mph |
| FriOct 30 | 3/10Poor | Major 3:55 AM–5:55 AM · 4:26 PM–6:26 PM Minor 12:22 PM–1:22 PM · 9:34 PM–10:34 PM Calm wind 2–5 mph |
| SatOct 31 | 4/10Fair | Major 4:57 AM–6:57 AM · 5:26 PM–7:26 PM Minor 1:10 PM–2:10 PM · 10:49 PM–11:49 PM Calm wind 2–4 mph |
| SunNov 1 | 5/10Fair | Major 4:55 AM–6:55 AM · 5:22 PM–7:22 PM Minor 12:49 PM–1:49 PM · 11:03 PM–12:03 AM Light wind 4–6 mph |
How this rating works
Solunar theory says fish feed more when the moon is overhead or underfoot (major periods, about 2 hours) and around moonrise and moonset (minor periods, about 1 hour). On a lake or river there is no tide, so instead of tide changes we score the local conditions anglers watch: the barometric pressure trend, the wind, whether the lake level is steady, and the water temperature where it is measured.
| Base | every day starts at 1 | 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Sunrise / sunset | a period overlaps sunrise or sunset ±1 h: major +2, minor +1 (max 3) (Moonset × sunrise +1; Moonrise × sunset +1) | 2 |
| Moon phase | within 2 days of a new or full moon +2, within 4 days +1 (today: 0.5 days) | 2 |
| Local conditions | pressure 6 AM→6 PM: falling +2, steady or slowly rising +1, rising fast 0 · daytime wind 4–15 mph +1, over 20 mph (or gusts over 30) −1 · level within ±0.25 ft in 24 h +1 · water 55–75°F +1, below 45°F or above 85°F −1 (0 to 4 in total)
| 3 |
| Today | 8, rounded | 8/10 |
1–3 poor · 4–5 fair · 6–7 good · 8–10 excellent. Pressure and wind are the NOAA National Weather Service hourly forecast for this spot; the level/flow trend is the latest 24 hours of readings on this page; water temperature measured by USGS at Potomac River At Point Of Rocks, Md, 10 mi away. Days 2–7 score sun, moon, forecast pressure and forecast wind only (level and water temperature aren’t forecast). Solunar times are a rule of thumb, not a guarantee.
Solunar periods calculated for 39.32, -77.73 (moon times from astronomical equations, Potomac River at Harpers Ferry local time).
Best fishing times today
Today is a good fishing day (solunar + local conditions)
6/10
Waning gibbous · 97% lit · New moon Mon, Nov 9 · Sunrise 7:33 AM · Sunset 6:15 PM
Major fishing times
- Moon overhead12:46 AM–2:46 AM
- Moon underfoot1:15 PM–3:15 PM
Minor fishing times
- Moonset8:56 AM–9:56 AM
- Moonrise6:29 PM–7:29 PMSunset
Fishing times for the next 7 days
| TodayOct 27 | 6/10Good | Major 12:46 AM–2:46 AM · 1:15 PM–3:15 PM Minor 8:56 AM–9:56 AM · 6:29 PM–7:29 PM Calm wind 2–4 mph |
|---|---|---|
| WedOct 28 | 3/10Poor | Major 1:46 AM–3:46 AM · 2:18 PM–4:18 PM Minor 10:12 AM–11:12 AM · 7:21 PM–8:21 PM Light wind 4–7 mph |
| ThuOct 29 | 5/10Fair | Major 2:50 AM–4:50 AM · 3:23 PM–5:23 PM Minor 11:22 AM–12:22 PM · 8:23 PM–9:23 PM Light wind 4–6 mph |
| FriOct 30 | 3/10Poor | Major 3:55 AM–5:55 AM · 4:26 PM–6:26 PM Minor 12:22 PM–1:22 PM · 9:34 PM–10:34 PM Calm wind 2–5 mph |
| SatOct 31 | 4/10Fair | Major 4:57 AM–6:57 AM · 5:26 PM–7:26 PM Minor 1:10 PM–2:10 PM · 10:49 PM–11:49 PM Calm wind 2–4 mph |
| SunNov 1 | 5/10Fair | Major 4:55 AM–6:55 AM · 5:22 PM–7:22 PM Minor 12:49 PM–1:49 PM · 11:03 PM–12:03 AM Light wind 4–6 mph |
| MonNov 2 | 4/10Fair | Major 5:48 AM–7:48 AM · 6:12 PM–8:12 PM Minor 1:20 PM–2:20 PM Light wind 5–6 mph |
How this rating works
Solunar theory says fish feed more when the moon is overhead or underfoot (major periods, about 2 hours) and around moonrise and moonset (minor periods, about 1 hour). On a lake or river there is no tide, so instead of tide changes we score the local conditions anglers watch: the barometric pressure trend, the wind, whether the lake level is steady, and the water temperature where it is measured.
| Base | every day starts at 1 | 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Sunrise / sunset | a period overlaps sunrise or sunset ±1 h: major +2, minor +1 (max 3) (Moonrise × sunset +1) | 1 |
| Moon phase | within 2 days of a new or full moon +2, within 4 days +1 (today: 1.5 days) | 2 |
| Local conditions | pressure 6 AM→6 PM: falling +2, steady or slowly rising +1, rising fast 0 · daytime wind 4–15 mph +1, over 20 mph (or gusts over 30) −1 · level within ±0.25 ft in 24 h +1 · water 55–75°F +1, below 45°F or above 85°F −1 (0 to 4 in total)
| 2 |
| Today | 6, rounded | 6/10 |
1–3 poor · 4–5 fair · 6–7 good · 8–10 excellent. Pressure and wind are the NOAA National Weather Service hourly forecast for this spot; the level/flow trend is the latest 24 hours of readings on this page; water temperature measured by USGS at Potomac River At Point Of Rocks, Md, 10 mi away. Days 2–7 score sun, moon, forecast pressure and forecast wind only (level and water temperature aren’t forecast). Solunar times are a rule of thumb, not a guarantee.
Solunar periods calculated for 39.32, -77.73 (moon times from astronomical equations, Potomac River at Harpers Ferry local time).
Weather & wind at Potomac River at Harpers Ferry
air temperature, not water3-day forecast
- Tonight44°Mostly ClearWind NW 6 mphRain 1%
- Tuesday67° / 46°SunnyWind NE 3 mphRain 2%
- Wednesday66° / 47°Mostly CloudyWind SE 3 to 7 mphRain 1%
NOAA National Weather Service forecast for 39.324, -77.728 (grid LWX), issued Oct 26, 4:52 PM local time. High / low are air temperatures; water temperature is in the fishing section above. The “Air temp & weather” tile at the top refreshes live.
Last 10 days
| Date | Gage height (ft) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Mon Oct 26 (today) | 1.12 | −0.15 |
| Sun Oct 25 | 1.27 | −0.19 |
| Sat Oct 24 | 1.46 | −0.11 |
| Fri Oct 23 | 1.57 | −0.16 |
| Thu Oct 22 | 1.73 | −0.18 |
| Wed Oct 21 | 1.91 | −0.30 |
| Tue Oct 20 | 2.21 | −0.23 |
| Mon Oct 19 | 2.44 | −0.18 |
| Sun Oct 18 | 2.62 | −0.24 |
| Sat Oct 17 | 2.86 | −0.70 |
Daily mean of all readings that day; today is the average so far.
Nearby lakes & rivers
- Potomac River at Burkittsville Rd at Brunswick5 mi · River2.68 ftstage 2.68 ft
- Potomac River at Shepherdstown9 mi · River2,380 cfs187% of normal
- Potomac River at Point of Rocks10 mi · River2,300 cfs100% of normal
- Monocacy River near Dickerson16 mi · River207 cfsstage 1.35 ft
- Monocacy River at Jug Bridge near Frederick20 mi · River160 cfs71% of normal
- Monocacy River at Monocacy Blvd at Frederick20 mi · River106 cfs46% of normal
About this data
- Gauge
- USGS 01620000 — Potomac River At Harpers Ferry, Wv
- Location
- 39.3237, -77.7282 · Maryland
- Drainage area
- 6,290 sq mi
- Measures
- Gage height (stage) above the gauge datum
- Daily statistics
- Not available (approved daily values)
- Latest reading
- Oct 26, 5:45 PM local time (provisional)
- Page built
- Oct 26, 2026 6:49 PM ET
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Water Data for the Nation (USGS monitoring location page). Readings every 15–60 minutes; the newest values are provisional. Percentiles compare today’s reading with every past year’s daily mean for the same calendar date. Weather: NOAA National Weather Service.