TidalMapBlackwater Creek near Manchester AL Water Level Today
NWS river forecast
| When | Stage | Flow |
|---|
Forecast from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service. Issued a few times a day and only while a forecast is active. Not for navigation.
Last 30 days
About this gauge
USGS gauge 02453000 sits on Blackwater Creek and reads everything draining 181 square miles of the Mulberry basin. Its datum sits 401 feet above sea level NAVD88. Daily flow has been on record here since 1939, 74 years of it.
Where this gauge sits in the drainage
No gauged site sits above this one on the mainstem, so this is the first published reading on the river. Downstream the next reading comes from Mulberry Fork at Cordova AL at 1,916 square miles, so what passes this gauge is about 9% of the water measured there.
Normal flows here
Blackwater Creek runs a median of 86 cfs at this gauge across 74 years of record. March is the fullest month at a median 452 cfs, and September the leanest at 26 cfs. The highest daily mean on record is 10,400 cfs in 1961, and the lowest is 1.3 cfs in 1939.
| Month | Median flow | Share of annual median |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 333 cfs | 389% |
| Feb | 440 cfs | 515% |
| Mar | 452 cfs | 529% |
| Apr | 302 cfs | 353% |
| May | 127 cfs | 149% |
| Jun | 64 cfs | 75% |
| Jul | 50 cfs | 58% |
| Aug | 36 cfs | 42% |
| Sep | 26 cfs | 30% |
| Oct | 27 cfs | 32% |
| Nov | 54 cfs | 63% |
| Dec | 180 cfs | 211% |
Medians from the USGS daily-statistics record, 1939 to 2026. A month at 100% is running at its own long-term median.
Flood stages and record crests
Blackwater Creek reaches flood stage at this gauge at 8 feet. The highest crest on record is 13.1 feet, in February 1961.
| Category | Gage height |
|---|---|
| Minor flooding | 8 ft |
| When | Crest |
|---|---|
| February 1961 | 13.1 ft |
| April 2001 | 12 ft |
| December 1990 | 11.9 ft |
| April 1979 | 11.7 ft |
| January 1946 | 11.5 ft |
Flood categories and crest history from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge MCHA1. Stages are gage height, not depth. Not for navigation.
Dams near this gauge
The Army Corps' Smith Dam is 9 miles from this gauge. The Corps publishes no release schedule for this project; its last observed release and elevations load below.
- Smith Dam 9 miles
Nearby river gauges
- Mulberry Fork at Cordova AL
- Lost Creek near Oakman AL
- Sipsey Fork at Sipsey, Ala
- Mulberry Fork near Arkadelphia, AL
- Locust Fork at Sayre, AL
- Village Creek near Adamsville, AL
- Sipsey Fork near Grayson AL
- Black Warrior River at Bankhead L&d near Bessemer AL
- Black Warrior River below Bankhead L&d near Bessemer AL
- Turkey Creek at Morris AL
- Valley Creek near Oak Grove AL
- Village Creek near Docena, Alabama
Live streamflow and gage height: USGS gauge 02453000. Percentile context computed against the gauge's period of record. Not for navigation.
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