Broad River at Alston, SC Water Level Today

NWS river forecast

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 02161000 sits on the Broad River and reads everything draining 4,790 square miles of the Lower Broad basin. Its datum sits 211 feet above sea level NAVD88. Daily flow has been on record here since 1981, 46 years of it.

Where this gauge sits in the drainage

Four gauged sites sit upstream of here. The closest is Broad River near Jenkinsville, SC, reading 4,750 square miles. Downstream the next reading comes from Broad River near Columbia, SC at 5,230 square miles, so what passes this gauge is about 92% of the water measured there. Water passing here goes on to Congaree River at Columbia, SC.

Normal flows here

The Broad River runs a median of 3,420 cfs at this gauge across 46 years of record. March is the fullest month at a median 5,830 cfs, and September the leanest at 1,980 cfs. The highest daily mean on record is 125,000 cfs in 2024, and the lowest is 48 cfs in 2002.

Medians from the USGS daily-statistics record, 1981 to 2026. A month at 100% is running at its own long-term median.

Flood stages and record crests

The Broad River reaches flood stage at this gauge at 20 feet. NWS starts watching it at 11.5 feet. The highest crest on record is 29.5 feet, in September 2024.

Flood categories and crest history from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge ALTS1. Stages are gage height, not depth. Not for navigation.