Cahaba River near Mountain Brook AL 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 02423380 sits on the Cahaba River and reads everything draining 140 square miles of the Cahaba basin. Its datum sits 444 feet above sea level NAVD88. Daily flow has been on record here since 1981, 43 years of it.

Where this gauge sits in the drainage

Three gauged sites sit upstream of here. The closest is Cahaba River near Whites Chapel AL, reading 51 square miles. This gauge adds the 89 square miles that drain in between. Downstream the next reading comes from Cahaba River near Cahaba Heights AL at 201 square miles, so what passes this gauge is about 70% of the water measured there. Water passing here goes on to Cahaba River near Hoover, AL, Cahaba River near Acton AL and Cahaba River near Helena AL.

Normal flows here

The Cahaba River runs a median of 70 cfs at this gauge across 43 years of record. March is the fullest month at a median 276 cfs, and October the leanest at 21 cfs. The highest daily mean on record is 17,600 cfs in 2003, and the lowest is 2.5 cfs in 1988.

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 Cahaba River reaches flood stage at this gauge at 20 feet. NWS starts watching it at 9 feet.

Flood categories and crest history from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge MTBA1. Stages are gage height, not depth. Not for navigation.

Dams near this gauge

The Army Corps' Logan Martin Dam is 21 miles from this gauge. The Corps publishes no release schedule for this project; its last observed release and elevations load below.

• Logan Martin Dam 21 miles