TidalMapCatawba River near Pleasant Gardens, NC Flow & Water Level
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 02137727 sits on the Catawba River and reads everything draining 126 square miles of the Upper Catawba basin. Its datum sits 1,234 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
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 Old Catawba River below Catawba Dam near Bridgewater, NC at 294 square miles, so what passes this gauge is about 43% of the water measured there.
Normal flows here
The Catawba River runs a median of 178 cfs at this gauge across 46 years of record. March is the fullest month at a median 247 cfs, and October the leanest at 120 cfs. The highest daily mean on record is 19,600 cfs in 2024, and the lowest is 12 cfs in 2008.
| Month | Median flow | Share of annual median |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 209 cfs | 117% |
| Feb | 230 cfs | 129% |
| Mar | 247 cfs | 138% |
| Apr | 236 cfs | 132% |
| May | 190 cfs | 106% |
| Jun | 161 cfs | 90% |
| Jul | 136 cfs | 76% |
| Aug | 124 cfs | 69% |
| Sep | 134 cfs | 75% |
| Oct | 120 cfs | 67% |
| Nov | 149 cfs | 83% |
| Dec | 187 cfs | 105% |
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 Catawba River reaches flood stage at this gauge at 11 feet. NWS starts watching it at 9 feet. The highest crest on record is 17.6 feet, in September 2004.
| Category | Gage height |
|---|---|
| Action | 9 ft |
| Minor flooding | 11 ft |
| Moderate flooding | 16 ft |
| Major flooding | 18 ft |
| When | Crest |
|---|---|
| September 2004 | 17.6 ft |
| May 2018 | 15.7 ft |
| August 1994 | 15.2 ft |
| January 1998 | 15.2 ft |
| May 2013 | 13.7 ft |
Flood categories and crest history from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge PLGN7. Stages are gage height, not depth. Not for navigation.
Nearby river gauges
- Old Catawba River below Catawba Dam near Bridgewater, NC
- South Toe River near Celo, NC
- Linville River near Nebo, NC
- Catawba River at Sr1223 below Lake James near Bridgewater, NC
- Cove Creek near Lake Lure, NC
- North Fork Swannanoa River near Walkertown, NC
- Second Broad River near Logan, NC
- Beetree Creek near Swannanoa, NC
- Johns River at Arneys Store, NC
- Wilson Creek at Secondary Road 1335 at Adako, NC
- First Broad River near Casar, NC
- Swannanoa River at Biltmore, NC
Live streamflow and gage height: USGS gauge 02137727. Percentile context computed against the gauge's period of record. Not for navigation.
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