TidalMapCatawba River below Lookout Shoals Dam near Sharon, 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 0214244102 sits on the Catawba River and reads everything draining 1,450 square miles of the Upper Catawba basin. Its datum sits 748 feet above sea level NAVD88. Daily flow has been on record here since 2016, 10 years of it.
Where this gauge sits in the drainage
Lake Hickory on Catawba River near Taylorsville, NC sits immediately upstream, so dam releases rather than rainfall set the flow here. Five gauged sites sit upstream of here. The closest is Lake Hickory on Catawba River near Taylorsville, NC, reading 1,314 square miles. This gauge adds the 136 square miles that drain in between. Downstream the next reading comes from Lake Norman on Catawba River near Davidson, NC at 1,788 square miles, so what passes this gauge is about 81% of the water measured there. Water passing here goes on to Catawba River at Rr Bridge above NC 73 at Cowans Ford, NC and Catawba River Dnstrm Deck Mountain Is Dam near Mountain Is, NC.
Normal flows here
The Catawba River runs a median of 2,135 cfs at this gauge across 10 years of record. February is the fullest month at a median 3,340 cfs, and September the leanest at 1,230 cfs. The highest daily mean on record is 87,400 cfs in 2024, and the lowest is 44 cfs in 2025.
| Month | Median flow | Share of annual median |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2,970 cfs | 139% |
| Feb | 3,340 cfs | 156% |
| Mar | 2,820 cfs | 132% |
| Apr | 2,735 cfs | 128% |
| May | 2,850 cfs | 133% |
| Jun | 2,045 cfs | 96% |
| Jul | 1,620 cfs | 76% |
| Aug | 2,020 cfs | 95% |
| Sep | 1,230 cfs | 58% |
| Oct | 1,390 cfs | 65% |
| Nov | 1,620 cfs | 76% |
| Dec | 2,100 cfs | 98% |
Medians from the USGS daily-statistics record, 2016 to 2026. A month at 100% is running at its own long-term median.
Nearby river gauges
- Catawba River at NC Highway 16 near Millersville, NC
- Middle Little River at Moretz Dam near Bethlehem, NC
- Lower Little River near All Healing Springs, NC
- Upper Little River at Sr1740 at Petra Mills, NC
- Henry Fork near Henry River, NC
- Killian Creek near Mariposa, NC
- Catawba River at Rhodhiss, NC
- Catawba River at Rr Bridge above NC 73 at Cowans Ford, NC
- Indian Creek near Laboratory, NC
- Mcdowell Creek Tributary at Sr2131 near Hicks Crossroads, NC
- Yadkin River at Wilkesboro, NC
- Yadkin River below W Kerr Scott Dam near Buck, NC
Live streamflow and gage height: USGS gauge 0214244102. Percentile context computed against the gauge's period of record. Not for navigation.
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