TidalMapCheoah River near Bearpen Gap near Tapoco, 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 0351706800 sits on the Cheoah River and reads everything draining 206 square miles of the Lower Little Tennessee basin. Its datum sits 1,272 feet above sea level NAVD88. Daily flow has been on record here since 2000, 27 years of it.
Where this gauge sits in the drainage
Santeetlah Lake near Robbinsville, NC sits immediately upstream, so dam releases rather than rainfall set the flow here. One gauged site sits upstream of here. The closest is Santeetlah Lake near Robbinsville, NC, reading 176 square miles. This gauge adds the 30 square miles that drain in between.
Normal flows here
The Cheoah River runs a median of 123 cfs at this gauge across 27 years of record. March is the fullest month at a median 213 cfs, and October the leanest at 83 cfs. The highest daily mean on record is 8,350 cfs in 2003, and the lowest is 9.1 cfs in 2000.
| Month | Median flow | Share of annual median |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 133 cfs | 108% |
| Feb | 196 cfs | 159% |
| Mar | 213 cfs | 173% |
| Apr | 213 cfs | 173% |
| May | 178 cfs | 145% |
| Jun | 120 cfs | 98% |
| Jul | 111 cfs | 90% |
| Aug | 85 cfs | 69% |
| Sep | 86 cfs | 70% |
| Oct | 83 cfs | 67% |
| Nov | 93 cfs | 76% |
| Dec | 130 cfs | 106% |
Medians from the USGS daily-statistics record, 2000 to 2026. A month at 100% is running at its own long-term median.
Flood stages and record crests
The Cheoah River reaches flood stage at this gauge at 18 feet. NWS starts watching it at 8 feet. The highest crest on record is 13.3 feet, in May 2003.
| Category | Gage height |
|---|---|
| Action | 8 ft |
| Minor flooding | 18 ft |
| Moderate flooding | 22 ft |
| Major flooding | 34 ft |
| When | Crest |
|---|---|
| May 2003 | 13.3 ft |
| October 2014 | 12.1 ft |
| January 2013 | 9.3 ft |
| January 2009 | 9.3 ft |
| January 2002 | 8.6 ft |
Flood categories and crest history from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge TAPN7. Stages are gage height, not depth. Not for navigation.
TVA dams near this gauge
TVA's Fontana Dam sits 6 miles from this gauge and its releases set what this gauge reads. Planned generation, lake level and tailwater elevation for it load below when TVA has published them.
- Fontana Dam 6 miles
- Hiwassee Dam 25 miles
Nearby river gauges
- Nantahala River near Hewitt, NC
- Valley River at Tomotla, NC
- Little River above Townsend, TN
- Little River near Maryville, TN
- Tellico River at Tellico Plains, TN
- Little River near Alcoa, TN
- Little Tennessee River at Needmore, NC
- Nantahala River near Rainbow Springs, NC
- Stock Creek at Martin Mill Rd near Knoxville
- West Prong Little Pigeon River near Gatlinburg, TN
- Tuckasegee River at Bryson City, NC
- Little Pigeon River at Sevierville, TN
Live streamflow and gage height: USGS gauge 0351706800. Percentile context computed against the gauge's period of record. Not for navigation.
Open Cheoah River near Bearpen Gap near Tapoco, NC on the live chart →
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