TidalMapCove Creek near Lake Lure, 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 02149000 sits on Cove Creek and reads everything draining 79 square miles of the Upper Broad basin. Its datum sits 815 feet above sea level NAVD88. Daily flow has been on record here since 1951, 75 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 Broad River near Boiling Springs, NC at 875 square miles, so what passes this gauge is about 9% of the water measured there.
Normal flows here
Cove Creek runs a median of 103 cfs at this gauge across 75 years of record. March is the fullest month at a median 138 cfs, and September the leanest at 75 cfs. The highest daily mean on record is 7,080 cfs in 2024, and the lowest is 8.1 cfs in 2002.
| Month | Median flow | Share of annual median |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 114 cfs | 111% |
| Feb | 126 cfs | 122% |
| Mar | 138 cfs | 134% |
| Apr | 136 cfs | 133% |
| May | 115 cfs | 112% |
| Jun | 102 cfs | 99% |
| Jul | 85 cfs | 83% |
| Aug | 79 cfs | 77% |
| Sep | 75 cfs | 73% |
| Oct | 76 cfs | 74% |
| Nov | 89 cfs | 86% |
| Dec | 105 cfs | 102% |
Medians from the USGS daily-statistics record, 1951 to 2026. A month at 100% is running at its own long-term median.
Flood stages and record crests
Cove Creek reaches flood stage at this gauge at 30 feet. NWS starts watching it at 28 feet. The highest crest on record is 23 feet, in July 1916.
| Category | Gage height |
|---|---|
| Action | 28 ft |
| Minor flooding | 30 ft |
| Moderate flooding | 37 ft |
| Major flooding | 40 ft |
| When | Crest |
|---|---|
| July 1916 | 23 ft |
| June 1957 | 18.5 ft |
| September 2004 | 18.4 ft |
| November 1977 | 17.8 ft |
| March 1975 | 17.7 ft |
Flood categories and crest history from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge COVN7. Stages are gage height, not depth. Not for navigation.
Nearby river gauges
- Second Broad River near Logan, NC
- Catawba River near Pleasant Gardens, NC
- North Fork Swannanoa River near Walkertown, NC
- Mud Creek at Secondary Road 1503 near Balfour, NC
- Beetree Creek near Swannanoa, NC
- Old Catawba River below Catawba Dam near Bridgewater, NC
- South Toe River near Celo, NC
- Catawba River at Sr1223 below Lake James near Bridgewater, NC
- Linville River near Nebo, NC
- First Broad River near Casar, NC
- French Broad River near Fletcher, NC
- Swannanoa River at Biltmore, NC
Live streamflow and gage height: USGS gauge 02149000. Percentile context computed against the gauge's period of record. Not for navigation.
Open Cove Creek near Lake Lure, NC on the live chart →
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