Middle Oconee River near Athens, GA 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 02217500 sits on the Middle Oconee River and reads everything draining 398 square miles of the Upper Oconee basin. Its datum sits 556 feet above sea level NAVD88. Daily flow has been on record here since 1902, 94 years of it.

Where this gauge sits in the drainage

Three gauged sites sit upstream of here. The closest is Middle Oconee River near Arcade, GA, reading 332 square miles. This gauge adds the 66 square miles that drain in between. Downstream the next reading comes from Oconee River near Penfield, GA at 940 square miles, so what passes this gauge is about 42% of the water measured there.

Normal flows here

The Middle Oconee River runs a median of 324 cfs at this gauge across 94 years of record. March is the fullest month at a median 594 cfs, and September the leanest at 178 cfs. The highest daily mean on record is 19,600 cfs in 1902, and the lowest is 3.5 cfs in 2008.

Medians from the USGS daily-statistics record, 1902 to 2026. A month at 100% is running at its own long-term median.

Flood stages and record crests

The Middle Oconee River reaches flood stage at this gauge at 18 feet. NWS starts watching it at 15 feet. The highest crest on record is 25.5 feet, in February 1902.

Flood categories and crest history from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge MOCG1. Stages are gage height, not depth. Not for navigation.