Nantahala River near Rainbow Springs, NC Flow & Water Level

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 03504000 sits on the Nantahala River and reads everything draining 52 square miles of the Upper Little Tennessee basin. Its datum sits 3,073 feet above sea level NAVD88. Daily flow has been on record here since 1941, 86 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 Nantahala Lake on Nantahala River near Topton, NC at 91 square miles, so what passes this gauge is about 57% of the water measured there. Water passing here goes on to Nantahala River near Hewitt, NC.

Normal flows here

The Nantahala River runs a median of 153 cfs at this gauge across 86 years of record. March is the fullest month at a median 262 cfs, and September the leanest at 86 cfs. The highest daily mean on record is 3,620 cfs in 2004, and the lowest is 27 cfs in 2008.

Medians from the USGS daily-statistics record, 1941 to 2026. A month at 100% is running at its own long-term median.

Flood stages and record crests

The Nantahala River reaches flood stage at this gauge at 10 feet. NWS starts watching it at 4 feet. The highest crest on record is 9.7 feet, in June 1949.

Flood categories and crest history from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge RAIN7. Stages are gage height, not depth. Not for navigation.

TVA dams near this gauge

TVA's Chatuge Dam is 12 miles from this gauge on the Hiwassee system. Planned generation, lake level and tailwater elevation for it load below when TVA has published them.

• Chatuge Dam 12 miles
• Fontana Dam 25 miles