Pigeon River near Canton, 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 03456991 sits on the Pigeon River and reads everything draining 130 square miles of the Pigeon basin. Its datum sits 2,582 feet above sea level NAVD88. Daily flow has been on record here since 1933, 93 years of it.

Where this gauge sits in the drainage

Four gauged sites sit upstream of here. The closest is West Fork Pigeon River at Bethel, NC, reading 58 square miles. This gauge adds the 72 square miles that drain in between. Downstream the next reading comes from Pigeon River near Lake Junaluska, NC at 238 square miles, so what passes this gauge is about 55% of the water measured there. Water passing here goes on to Pigeon River near Hepco, NC and Pigeon River below Power Plant near Waterville, NC.

Normal flows here

The Pigeon River runs a median of 220 cfs at this gauge across 93 years of record. March is the fullest month at a median 400 cfs, and September the leanest at 113 cfs. The highest daily mean on record is 24,200 cfs in 2024, and the lowest is 27 cfs in 1954.

Medians from the USGS daily-statistics record, 1933 to 2026. A month at 100% is running at its own long-term median.

Flood stages and record crests

The Pigeon River reaches flood stage at this gauge at 10 feet. NWS starts watching it at 8 feet. The highest crest on record is 27 feet, in September 2024.

Flood categories and crest history from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CTPN7. Stages are gage height, not depth. Not for navigation.