TidalMapWatauga River near Sugar Grove, 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 03479000 sits on the Watauga River and reads everything draining 92 square miles of the Watauga basin. Its datum sits 2,608 feet above sea level NAVD88. Daily flow has been on record here since 1940, 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 Watauga River below Watauga Dam, Tenn at 468 square miles, so what passes this gauge is about 20% of the water measured there. Water passing here goes on to Watauga River below Wilbur Dam, TN and Watauga River at Elizabethton, TN.
Normal flows here
The Watauga River runs a median of 114 cfs at this gauge across 86 years of record. March is the fullest month at a median 204 cfs, and September the leanest at 58 cfs. The highest daily mean on record is 25,200 cfs in 2024, and the lowest is 8.1 cfs in 2002.
| Month | Median flow | Share of annual median |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 152 cfs | 133% |
| Feb | 185 cfs | 162% |
| Mar | 204 cfs | 178% |
| Apr | 174 cfs | 152% |
| May | 136 cfs | 119% |
| Jun | 104 cfs | 91% |
| Jul | 79 cfs | 69% |
| Aug | 66 cfs | 58% |
| Sep | 58 cfs | 50% |
| Oct | 66 cfs | 58% |
| Nov | 84 cfs | 73% |
| Dec | 124 cfs | 108% |
Medians from the USGS daily-statistics record, 1940 to 2026. A month at 100% is running at its own long-term median.
Flood stages and record crests
The Watauga River reaches flood stage at this gauge at 6 feet. NWS starts watching it at 5 feet. The highest crest on record is 29.6 feet, in August 1940.
| Category | Gage height |
|---|---|
| Action | 5 ft |
| Minor flooding | 6 ft |
| Moderate flooding | 16 ft |
| Major flooding | 20 ft |
| When | Crest |
|---|---|
| August 1940 | 29.6 ft |
| September 2024 | 29.6 ft |
| July 1916 | 22.1 ft |
| September 2004 | 21.9 ft |
| January 1995 | 20.5 ft |
Flood categories and crest history from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SGWN7. Stages are gage height, not depth. Not for navigation.
TVA dams near this gauge
TVA's Watauga Dam is 18 miles from this gauge on the Watauga system. Planned generation, lake level and tailwater elevation for it load below when TVA has published them.
- Watauga Dam 18 miles
- Wilbur Dam 18 miles
- South Holston Dam 25 miles
Nearby river gauges
- Buckeye Creek below Buckeye Lake near Cannon Gap, NC
- Buckeye Creek above Buckeye Lake near Cannon Gap, NC
- Watauga River below Watauga Dam
- Watauga River below Wilbur Dam
- Wilson Creek at Secondary Road 1335 at Adako, NC
- Yadkin River at Patterson, NC
- South Fork Holston below South Holston Dam
- Doe River at Elizabethton, TN
- Watauga River at Elizabethton
- Johns River at Arneys Store, NC
- South Fork New River near Jefferson, NC
- Linville River near Nebo, NC
Live streamflow and gage height: USGS gauge 03479000. Percentile context computed against the gauge's period of record. Not for navigation.
Open Watauga River near Sugar Grove, NC on the live chart →
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