Cahaba River near Cahaba Heights, AL
River level and flood forecast · Jefferson County
The river is 12.4 ft below flood stage (14 ft).
Forecast to hold near 1.6 ft through Sat, Oct 17, 7 AM.
Flow: 14 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 8:38 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 24 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 22 ft |
| Flood stage | 14 ft |
| Action stage | 14 ft |
| Record crest (April 13, 1979) | 28.86 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 25 ftSevere residential flooding occurs in areas near the river.
- 24 ftResidential flooding becomes more severe and widespread near the river.
- 22.5 ftSome residential flooding develops as the river continues to rise.
- 20 ftWater overflows the yards of some homes near the river.
- 17 ftFlooding of some commercial property in the area begins as stages continues to rise.
- 14 ftMinor flooding occurs in the Cahaba Heights area.
Highest crests on record
- 28.86 ft — April 13, 1979
- 27.91 ft — May 8, 2003
- 24 ft — June 29, 1999
- 23.95 ft — September 17, 2004
- 23.58 ft — April 7, 2014
Recent crests: 17.13 ft (October 7, 2021) · 19.65 ft (December 28, 2018) · 15.23 ft (April 15, 2018) · 12.45 ft (April 3, 2017) · 14.14 ft (February 3, 2016)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- DownstreamCahaba River at Centreville, AL
- Cahaba River Near Hoover, AL
- Cahaba River near Mountain Brook, AL
- Shades Creek near Homewood, AL
- Cahaba Valley Creek Indian Springs at Indian Trail Road, AL
- Shades Creek at Elder Street, AL
- Cahaba Valley Creek at Pelham, AL
- Valley Creek (AL) at Center Street, AL
- Valley Creek (AL-2) at Ave W, AL
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (CHGA1); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.