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Chattahoochee River at GA 280 near Atlanta, GA

River level and flood forecast · Fulton County

Normal4.6 ftas of Mon 4 PM

The river is 19.4 ft below flood stage (24 ft).

Forecast to hold near 4.6 ft through Thu, Oct 15, 2 PM.

Flow: 1,260 cubic feet per second (USGS).

The last 7 days and the forecast

010203040TueThuSatMonWedAction 22 ftFlood 24 ftModerate 28 ftMajor 31 ftNowObserved (ft)NWS forecast

NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 10:53 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.

Flood stages

Major flood stage31 ft
Moderate flood stage28 ft
Flood stage24 ft
Action stage22 ft
Record crest (September 22, 2009)35.98 ft

What floods at each level

From the National Weather Service, highest first.

  • 36 ftRecord flooding inundates the area around South Cobb Drive. Flood waters 1 to 12 feet deep cover the railroad tracks. Several commercial buildings off South Cobb Drive and River View Road and a portion of Plant McDonough and Paul Avenue will be under 7 feet of water. A few homes will be flooded. Most of a cement plant including their sales office will be flooded with 1 to 6 feet of water. A supply line railroad bridge will be topped several feet deep. This will be similar to the September 2009 flood event.
  • 34 ftWidespread inundation flooding surrounds South Cobb Drive. Flood waters 1 to 10 feet deep cover the railroad tracks in this area. Several commercial buildings off South Cobb Drive and River View Road will be flooded. Portions of a river access road on Plant McDonough and Paul Avenue will be under 6 feet of water. A few homes will be flooded. Half of a cement plant including their sales office will be flooded with 1 to 4 feet of water. A supply line railroad bridge will be topped with potential damage.
  • 32 ftWidespread inundation flooding surrounds South Cobb Drive. Flood waters 1 to 8 feet deep cover the railroad tracks in this area. Flood waters enter commercial buildings off South Cobb Drive and River View Road. Portions of a river access road on Plant McDonough and Paul Avenue will be under 4 feet of water. A few homes will be flooded. Portions of a cement plant will be flooded with 1 to 2 feet of water. Flooding begins in their sales office. Half of a supply line railroad bridge will be topped.
  • 31 ftMajor flooding begins. Widespread inundation flooding occurs from the gage on South Cobb Drive. Flood waters 1 to 7 feet deep cover the railroad tracks in this industrial area. Flood waters enter commercial buildings off South Cobb Drive and River View Road. Portions of a river access road on Plant McDonough and Paul Avenue will be under 3 feet of water. A few homes will begin to flood. Low lying areas of a cement plant near their detention pond and a supply line railroad track will begin to flood.
  • 30 ftSignificant flooding expands upstream and downstream from the gage on South Cobb Drive. Flood waters 1 to 6 feet deep cover the railroad tracks in this industrial area. Flood waters begin to enter commercial buildings off South Cobb Drive and River View Road. A portion of a river access road on the Georgia Power Plant McDonough will be under two feet of water. The water level reaches the parking lot of the sales office at a cement plant and a portion of Paul Avenue will be under two feet of water.
  • 28 ftModerate flooding begins. Significant flooding occurs along the river upstream and downstream from the gage on South Cobb Drive. Flood waters 1 to 4 feet deep cover the railroad tracks in the industrial area on both sides of the river. The water level approaches the parking lot of the sales office at a cement plant and begins to flood a portion of Paul Avenue. Also a portion of a the river access road on the Georgia Power Plant McDonough begins to flood.
  • 26 ftMinor flooding continues in the woodlands and fields along the river upstream and downstream from the gage on South Cobb Drive. Flood waters one to two feet deep cover portions of the railroad tracks in the industrial area on both sides of the river. The water level approaches the foundations of a few commercial buildings in the area.
  • 24 ftFlood stage is reached. Minor flooding occurs of the woodlands and fields in the natural flood plain upstream and downstream from the gage on South Cobb Drive. The water level reaches the railroad tracks in the industrial area on both sides of the river near the bridge.
  • 22 ftBankfull conditions are reached along the river upstream and downstream from the gage on South Cobb Drive.

Highest crests on record

  1. 35.98 ft — September 22, 2009
  2. 32.22 ft — September 27, 2024
  3. 31.51 ft — March 17, 1990
  4. 30.71 ft — April 13, 1979
  5. 30.29 ft — September 17, 2004

Recent crests: 24.08 ft (February 13, 2025) · 32.22 ft (September 27, 2024) · 27.46 ft (October 11, 2020) · 24.82 ft (September 17, 2020) · 26.33 ft (April 19, 2019)

Up and down the river, and nearby

See it on the live map →Radar & warnings for Fulton CountyNWS gauge pageUSGS gauge 02336490

Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (CHAG1); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.