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North Oconee River at College Street at Athens, GA

River level and flood forecast · Clarke County

Normal5.3 ftas of Mon 3 PM

The river is 13.7 ft below flood stage (19 ft).

Forecast to fall to 4.0 ft by Sat, Oct 17, 8 AM.

Flow: 257 cubic feet per second (USGS).

The last 7 days and the forecast

0510152025TueThuSatMonWedFriAction 10 ftFlood 19 ftModerate 20 ftMajor 23 ftNowObserved (ft)NWS forecast

NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 10:34 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.

Flood stages

Major flood stage23 ft
Moderate flood stage20 ft
Flood stage19 ft
Action stage10 ft
Record crest (May 27, 1966)19.4 ft

What floods at each level

From the National Weather Service, highest first.

  • 30.6 ftSolid Waste Department floods just west of College Avenue Bridge.
  • 27.2 ftApartments downstream of College Avenue Bridge flood.
  • 25.6 ftCollege Avenue Bridge floods.
  • 24.1 ftThis was the record crest of the North Oconee at Athens May 27... 1966. Widespread flooding occurs to roads and homes.
  • 23.7 ftIntersection of College Avenue and MLK floods.
  • 23.5 ftGreenway Parking lot starts flooding.
  • 23.2 ftSignificant flooding of MLK begins.
  • 23 ftMajor flooding begins. Extensive damage occurs to homes and mobile homes located in the flood plain of the river. Many roads and highways will be flooded as well as the failure of small dams in the area.
  • 22 ftSignificant flooding expands upstream and downstream from the gage on College Avenue. The North Oconee River Greenway parking lots will be under two feet of water. Portions of North Oconee River Park off Martin Luther King Parkway will be under 4 feet of water. The flood waters will be hitting the North Avenue and East Broad Street bridges with possible erosion. County officials will likely have them closed.
  • 20 ftModerate flooding begins. Significant flooding occurs upstream and downstream from the gage on College Avenue. The North Oconee River Greenway parking lots will begin to flood. Portions of North Oconee River Park off Martin Luther King Parkway will be under 4 feet of water. The flood waters will be hitting the East Broad Street bridges with possible erosion. County officials will likely have them closed.
  • 19 ftFlood stage is reached in the woodlands upstream and downstream from the gage at College Avenue. The water will be up to 9 feet deep on portions of the sidewalks along the North Oconee River Greenway...mainly from College Avenue upstream to the Clarke County line. Portions of the North Oconee River Park off Martin Luther King Parkway will be under 3 feet of water. The flood waters will reach the bottom of the East Broad Street vehicular and pedestrian bridges. County officials may close them.
  • 18 ftBankfull conditions expand much further into the woodlands along the river upstream and downstream from the gage at College Avenue. The water will be up to 8 feet deep on portions of the sidewalks along the North Oconee River Greenway...mainly from College Avenue upstream to the Clarke County line. The water will be around three feet deep over several manhole covers of the storm sewer system. Portions of the North Oconee River Park off Martin Luther King Parkway will be under two feet of water.
  • 16 ftBankfull conditions expand much further into the woodlands along the river upstream and downstream from the gage at College Avenue. The water will be up to 6 feet deep on portions of the sidewalks along the North Oconee River Greenway...mainly from College Avenue upstream to the Clarke County line. The water will be around one foot deep over several manhole covers of the storm sewer system. Low portions of the North Oconee River Park off of Martin Luther King Parkway will begin to flood.
  • 14 ftBankfull conditions expand further into the woodlands along the river upstream and downstream from the gage at College Avenue. The water will be up to 4 feet deep on portions of the sidewalks along the North Oconee River Greenway.
  • 12 ftBankfull conditions continue along the river upstream and downstream from the gage at College Avenue. The water is up to two feet deep on portions of the sidewalks along the North Oconee River Greenway...mainly from College Avenue upstream to the Clarke County line.
  • 10 ftBankfull conditions occur along the river upstream and downstream from the gage at College Avenue. Water begins to flood low lying areas of the sidewalks along the North Oconee River Greenway...mainly from College Avenue upstream to the Clarke County line.

Highest crests on record

  1. 19.4 ft — May 27, 1966
  2. 18.9 ft — April 20, 2019
  3. 16.86 ft — March 21, 2003
  4. 16.78 ft — February 7, 2020

Recent crests: 16.78 ft (February 7, 2020) · 18.9 ft (April 20, 2019) · 16.86 ft (March 21, 2003) · 19.4 ft (May 27, 1966)

Up and down the river, and nearby

See it on the live map →Radar & warnings for Clarke CountyNWS gauge pageUSGS gauge 02217770

Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (NOCG1); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.