Ocmulgee River at Lumber City, GA
River level and flood forecast · Telfair County
The river is 12.6 ft below flood stage (15 ft).
Forecast to rise to 5.5 ft Sat 8 AM, below the 15 ft flood stage.
Flow: 2,340 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 10:34 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 23 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 18 ft |
| Flood stage | 15 ft |
| Action stage | 14 ft |
| Record crest (July 15, 1994) | 24.59 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 37 ftMajor flooding continues. Southern Railroad Bridge flooded out.
- 33 ftMajor flooding expands. Highway 341 bridge is flooded.
- 30 ftMajor flooding continues. Entire town of Lumber City will be cut off and isolated by Ocmulgee River...and swollen local creeks and small streams will occur. Some businesses and homes will flood near river, and water reaches the under supports of the Highway 341 bridge.
- 23 ftMajor flooding begins. A mobile home floods on the southside of the Highway 341 bridge.
- 18 ftModerate flooding begins. Flooding of the access road to the boat ramp near the Highway 341 bridge begins.
- 15 ftFlood Stage is reached and minor flooding begins. Water overflows into the broad swampy flood plain. Farm fields on the right bank flood. General agriculture and timber interests are affected by the flooding. In addition, water reaches the top of the boat ramp near the Highway 341 bridge.
- 14 ftBankfull conditions begin. Water begins to spread into the natural floodplain.
Highest crests on record
- 24.59 ft — July 15, 1994
- 23.5 ft — March 12, 1929
- 22.7 ft — April 16, 1936
- 22.7 ft — December 9, 1949
- 21.6 ft — March 1, 1891
Recent crests: 15.27 ft (October 9, 2024) · 16.94 ft (March 17, 2024) · 16.31 ft (February 22, 2024) · 16.13 ft (April 6, 2023) · 15.77 ft (April 17, 2022)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- UpstreamOcmulgee River at Abbeville, GA
- DownstreamAltamaha River near Charlotteville, GA
- Little Ocmulgee River at GA 149 at Scotland, GA
- Turnpike Creek near McRae, GA
- Oconee River at Highway 280 near Mount Vernon, GA
- Altamaha River near Baxley, GA
- Ohoopee River near Reidsville, GA
- Ohoopee River at GA 297 near Swainsboro, GA
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (LBRG1); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.