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Oconee River at Highway 280 near Mount Vernon, GA

River level and flood forecast · Wheeler County

Normal1.3 ftas of Mon 3 PM

The river is 14.7 ft below flood stage (16 ft).

Forecast to rise to 1.8 ft Wed 8 PM, below the 16 ft flood stage.

Flow: 928 cubic feet per second (USGS).

The last 7 days and the forecast

-50510152025TueThuSatMonWedFriAction 14 ftFlood 16 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 stage16 ft
Action stage14 ft
Record crest (April 14, 1936)25.3 ft

What floods at each level

From the National Weather Service, highest first.

  • 24 ftRecord flooding occurs with widespread inundation of the woodlands and pastures upstream and downstream from the gage on U.S. Highway 280. Most of the access road to the boat ramp on the Wheeler County side of the river is flooded. Around a dozen homes on Dead River Road in the south end of Montgomery County are flooded with up to 4 feet of water. Dead River Road will be flooded up to 6 feet deep.
  • 23 ftMajor flooding begins with widespread inundation of the woodlands and pastures upstream and downstream from the gage on U.S. Highway 280. Most of the access road to the boat ramp on the Wheeler County side of the river is flooded. Around a dozen homes on Dead River Road in the south end of Montgomery County are flooded with up to 3 feet of water. Dead River Road will be flooded up to 5 feet deep.
  • 22 ftSignificant flooding expands in the woodlands and pastures upstream and downstream from the gage on U.S. Highway 280. More of the access road to the boat ramp on the Wheeler County side of the river is flooded. Around a dozen homes on Dead River Road in the south end of Montgomery County are flooded with up to 2 feet of water. Dead River Road will be flooded up to 4 feet deep.
  • 21 ftSignificant flooding continues in the woodlands and pastures upstream and downstream from the gage on U.S. Highway 280. The lower portion of the access road to the boat ramp on the Wheeler County side of the river is flooded. Around a dozen homes on Dead River Road in the south end of Montgomery County become flooded. Portions of Dead River Road will be covered by at least 3 feet of water.
  • 20 ftModerate flooding begins. Significant flooding occurs in the woodlands and pastures upstream and downstream from the gage on U.S. Highway 280. The access road to the boat ramp on the Wheeler County side of the river begins to flood. Around a dozen homes on Dead River Road in the south end of Montgomery County become surrounded with water. A few homes will have some flooding. Portions of Dead River Road will be covered by at least two feet of water.
  • 19 ftMinor flooding expands further into the woodlands and pastures upstream and downstream from the gage on U.S. Highway 280. The boat ramp parking lot is flooded out on the Wheeler County side of the river. More homes on Dead River Road in the south part of Montgomery County become surrounded with water. Some flooding inside the structures is possible. Some portions of Dead River Road are covered by at least a foot of water.
  • 18 ftMinor flooding expands in the woodlands and pastures upstream and downstream from the gage on U.S. Highway 280. A campground and a few out buildings begin to flood several miles south of Mount Vernon. Eleven homes in the Cherokee Sand Ridge subdivision are surrounded by water. Dead River Road becomes flooded and is closed.
  • 17 ftMinor flooding continues in the woodlands and pastures upstream and downstream from the gage on U.S. Highway 280. Some homes on Dead River Road in the south end of Montgomery County become surrounded by water. Water begins to cover lower portions of Dead River Road.
  • 16 ftFlood Stage is reached. Minor flooding begins in the woodlands...pastures and natural flood plain along the river upstream and downstream from the gage on U.S. Highway 280. Flood waters reach the top of a boat ramp by the bridge on the Wheeler County side of the River.
  • 14 ftBankfull conditions occur along the river upstream and downstream from the gage on U.S. Highway 280 bridge.
  • 12 ftWater backflows into McCoy Lake upstream from the gage. No known damages occur from the overflow. McCoy Lake is a slough which extends 1 mile upstream from the river gage.

Highest crests on record

  1. 25.3 ft — April 14, 1936
  2. 23.03 ft — March 14, 1998
  3. 23 ft — March 9, 1971
  4. 22.6 ft — December 5, 1948
  5. 22.6 ft — February 9, 1998

Recent crests: 17.2 ft (March 14, 2024) · 18.83 ft (February 19, 2024) · 17.33 ft (January 17, 2024) · 19.04 ft (April 2, 2023) · 18.8 ft (April 13, 2022)

Up and down the river, and nearby

See it on the live map →Radar & warnings for Wheeler CountyNWS gauge pageUSGS gauge 02224500

Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (MTVG1); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.