South River at Flakes Mill Road near Snapfinger, GA
River level and flood forecast · De Kalb County
Normal2.6 ftas of Mon 3 PM
The river is 10.4 ft below flood stage (13 ft).
Flow: 83 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Sun, Dec 31, 7 PM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 25 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 19 ft |
| Flood stage | 13 ft |
| Action stage | 11 ft |
| Record crest (September 27, 2024) | 21.42 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 25 ftMajor flooding begins with widespread inundation along the river. The Flakes Mill Road bridge forms an obstacle and acts like a dam causing some backwater and erosion eddies to the sides of the bridge. The service road leading to the Snapfinger Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility will be under water. The west and south sides of the property will be completely flooded with water spilling into the holding areas of the Inflow Channel. Some homes on Roundtable and English Valley Drives will begin to flood.
- 23 ftSignificant flooding expands further from the river. The Flakes Mill Road bridge begins to form an obstacle and act like a dam causing some backwater and erosion eddies to the sides of the bridge. The flood waters will cut off large portions of the service road leading to the Snapfinger Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility. Parking lots and large portions of the west and south sides of the property will be completely flooded. Backyards of Roundtable and English Valley Drives will also be flooded.
- 21 ftSignificant flooding expands into the woodlands upstream and downstream from the gage on Flakes Mill Road. The water level reaches the bottom of the bridge and county officials may close it. The flood waters will cut off portions of the service road leading to the Snapfinger Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility. The parking lots south of the administration building on the property will be under two feet of water. Flooding in backyards of homes on Roundtable and English Valley Drives continues to deepen.
- 19 ftModerate flooding begins. Significant flooding expands further into the woodlands along the river upstream and downstream from the gage on Flakes Mill Road. The Chapel Park west of the gage will be completely flooded. The flood waters will cover low portions of the service road leading to the Snapfinger Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility...and affect the parking lots south of the administration building on the property. Flooding begins in backyards of homes on Roundtable and English Valley Drives.
- 17 ftMinor flooding expands further into the woodlands along the river upstream and downstream from the gage on Flakes Mill Road. Large portions of the Chapel Park west of the gage will be under 4 to 5 feet of water. The flood waters will approach low portions of the service road leading to the Snapfinger Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility.
- 15 ftMinor flooding continues to expand further into the woodlands along the river upstream and downstream from the gage on Flakes Mill Road. Large portions of the Chapel Park west of the gage will be under 2 to 3 feet of water.
- 13 ftFlood stage is reached. Minor flooding will occur in the woodlands and natural flood plain of the river upstream and downstream from the gage on Flakes Mill Road. Portions of the Chapel Park just west of the gage will begin to flood.
- 11 ftBankfull conditions are reached upstream and downstream from the gage at Flakes Mill Road near Chapel Park.
Highest crests on record
- 21.42 ft — September 27, 2024
- 21.3 ft — February 25, 1961
- 19.89 ft — March 16, 1976
- 18.25 ft — March 17, 1990
- 18.23 ft — December 25, 2015
Recent crests: 21.42 ft (September 27, 2024) · 15.92 ft (March 6, 2024) · 16.63 ft (October 11, 2020) · 16.35 ft (April 19, 2019) · 13.63 ft (December 29, 2018)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- UpstreamSouth River at Bouldercrest Road at Atlanta, GA
- DownstreamSouth River at Klondike Road near Lithonia, GA
- Shoal Creek at Columbia Drive near Atlanta, GA
- Snapfinger Creek at Thompson Mill Road near Lithonia, GA
- Cobbs Creek at Rainbow Drive near Decatur, GA
- Pole Bridge Creek at Evans Mill Road near Lithonia, GA
- Doolittle Creek at Flat Shoals Rd near Decatur, GA
- Snapfinger Creek at Redan Road near Glen Haven, GA
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (SFMG1); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.