Yellow River at Pleasant Hill Road near Lithonia, GA
River level and flood forecast · De Kalb County
Normal2.3 ftas of Mon 3:45 PM
The river is 10.8 ft below flood stage (13 ft).
Forecast to fall to 1.4 ft by Sat, Oct 17, 8 AM.
Flow: 294 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 | 17 ft |
| Flood stage | 13 ft |
| Action stage | 11 ft |
| Record crest (September 22, 2009) | 25.54 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 25 ftMajor flooding expands along the river upstream and downstream from the gage on Pleasant Hill Road. In Dekalb County...widespread flooding of homes occurs on Harmony Hills Drive and Court. Johnson Creek backs up over Union Grove Road. In Rockdale County...flooding expands in the Lake Capri subdivision with several homes affected with up to four feet of water. Flooding also occurs along several roads including Lake Sorrento Court...Lake Capri Drive...Capistrano Way...Rivieria...and Westminister Lane.
- 23 ftMajor flooding begins along the river upstream and downstream from the gage on Pleasant Hill Road. In Dekalb County...widespread flooding of homes occurs on Harmony Hills Drive and Court. Johnson Creek backs up over Union Grove Road. In Rockdale County...flooding expands in the Lake Capri subdivision with several homes affected with two feet of water. Flooding also occurs along several roads including Lake Sorrento Court...Lake Capri Drive...Capistrano Way...Rivieria...and Westminister Lane.
- 21 ftSignificant flooding expands along the river upstream and downstream from the gage on Pleasant Hill Road. In Dekalb County...widespread flooding of yards of homes occurs on Harmony Hills Drive and Court. Johnson Creek backs up to the level of Union Grove Road. In Rockdale County...flooding expands in the Lake Capri subdivision with several homes affected. Flooding also occurs along several roads including Lake Sorrento Court...Lake Capri Drive...Capistrano Way...Rivieria...and Westminister Lane.
- 19 ftSignificant flooding continues to expand into the woodlands and fields near the river upstream and downstream from the gage on Pleasant Hill Road. In Dekalb County...flooding of the backyards of homes becomes more widespread on Harmony Hills Drive and Court. Johnson Creek flowing under Union Grove Road into the river continues to back up and reach the bottom of the bridge. In Rockdale County...some flooding of yards begins in the Lake Capri subdivision.
- 17 ftModerate flooding begins. Significant flooding expands into the woodlands and fields near the river upstream and downstream from the gage on Pleasant Hill Road. In Dekalb County...some flooding of backyards of homes occurs on Harmony Hills Drive and Court. Johnson Creek flowing under Union Grove Road into the river continues to back up. In Rockdale County...some flooding of yards begins in the Lake Capri subdivision.
- 15 ftMinor flooding continues and expands further into the woodlands and fields near the river upstream and downstream from the gage on Pleasant Hill Road. In Dekalb County...some flooding of backyards of homes begin on Harmony Hills Drive and Court. Johnson Creek flowing under Union Grove Road into the river begins to back up.
- 13 ftFlood stage is reached. Minor flooding will occur in portions of the woodlands and fields near the river upstream and downstream from the gage on Pleasant Hill Road.
- 11 ftBankfull conditions are reached upstream and downstream on the river from the stream gage at Pleasant Hill Road.
Highest crests on record
- 25.54 ft — September 22, 2009
- 18.05 ft — September 27, 2024
- 17.97 ft — December 25, 2015
- 17.53 ft — May 7, 2003
- 16.57 ft — April 19, 2019
Recent crests: 14.27 ft (February 27, 2026) · 15.2 ft (February 13, 2025) · 18.05 ft (September 27, 2024) · 15.56 ft (March 6, 2024) · 13.05 ft (February 13, 2024)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- DownstreamYellow River at Gees Mill Road near Milstead, GA
- Swift Creek at Rock Chapel Road near Lithonia, GA
- Yellow River at GA 124 near Lithonia, GA
- Stone Mountain Creek at GA 124 near Lithonia, GA
- No Business Creek at Lee Road near Snellville, GA
- Yellow River near Milstead, GA
- Pole Bridge Creek at Evans Mill Road near Lithonia, GA
- Big Haynes Creek at Lenora Road near Snellville, GA
- Big Haynes Creek at Jack Turner Dam near Milstead, GA
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (YLOG1); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.