Catawba River near Pleasant Gardens, NC
River level and flood forecast · McDowell County
Normal3.0 ftas of Mon 4:45 PM
The river is 8.0 ft below flood stage (11 ft).
Flow: 751 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 | 18 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 16 ft |
| Flood stage | 11 ft |
| Action stage | 9 ft |
| Record crest (September 8, 2004) | 17.55 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 17.55 ftFLOODING WILL BE SIMILAR TO THE FLOODING THAT OCCURRED WITH HURRICANE FRANCES IN SEPTEMBER 2004.
- 15.22 ftFLOODING WILL BE SIMILAR TO WHAT HAPPENED IN AUGUST 1994 WITH TROPICAL STORM BERYL
- 14.5 ftCATAWBA RIVER STARTS TO CAUSE PROBLEMS IN TOWNS NEAR THE RIVER WITH FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS ALONG THE RIVER AND SOME ROADS.
- 13.64 ftFLOODING WILL BE SIMILAR TO THAT WHICH OCCURRED WITH HURRICANE IVAN IN SEPTEMBER 2004
- 12 ftPLEASANT GARDENS AND DEER FIELD CAMPGROUNDS WILL LIKELY HAVE TO BE EVACUATED.
- 11 ftMinor Flood Stage. The Catawba River may be starting to flood the Riverbreeze Campground located a few miles downstream of the gauge, especially if high flows are occurring along Buck Creek due to spillage at Lake Tahoma upstream.
- 9 ftAction Stage. The Catawba River is beginning to exceed its banks close to the Tom Johnson-Camping World Camping Center and flood adjacent low-lying areas. Floodwaters are approaching and may begin to flood the access road that travels underneath the Resistoflex Rd. bridge at the Camping Center and may begin to impact Riverside Park.
Highest crests on record
- 17.55 ft — September 8, 2004
- 15.72 ft — May 30, 2018
- 15.22 ft — August 17, 1994
- 15.15 ft — January 8, 1998
- 13.72 ft — May 6, 2013
Recent crests: 7.07 ft (June 9, 2019) · 9.68 ft (April 19, 2019) · 11.03 ft (December 28, 2018) · 13.13 ft (October 11, 2018) · 15.72 ft (May 30, 2018)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- Linville River near Nebo, NC
- S Toe River below Whiteoak Ck, 2 SSE Celo, NC
- Cove Creek at Highway 64, NC
- Johns River at Corpening Bridge Rd, 6 NNW Morganton, NC
- Second Broad River near Logan, NC
- First Broad River near Casar, NC
- Swannanoa River below Hendersonville Rd (NC 81), in Biltmore Village (2 S Asheville), NC
- Jacob Fork below Old NC 18 in Shoups Ford, NC
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (PLGN7); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.