Yadkin River at Wilkesboro, NC
River level and flood forecast · Wilkes County
Normal5.7 ftas of Mon 3:45 PM
The river is 8.3 ft below flood stage (14 ft).
Forecast to fall to 4.4 ft by Sat, Oct 17, 8 AM.
Flow: 3,430 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 10:57 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 22 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 17 ft |
| Flood stage | 14 ft |
| Action stage | 12 ft |
| Record crest (August 14, 1940) | 37.6 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 35 ftWilkesboro, Ekin and other small towns downstream may be flooded.
- 32.5 ftThe western approaches into north wilkesboro are flooded
- 28 ftFlood waters cut off the eastern approaches to north wilkesboro
- 25 ftThe area between the river and the railroad tracks is flooded
- 22 ftOverflow of the right bank begins and flood waters affect the south approach to North Wilkesboro.
- 20 ftA few cottages and recreational camps are flooded
- 18 ftExtensive flooding of agricultural lands and the ball park
- 17 ftLow-lying secondary streets in Wilkesboro are affected and flooding begins at the old airfield.
- 16 ftWater continues to overflow the left bank covering local agricultural land and reaching the end of Wilkesboro Avenue.
- 14 ftLowland flooding begins and water affects a portion of Wilkesboro Avenue in North Wilkesboro.
Highest crests on record
- 37.6 ft — August 14, 1940
- 22.45 ft — September 18, 1945
- 18.5 ft — April 5, 1957
- 18.3 ft — September 30, 1959
- 17.55 ft — June 14, 1947
Recent crests: 17.5 ft (September 27, 2024) · 14.12 ft (January 9, 2024) · 12.7 ft (November 12, 2020) · 15.86 ft (October 29, 2020) · 14.05 ft (October 11, 2018)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- UpstreamYadkin River at Patterson, NC
- DownstreamYadkin River at Elkin, NC
- Reddies River at N. Wilkesboro, NC
- Lower Little River near Ellendale, NC
- Elk Creek (NC) at Elkville, NC
- South Fork New River near Jefferson, NC
- Hunting Creek below E Houstonville Rd. 3 NNE Harmony, NC
- S Yadkin River below Foster Rd, 6 SW Mocksville, NC
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (WKSN7); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.