Pigeon River at Newport, TN
River level and flood forecast · Cocke County
Normal3.7 ftas of Mon 3 PM
The river is 4.3 ft below flood stage (8 ft).
Forecast to fall to 2.8 ft by Sat, Oct 17, 8 AM.
Flow: 867 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 9:22 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 12 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 10 ft |
| Flood stage | 8 ft |
| Action stage | 6 ft |
| Record crest (September 27, 2024) | 29.73 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 29.73 ftPreliminary Flood of Record from 2024 Helene event according to USGS analysis. Water inundates Grace Baptist Church to the lowest gutters; nearby houses inundated with nearly 4 to 6 feet of water. Large swath of downtown Newport including East Broadway and East Main flood with up to a foot or two of water, between N Jefferson Ave and Bear Ave, entering numerous buildings with street-level floors. Inundation of the East Broadway and TN-73 intersection but the Dollar General, mansion, and bridge do not flood.
- 28 ftFlooding of City Hall main floor begins. The Courthouse Annex may also be threatened with water.
- 27.5 ftFlooding of dance studio building next door to City Hall begins.
- 23.4 ftPrevious Flood of Record from 1902. Water is perhaps beginning to enter Grace Baptist Church on TN-73 and adjacent houses.
- 18 ftLevel of berm in yard on right bank, across from gage. No damage to house, but Jimtown Road impassable. Water is getting into a few parking spaces at Grace Baptist Church on TN-73 and adjacent front yards of houses. Water begins to enter the bottom floor of a church on River Road. A building behind the Newport Police on Main Street may begin to take water (this building was wrecked by Helene floodwaters inundating at least the entire first floor).
- 17 ftPortions of State Road TN-73 south of Newport become flooded.
- 16.5 ftFlooding along Pleasant Grove Road near Edwina expands.
- 14.5 ftFlooding of low spots along Pleasant Grove Road near farm land in Edwina.
- 14 ftFlooding occurs on the north side of River Street in Newport. The river walk behind Main Street in downtown Newport begins to take water in places.
- 8 ftMinor flooding occurs downstream from gage on Highway 25/70 and in the community of Edwina. Jimtown Road may be affected.
Highest crests on record
- 29.73 ft — September 27, 2024
- 18.9 ft — September 17, 2004
- 18.18 ft — February 6, 2020
- 17.75 ft — September 8, 2004
- 17.67 ft — May 7, 2003
Recent crests: 8.25 ft (August 3, 2025) · 9.3 ft (April 8, 2025) · 12.06 ft (February 13, 2025) · 11.47 ft (December 29, 2024) · 29.73 ft (September 27, 2024)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- French Broad River near Newport, TN
- French Broad River above Silver Mine Ck, in Hot Springs, NC
- Little Pigeon River above Sevierville, TN
- Pigeon River below Jonathans Ck, 4 NW Crabtree, NC
- West Prong Little Pigeon River above Gatlinburg, TN
- Crockett Creek below Rogersville, TN
- French Broad River above Rollins Rd, 1 SE Marshall, NC
- Flat Creek near Mascot, TN
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (NEPT1); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.