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Lumber River at Nichols water level

River gauge, Lumber River, South Carolina, United States

Directions

Very low for mid-October

Water level

11.74ft Down 0.08 ft over the last 24 hours

Flow
251 cfs
10 20 Highest onrecord 27.36 ft Minor floodstage 20.00 ft Lowest on record 10.90 ft

History

13151820ftOct 13Oct 15Oct 18Oct 20Oct 23Minor flood stage13151820ftOct 13Oct 18Oct 23Minor flood stage
10152025ftSep 20Sep 28Oct 6Oct 15Oct 23Minor flood stage10152025ftSep 20Oct 6Oct 23Minor flood stage
10152025ftOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026Minor flood stage10152025ftOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026Minor flood stage
10152025ftJanMarMayJulSepNov202610152025ftJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

Water level Normal range (10–90 %) Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to rise to 12.40 ft by Thursday, October 22 at 08:00 AM. Issued Sunday, October 18 at 09:56 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

Low water at Lumber River at Nichols: the gauge reads 11.74 ft, far below normal for mid-October.

That puts it 1.43 ft below the median of 13.17 ft for mid-October, based on 9 years of readings. It is 8.26 ft below the flood stage of 20.00 ft. A year ago it stood at 16.13 ft (−4.39 ft).

It is still going down, by 0.08 ft over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to rise to 12.40 ft by Thursday, October 22 at 08:00 AM. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. The 30-day range is 10.94 ft – 12.33 ft.

Compared with 9 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date
13.17 ft1.43 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date
11.81 ft – 18.59 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (9 years of records)
Same day last year
16.13 ft−4.39 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days
10.94 ft – 12.33 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months
10.72 ft – 17.64 ft
Highest on record
27.36 ftSeptember 20, 2018
Lowest on record
10.90 ftJuly 12, 2024
Forecast peak
12.40 ftThursday, October 22 at 08:00 AM

Paddling and fishing conditions

At low levels, plan for shorter paddling trips and expect to walk your boat through a few shoals.

For reference, flood stage is 20.00 ft.

What happens at each level

28.00 ft
Extensive flooding along the river. Nearly all of Nichols will be flooded. Road access to Nichols will be limited to US Rte 76 coming in from the east. Flooding on Mullins ST extends from near AWT RD to Fork Retch CT. River RD and Drowning Creek DR have several feet of water on them. In Fork Retch, nearly all of Fork Retch CT is flooded and the water is several feet deep along much of the road. Water levels will be worse than those seen after Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Hurricane Florence in 2018.
27.00 ft
Extensive flooding along the river. Nearly all of Nichols will be flooded. Road access to Nichols will be limited to US Rte 76 coming in from the east. Flooding on Mullins ST extends from near AWT RD to Fork Retch CT. River RD and Drowning Creek DR have several feet of water on them. In Fork Retch,nearly all of Fork Retch CT is flooded and the water is several feet deep along much of the road. Water levels will be similar to those seen after Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Hurricane Florence in 2018.
26.00 ft
Extensive flooding along the river. All parts of Nichols will be flooded and many areas will be isolated. Nearly every road is flooded and some may be impassable,but parts of town will remain dry. Road access to Nichols may be limited to US Rte 76 coming in from the east. Flooding on Mullins ST extends from near AWT RD to Fork Retch CT. River RD and Drowning Creek DR have several feet of water on them. In Fork Retch,nearly all of Fork Retch CT is flooded with water several feet deep along much of the road.
25.00 ft
Flooding reaches Pee Dee Street, S Nichols Street, South Main Street, Kemper Road, Canal ST and Tupelo Street. Flooding begins along North Nichols Street and worsens along Maple Street and in areas along and east of Mullins ST. Part of the railroad in town may be flooded. All of River Road and Drowning Creek Drive may only be accessible by boat. In Fork Retch, the community may only be accessible by boat due to deep water on Wildlife Action RD and Fork Retch CT near RD Island CT.
24.00 ft
Flooding begins along Pee Dee Street, South Nichols Street, North Nichols Street, South Main Street, Kemper Road, Tupelo Street, and along Mullins Street near Awt Road. Flooding worsens along Maple Street and Awt Road. River Road and Drowning Creek Drive may only be accessible by boat.
23.00 ft
Flooding worsens on River Road,Drowning Creek Drive,Averette RD,and AWT RD. Pee Dee Island RD and Page RD flood. Flooding begins along Waccamaw Street,Maple Street,N Main ST,and other low areas east of Mullins ST. Canal ST and Kemper RD may flood. As the water rises toward 24 FT,W Pee Dee ST,S Main ST,and S Nichols ST may flood. River Road and Drowning Creek DR on the Horry County side may only be accessible only by boat. In Fork Retch,Fork Retch CT will flood near Rhode Island CT and south of Tidewater CT.
22.00 ft
River Road and Drowning Creek Road are almost completely flooded and residences in the area may be cutoff by flooding. Flooding may begin along Averette RD and AWT RD in Nichols. Flooding worsens in Fork Retch and Wildlife Action RD may flood near Fork Retch CT. As the water rises toward 23 feet, Pee Dee Island RD and Page RD may flood in Nichols.
21.00 ft
Flooding worsens along River Road and begins along Drowning Creek Dr. The Fork Retch community downstream of Nichols will experience minor flooding.
20.00 ft
Minor flooding along River Road east of Nichols on the Horry County side of the river. Structures in the lowlands accessible by unpaved roads nearer the river will likely be isolated. Downstream of Nichols, low areas in Fork Retch may flood.
19.00 ft
Flooding of lowlands along the river and nearby tributaries begins.
11.74 ft
Right now

Impact statements from the U.S. National Weather Service.

Highest crests on record

RankLevelDate
127.36 ftSeptember 20, 2018
227.02 ftOctober 11, 2016
324.08 ftAugust 10, 2024
422.40 ftFebruary 21, 2021
521.69 ftNovember 17, 2020
621.30 ftDecember 19, 2018
721.00 ftJune 1, 2020
820.85 ftSeptember 3, 2023
920.63 ftJanuary 6, 2021
1020.61 ftFebruary 11, 2020

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

17 Sat 71° 48° 0.14 in, 62% Wind 16 mph
18 Sun 62° 44° – Wind 15 mph
19 Mon 68° 45° – Wind 15 mph
20 Tue 74° 47° – Wind 13 mph
21 Wed 72° 50° – Wind 13 mph
22 Thu 71° 46° – Wind 11 mph
23 Fri 71° 47° – Wind 13 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:26 AM Sunset 06:39 PM Daylight 11 hr, 13 min First quarter 58%

Map

Other gauges on the Lumber River

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Lumber River near MaxtonRiver gauge, Lumber River 6.62 ft Very low +0.05 ft 39 mi
Lumber River at LumbertonRiver gauge, Lumber River 7.34 ft Low −0.11 ft 28 mi
Lumber River at BoardmanRiver gauge, Lumber River 2.79 ft Low −0.06 ft 18 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Little Pee Dee River at Galivants FerryRiver gauge, Little Pee Dee River 3.33 ft Very low −0.11 ft 13 mi
Little Pee Dee River near DillonRiver gauge, Little Pee Dee River 116 cfs Low −5.0 cfs 17 mi
Pee Dee River at PeedeeRiver gauge, Pee Dee River 11.25 ft Normal +0.38 ft 24 mi
Pee Dee River below Pee DeeRiver gauge, Pee Dee River 19.17 ft Normal +0.38 ft 24 mi
Crabtree Swamp at ConwayRiver gauge, Crabtree Swamp 11.20 ft Low +0.36 ft 26 mi
Waccamaw River at Conway Marina at ConwayRiver gauge, Waccamaw River 8.01 ft Normal +0.36 ft 28 mi
Little Pee Dee River near ConwayRiver gauge, Little Pee Dee River 11.05 ft Very low −0.07 ft 28 mi
Pee Dee River at Us378 above PostonRiver gauge, Pee Dee River 15.24 ft Very high +0.34 ft 28 mi

Questions and answers

How does the Lumber River at Nichols compare with last year?

It is 4.39 ft lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 16.13 ft.

What is flood stage for the Lumber River at Nichols?

The official flood stage is 20.00 ft. The level is currently 8.26 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the Lumber River at Nichols in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 13.17 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 11.81 ft and 18.59 ft, based on 9 years of records.

Is gage height the same as water depth?

No. Gage height is measured from a fixed reference point chosen by the agency, so a reading of 10 ft does not mean the river is 10 ft deep.

What is the water level of Lumber River at Nichols today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 06:00 AM EDT, the water level was 11.74 ft. Down 0.08 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Lumber River at Nichols rising or falling?

Down 0.08 ft over the last 24 hours. Down 0.57 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Lumber River at Nichols normal?

Very low for mid-October. Compared with 9 years of daily readings for this time of year.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
Operator
U.S. Geological Survey
Station code
usgs:02134900 (Agency page)
Coordinates
34.22600, -79.13421 (WGS84)
Vertical datum
NAVD88
Update interval
every 15 minutes
Licence
Public domain. Data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), provisional data subject to revision

Published series

ParameterLast valueTime (UTC)Quality
Water level 11.74 ft 2026-10-19 10:00 Provisional
Flow 251 cfs 2026-10-19 10:00 Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Lumber River at Nichols (usgs:02134900). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/south-carolina/lumber-river-at-nichols

How we check values

Each reading is stored as published. We hold back values that jump faster than physically plausible and show the measurement time with every value.

Readings are provisional, can be delayed or wrong and are not a flood warning. Read the disclaimer