Cartecay River near Ellijay water level

Name: Cartecay River near Ellijay water level (U.S. Geological Survey)
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
License: https://www.usgs.gov/information-policies-and-instructions/copyrights-and-credits

River gauge, Cartecay River, Georgia, United States

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

1.44ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 05:15 PM EDT (35 min ago)

Flow: 107 cfs

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

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

What this means

The gauge at Cartecay River near Ellijay reads 1.44 ft, a normal level for mid-October.

The median for mid-October is 1.61 ft, based on 16 years of readings, so the river stage is 0.17 ft below typical. It is 5.56 ft below the flood stage of 7.00 ft. On the same day last year the reading was 1.50 ft, a difference of −0.06 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 1.37 ft and 1.99 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, until steadier rain returns.

Compared with 16 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 1.61 ft0.17 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 1.23 ft – 2.00 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (16 years of records)
Same day last year: 1.50 ft−0.06 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 1.37 ft – 1.99 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 1.37 ft – 3.80 ft
Highest on record: 13.00 ftApril 8, 1938

What the stage means on the water

A normal level is usually prime time for floating and wade fishing, as long as the weather holds upstream.

The National Weather Service puts flood stage for this gauge at 7.00 ft, still 5.56 ft away.

What happens at each level

14.00 ft: Major flooding continues to expand upstream and downstream from the gage off Georgia Highway 52. Widespread inundation flooding affects the townhouses and homes on Riverside Drive with at least four feet of water. Also a large portion of Maple Village Mobile Homes Park floods near the merger of the river and Owltown Creek. The water level will be around two feet deep in a maintenance building on the mobile homes park property and will be in the crawl spaces of some of the manufactured homes.
13.00 ft: Major flooding continues to expand upstream and downstream from the gage off Georgia Highway 52. Widespread inundation flooding affects the townhouses and homes on Riverside Drive with at least three feet of water. Also a large portion of Maple Village Mobile Homes Park floods near the merger of the river and Owltown Creek. The water level will be around one foot deep in a maintenance building on the mobile homes park property.
12.00 ft: Major flooding expands upstream and downstream from the gage off Georgia Highway 52. Widespread inundation flooding affects the townhouses and homes on Riverside Drive with at least two feet of water. Also a large portion of Maple Village Mobile Homes Park floods near the merger of the river and Owltown Creek. The water level reaches the foundation of a maintenance building on the mobile homes park property.
11.00 ft: Major flooding begins upstream and downstream from the gage off Georgia Highway 52. Significant flooding expands and affects the townhouses and homes on Riverside Drive with at least one foot of water. Also a large portion of Maple Village Mobile Homes Park floods near the merger of the river and Owltown Creek.
10.00 ft: Moderate flooding continues to expand upstream and downstream from the gage off Georgia Highway 52. The flooding completely covers the yards behind townhouses and homes on Riverside Drive. Flood waters are in the crawl spaces of the homes and the water level reaches the foundations of the townhouses. Also portions of the Maple Village Mobile Homes Park flood near the merger of the river and Owltown Creek.
9.00 ft: Moderate flooding begins upstream and downstream from the gage off Georgia Highway 52. The flooding expands in the yards behind townhouses and homes on Riverside Drive and enters the crawl spaces of some of the homes. Also the lower portions of the Maple Village Mobile Homes Park begin to flood near the merger of the river and Owltown Creek.
8.00 ft: Minor flooding continues upstream and downstream from the gage off Georgia Highway 52. The flooding expands of yards behind townhouses and homes on Riverside Drive.
7.00 ft: Flood stage is reached and minor flooding begins upstream and downstream from the gage off Georgia Highway 52. Some flooding of yards begins behind townhouses and homes on Riverside Drive.
6.00 ft: Bankfull conditions are reached along the river upstream and downstream from the stream gage on Georgia Highway 52.
1.44 ft: Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	13.00 ft	April 8, 1938
2	11.08 ft	December 24, 2015
3	10.40 ft	March 29, 1951
4	10.19 ft	August 1, 2013
5	9.75 ft	March 4, 1979
6	9.60 ft	January 16, 1954
7	9.37 ft	March 26, 2021
8	9.22 ft	May 28, 1973
9	9.15 ft	March 30, 1977
10	8.61 ft	February 3, 1982

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 71° 43° – Wind 6 mph

21 Wed 72° 51° – Wind 8 mph

22 Thu 73° 50° – Wind 7 mph

23 Fri 73° 51° – Wind 6 mph

24 Sat 72° 49° – Wind 6 mph

25 Sun 73° 46° – Wind 5 mph

26 Mon 71° 47° – Wind 5 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:48 AM Sunset 06:58 PM Daylight 11 hr, 10 min Waxing gibbous 72%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Coosawattee River near EllijayRiver gauge, Coosawattee River	1.38 ft	Normal	±0	2.8 mi
Mountaintown Creek at GA 282, near EllijayRiver gauge, Mountaintown Creek	2.96 ft	Normal	−0.01 ft	4.8 mi
Fausett Creek near Talking RockRiver gauge, Fausett Creek	1.44 ft	High	+0.01 ft	8 mi
Carters Lake Tailrace near CartersRiver gauge, Carters Lake Tailrace	690.21 ft	High	−0.03 ft	13 mi
Talking Rock Creek near HintonRiver gauge, Talking Rock Creek	0.81 ft	Low	±0	14 mi
Toccoa River near DialRiver gauge, Toccoa River	0.93 ft	Low	−0.01 ft	14 mi
Coosawattee River at CartersRiver gauge, Coosawattee River	3.92 ft	Low	−0.12 ft	15 mi
Holly Creek near ChatsworthRiver gauge, Holly Creek	1.03 ft	Normal	+0.05 ft	18 mi

Questions and answers

Is the Cartecay River near Ellijay higher than last year?

No, it is 0.06 ft lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 1.50 ft.

What is flood stage for the Cartecay River near Ellijay?

The official flood stage is 7.00 ft. The level is currently 5.56 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the Cartecay River near Ellijay in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 1.61 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 1.23 ft and 2.00 ft, based on 16 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 Cartecay River near Ellijay today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 05:15 PM EDT, the water level was 1.44 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Cartecay River near Ellijay rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Down 0.18 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Cartecay River near Ellijay normal?

Normal for mid-October. Compared with 16 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:02379500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 34.68414, -84.45881 (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

Parameter	Last value	Time (UTC)	Quality
Water level	1.44 ft	2026-10-20 21:15	Provisional
Flow	107 cfs	2026-10-20 21:15	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Cartecay River near Ellijay (usgs:02379500). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/georgia/cartecay-river-near-ellijay

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