Abbotts Creek at Lexington water level

Name: Abbotts Creek at Lexington 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, Abbotts Creek, North Carolina, United States

Directions

Very low for mid-October

Water level

3.10ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 01:30 PM EDT (45 min ago)

Flow: 13.4 cfs

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

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

What this means

At 3.10 ft, Abbotts Creek at Lexington is far below normal for mid-October.

That puts it 0.29 ft below the median of 3.39 ft for mid-October, based on 29 years of readings. It is 12.90 ft below the flood stage of 16.00 ft. A year ago it stood at 3.10 ft as well.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 3.07 ft and 4.06 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, and it usually takes a few days of steady rain to change that.

Compared with 29 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 3.39 ft0.29 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 3.20 ft – 4.19 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (29 years of records)
Same day last year: 3.10 ft0.00 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 3.07 ft – 4.06 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 3.05 ft – 13.59 ft
Highest on record: 23.48 ftSeptember 23, 2003

What the stage means on the water

Low water means more dragging on shallow riffles and slower floats. Fish crowd into the deeper runs, and warm, low water stresses them, so play and release them quickly.

The National Weather Service puts flood stage for this gauge at 16.00 ft, still 12.90 ft away.

What happens at each level

34.00 ft: Major flooding continues. The Center Street bridge becomes impassable. The lower level of the Abbotts Crossing office building is completely submerged. Floodwaters inundate the upper Abbotts Crossing parking lot at Center Street and six apartment buildings along Random Drive.
31.00 ft: Major flooding begins. Water reaches the lower road level of the Center Street bridge. Significant flooding occurs throughout the Abbotts Crossing office building and adjacent apartment buildings along Random Drive.
23.00 ft: Moderate flooding begins. Water enters the lower level of the Abbotts Crossing office building and begins to flood adjacent apartment buildings along Random Drive.
20.00 ft: Minor flooding continues. The lower parking lot at the rear of the Abbotts Crossing office building is completely inundated.
16.00 ft: Minor flooding begins. Water begins to flood the lower parking lot at the Abbotts Crossing office building.
14.00 ft: Action stage. The creek reaches bankfull upstream and downstream of the Center Street gage.
3.10 ft: Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	23.48 ft	September 23, 2003
2	22.39 ft	February 7, 2020
3	21.36 ft	November 13, 2020
4	20.30 ft	April 22, 1992
5	19.80 ft	July 20, 2025
6	19.76 ft	August 3, 2018
7	19.63 ft	October 12, 2018
8	19.52 ft	October 23, 1990
9	19.29 ft	January 25, 2010
10	18.83 ft	September 17, 2018

Weather at the gauge

The forecast is not available right now.

Sunrise 07:32 AM Sunset 06:40 PM Daylight 11 hr, 8 min Waxing gibbous 70%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Yadkin River at Yadkin CollegeRiver gauge, Yadkin River	1.56 ft	Normal	−0.01 ft	9 mi
Second Creek near BarberRiver gauge, Second Creek	2.46 ft	High	−0.10 ft	21 mi
East Fork Deep River near High PointRiver gauge, East Fork Deep River	1.97 ft	Very low	−0.01 ft	23 mi
South Yadkin River near MocksvilleRiver gauge, South Yadkin River	2.02 ft	Normal	−0.03 ft	24 mi
Yadkin River at EnonRiver gauge, Yadkin River	3.26 ft	Normal	−0.42 ft	25 mi
South Buffalo Creek near PomonaRiver gauge, South Buffalo Creek	0.90 ft	Normal	+0.01 ft	27 mi
Brush Creek at Muirfield Road at GreensboroRiver gauge, Brush Creek	1.78 ft	Low	−0.01 ft	28 mi
Uwharrie River near EldoradoRiver gauge, Uwharrie River	1.92 ft	Low	−0.01 ft	29 mi

Questions and answers

How does Abbotts Creek at Lexington compare with last year?

It is about the same as on this day last year, when the reading was 3.10 ft.

What is flood stage for Abbotts Creek at Lexington?

The official flood stage is 16.00 ft. The level is currently 12.90 ft below it.

What is a normal level for Abbotts Creek at Lexington in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 3.39 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 3.20 ft and 4.19 ft, based on 29 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 Abbotts Creek at Lexington today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 01:30 PM EDT, the water level was 3.10 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Abbotts Creek at Lexington rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Down 0.38 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Abbotts Creek at Lexington normal?

Very low for mid-October. Compared with 29 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:02121500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 35.80694, -80.23472 (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	3.10 ft	2026-10-20 17:30	Provisional
Flow	13.4 cfs	2026-10-20 17:30	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Abbotts Creek at Lexington (usgs:02121500). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/north-carolina/abbotts-creek-at-lexington

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