Briar Creek at Providence Road at Charlotte water level

Name: Briar Creek at Providence Road at Charlotte 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, Briar Creek, North Carolina, United States

Directions

Normal for late October

Water level

1.17ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 21, 2026, 12:15 AM EDT (16 min ago)

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

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

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Briar Creek at Providence Road at Charlotte, where the gauge shows 1.17 ft.

That puts it 0.07 ft above the median of 1.10 ft for late October, based on 22 years of readings. It is 12.83 ft below the flood stage of 14.00 ft. A year ago it stood at 1.05 ft (+0.12 ft).

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 1.16 ft – 2.23 ft.

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

Compared with 22 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 1.10 ft0.07 ft above the median for this date
Normal for this date: 0.98 ft – 1.28 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (22 years of records)
Same day last year: 1.05 ft+0.12 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 1.16 ft – 2.23 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 1.02 ft – 4.20 ft
Highest on record: 15.39 ftAugust 27, 2008

Paddling and fishing conditions

Most paddlers and anglers will find the river in good shape at this stage.

For reference, flood stage is 14.00 ft.

What happens at each level

15.00 ft: CULVERTS UNDER PROVIDENCE ROAD WILL BE FULL AND THE ROAD WILL BEGIN TO FLOOD.
14.00 ft: HOMES WILL BE SURROUNDED BY WATER SOME BASEMENTS WILL FLOOD.
10.00 ft: YARDS OF HOMES UPSTREAM OF PROVIDENCE ROAD WILL BEGIN TO FLOOD.
2.00 ft: 1.75 TO 2 INCH IN 6 HOUR TOOK CREEK TO 10.50 FT
1.25 ft: BASIN WIDE 1.25 IN 3 HR TOOK BRPN7 UP FROM 1.15 FT TO 10.75 FT (9.5FT)
1.17 ft: Right now
0.80 ft: 0.80 IN 2 HR CAUSED A 4 FT RISE

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

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	15.39 ft	August 27, 2008
2	14.10 ft	May 5, 2009
3	13.63 ft	January 25, 2010
4	12.71 ft	September 16, 2018
5	12.20 ft	September 23, 2011
6	11.98 ft	August 15, 2006
7	11.93 ft	January 23, 2017
8	11.88 ft	December 22, 2015
9	11.82 ft	March 2, 2007
10	11.39 ft	December 30, 2015

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.13 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

20 Tue 75° 41° – Wind 10 mph

21 Wed 71° 45° – Wind 9 mph

22 Thu 72° 44° – Wind 8 mph

23 Fri 70° 51° – Wind 8 mph

24 Sat 67° 49° – Wind 10 mph

25 Sun 68° 48° – Wind 9 mph

26 Mon 72° 49° – Wind 5 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:35 AM Sunset 06:42 PM Daylight 11 hr, 7 min Waxing gibbous 74%

Map

Other gauges on Briar Creek

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Briar Creek near CharlotteRiver gauge, Briar Creek	1.34 ft	Normal	±0	4.6 mi
Briar Creek at Independence Blvd at CharlotteRiver gauge, Briar Creek	0.72 ft	Normal	+0.01 ft	2.2 mi
Briar Creek below Edwards Branch near CharlotteRiver gauge, Briar Creek	0.97 ft	High	±0	1.8 mi
Briar Creek above Colony Road at CharlotteRiver gauge, Briar Creek	2.15 ft	Normal	+0.04 ft	0.8 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Little Sugar Creek at Hillside Ave, CharlotteRiver gauge, Little Sugar Creek	0.87 ft	Low	±0	1.5 mi
Ltl Sugar Creek at Medical Center Drain at CharlotteRiver gauge, Ltl Sugar Creek	1.89 ft	Normal	±0	1.7 mi
McMullen Creek above Lincrest Place at CharlotteRiver gauge, McMullen Creek	1.07 ft	Normal	±0	2.1 mi
Little Hope Creek at Seneca Place at CharlotteRiver gauge, Little Hope Creek	3.05 ft	Low	+0.02 ft	2.2 mi
McMullen Creek at Sharon View Road near CharlotteRiver gauge, McMullen Creek	0.77 ft	Low	−0.01 ft	2.9 mi
Edwards Branch at Sheffield Drain at CharlotteRiver gauge, Edwards Branch	0.67 ft	Low	−0.01 ft	3.1 mi
Little Sugar Creek at Archdale Drain at CharlotteRiver gauge, Little Sugar Creek	2.37 ft	Normal	+0.02 ft	3.2 mi

Questions and answers

How does Briar Creek at Providence Road at Charlotte compare with last year?

It is 0.12 ft higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 1.05 ft.

What is flood stage for Briar Creek at Providence Road at Charlotte?

The official flood stage is 14.00 ft. The level is currently 12.83 ft below it.

What is a normal level for Briar Creek at Providence Road at Charlotte in late October?

The median for late October is 1.10 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.98 ft and 1.28 ft, based on 22 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 Briar Creek at Providence Road at Charlotte today?

On Oct 21, 2026, 12:15 AM EDT, the water level was 1.17 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Briar Creek at Providence Road at Charlotte rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Down 0.04 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Briar Creek at Providence Road at Charlotte normal?

Normal for late October. Compared with 22 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:02146449 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 35.18250, -80.82000 (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	1.17 ft	2026-10-21 04:15	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Briar Creek at Providence Road at Charlotte (usgs:02146449). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/north-carolina/briar-creek-at-providence-road-at-charlotte

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