Briar Creek near Charlotte water level

Name: Briar Creek near 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

1.34ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 21, 2026, 12:50 AM EDT (11 min ago)

Flow: 1.7 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 Briar Creek near Charlotte reads 1.34 ft, a normal level for late October.

That puts it 0.03 ft above the median of 1.31 ft for late October, based on 28 years of readings. It is 5.16 ft below the flood stage of 6.50 ft. A year ago it stood at 1.36 ft (−0.02 ft).

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 1.25 ft and 1.52 ft.

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

Compared with 28 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 1.31 ft0.03 ft above the median for this date
Normal for this date: 1.22 ft – 1.45 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (28 years of records)
Same day last year: 1.36 ft−0.02 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 1.25 ft – 1.52 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 1.24 ft – 2.11 ft
Highest on record: 9.43 ftAugust 27, 2008

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 6.50 ft, still 5.16 ft away.

What happens at each level

8.00 ft: AT THIS STAGE THE WINSOR HARBOR APARTMENTS LOCATED ALONG THE CREEK WILL CONTINUE TO FLOOD.
7.00 ft: WINDSOR HARBOR APARTMENTS PARKING LOT AND AREAS ALONG SHANNONHOUSE DRIVE AND DOLPHIN LANE WILL FLOOD.
6.50 ft: WINSOR HARBOR APARTMENTS UPSTREAM OF THIS GAGE WILL START TO FLOOD. EVACUATIONS WILL LIKELY OCCUR AT AN APARTMENT BUILDING ON DOLPHIN LANE UPSTREAM OF THIS GAGE.
5.50 ft: PARKING LOTS AT THE WINSOR HARBOR APARTMENTS WILL BE FLOODED. SHANNONHOUSE DRIVE WILL BE FLOODED. CHECK OUT WEB CAM.
5.00 ft: 3600 BLOCK OF SLAGLE DRIVE WILL HAVE WATER APPROACHING HOMES. THIS IS A TRIB TO BRIER CREEK UPSTREAM FROM THIS GAGE SITE. CHECK OUT WEB CAM.
3.00 ft: 3 INCH BASINWIDE RAINFALL IN 3 HRS OR LESS RESULTED IN A RISE FROM 1.2 TO THE FS OF 7 FT.
2.50 ft: SEE WEB CAM-- SHOULD BE AT BANKFULL STAGE... HOME TO FLOOD AROUND 5 FT.
1.34 ft: Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	9.43 ft	August 27, 2008
2	8.17 ft	January 25, 2010
3	7.47 ft	August 19, 2010
4	7.44 ft	June 7, 2003
5	6.79 ft	August 16, 2006
6	6.68 ft	August 5, 2011
7	6.46 ft	September 23, 2000
8	6.18 ft	April 9, 1998
9	6.04 ft	September 28, 2004
10	6.01 ft	July 6, 2018

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.11 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

20 Tue 73° 43° – Wind 11 mph

21 Wed 69° 46° – Wind 11 mph

22 Thu 74° 53° – Wind 6 mph

23 Fri 71° 52° – Wind 9 mph

24 Sat 67° 50° – Wind 10 mph

25 Sun 68° 48° – Wind 8 mph

26 Mon 71° 51° – Wind 4 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 at Independence Blvd at CharlotteRiver gauge, Briar Creek	0.72 ft	Normal	±0	2.4 mi
Briar Creek below Edwards Branch near CharlotteRiver gauge, Briar Creek	0.96 ft	High	−0.01 ft	2.9 mi
Briar Creek at Providence Road at CharlotteRiver gauge, Briar Creek	1.18 ft	Normal	+0.01 ft	4.6 mi
Briar Creek above Colony Road at CharlotteRiver gauge, Briar Creek	2.15 ft	Normal	+0.04 ft	5.4 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Edwards Branch at Sheffield Drain at CharlotteRiver gauge, Edwards Branch	0.67 ft	Low	−0.02 ft	2.3 mi
Little Sugar Creek below 36th Street near CharlotteRiver gauge, Little Sugar Creek	0.28 ft	Very low	−0.02 ft	2.3 mi
Campbell Creek near CharlotteRiver gauge, Campbell Creek	1.06 ft	Normal	+0.01 ft	3.9 mi
Irwin Creek at Statesville Ave at CharlotteRiver gauge, Irwin Creek	1.73 ft	Very low	+0.01 ft	4.1 mi
Reedy Creek at SR 2803 near CharlotteRiver gauge, Reedy Creek	1.44 ft	Normal	±0	4.2 mi
Ltl Sugar Creek at Medical Center Drain at CharlotteRiver gauge, Ltl Sugar Creek	1.89 ft	Normal	+0.01 ft	4.3 mi
McMullen Creek above Lincrest Place at CharlotteRiver gauge, McMullen Creek	1.07 ft	Normal	±0	4.6 mi

Questions and answers

How does Briar Creek near Charlotte compare with last year?

It is 0.02 ft lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 1.36 ft.

What is flood stage for Briar Creek near Charlotte?

The official flood stage is 6.50 ft. The level is currently 5.16 ft below it.

What is a normal level for Briar Creek near Charlotte in late October?

The median for late October is 1.31 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 1.22 ft and 1.45 ft, based on 28 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 near Charlotte today?

On Oct 21, 2026, 12:50 AM EDT, the water level was 1.34 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Briar Creek near Charlotte rising or falling?

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

Is the level of Briar Creek near Charlotte normal?

Normal for late October. Compared with 28 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:0214642825 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 35.23611, -80.77111 (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	1.34 ft	2026-10-21 04:50	Provisional
Flow	1.7 cfs	2026-10-21 04:50	Provisional

Download

Embed this gauge

Add a live card for this gauge to your website. It updates on its own and links back here.

<iframe src="https://nivelmap.com/embed/8567?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Briar Creek near Charlotte water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Briar Creek near Charlotte (usgs:0214642825). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/north-carolina/briar-creek-near-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