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Indian Creek near Laboratory water level

River gauge, Indian Creek, North Carolina, United States

Directions

Right now

Normal for mid-October

Water level

0.87ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Flow
29.4 cfs
0 5 10 Highest onrecord 11.70 ft Minor floodstage 10.00 ft

History

History
0.81.0ftOct 16Oct 17Oct 18Oct 19Oct 210.81.0ftOct 16Oct 18Oct 21
24ftSep 22Sep 29Oct 6Oct 13Oct 2124ftSep 22Oct 6Oct 21
24ftOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 202624ftOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026
24ftJanMarMayJulSepNov202624ftJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

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

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Indian Creek near Laboratory, where the gauge shows 0.87 ft.

That puts it 0.03 ft above the median of 0.84 ft for mid-October, based on 30 years of readings. It is 9.13 ft below the flood stage of 10.00 ft. A year ago it stood at 2.18 ft (−1.31 ft).

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 0.67 ft – 4.33 ft.

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

Compared with 30 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date
0.84 ft0.03 ft above the median for this date
Normal for this date
0.70 ft – 1.06 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (30 years of records)
Same day last year
2.18 ft−1.31 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days
0.67 ft – 4.33 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months
0.58 ft – 4.33 ft
Highest on record
11.70 ftOctober 1, 1929

Paddling and fishing conditions

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

For reference, flood stage is 10.00 ft.

What happens at each level

24.00 ft
A FEW HOMES AND A WATER TANK SOUTH OF LABORATORY WILL BEGIN TO FLOOD.
18.00 ft
ONE HOUSE NEAR THE RIVER ON LABORATORY ROAD WILL BEGIN TO FLOOD.
10.00 ft
BRIDGE ON LABORATORY ROAD WILL BE OVERTOPPED AND ANDY LOGAN AND RIVER ROAD WILL BE CLOSED DUE TO FLOODING. STAGE AT LOWN7 WAS 14 FT.
8.00 ft
LABATORY ROAD WILL LIKELY BEGIN TO FLOOD ESPECAILLY IF SOUTH FORK RIVER IS AT HIGH LEVELS.
2.00 ft
GENERAL RAIN OF 2 TO 2.5 INCHES IN 2 TO 3 HOURS WILL CAUSE INDIAN CREEK TO RISE 3 FEET. INDIAN CREEK FLOWS INTO SOUTH FORK CATAWBA RIVER ABOVE LOWN7.
0.87 ft
Right now

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

Highest crests on record

RankLevelDate
111.70 ftOctober 1, 1929
210.61 ftAugust 10, 1970
39.10 ftOctober 16, 1964
49.06 ftMarch 20, 2003
58.74 ftMarch 4, 1952
68.60 ftOctober 16, 1971
78.39 ftOctober 9, 1976
87.74 ftOctober 13, 1990
97.70 ftMarch 1, 1987
107.58 ftJanuary 23, 1954

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

17 Sat 69° 49° 0.07 in, 43% Wind 17 mph
18 Sun 60° 41° – Wind 15 mph
19 Mon 69° 37° – Wind 9 mph
20 Tue 75° 46° – Wind 5 mph
21 Wed 71° 47° – Wind 6 mph
22 Thu 73° 45° – Wind 4 mph
23 Fri 72° 46° – Wind 5 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:37 AM Sunset 06:44 PM Daylight 11 hr, 7 min Waxing gibbous 72%

Map

Other gauges on Indian Creek

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Indian Creek at Red Sulphur SpringsRiver gauge, Indian Creek 0.78 ft Below flood stage −0.11 ft 148 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Long Creek near Bessemer CityRiver gauge, Long Creek 0.92 ft Low +0.01 ft 8 mi
South Fork Catawba River at LowellRiver gauge, South Fork Catawba River 2.25 ft Normal −0.10 ft 13 mi
Killian Creek near MariposaRiver gauge, Killian Creek 3.00 ft Normal +0.08 ft 13 mi
First Broad River at LawndaleRiver gauge, First Broad River 0.98 ft Normal −0.04 ft 17 mi
Catawba River Dnstrm Deck Mountain Is Dam near MountainRiver gauge, Catawba River Dnstrm Deck Mountain Is Dam 10.74 ft Very high −0.01 ft 17 mi
Catawba River at Rr Bridge above NC 73 at Cowans FordRiver gauge, Catawba River 7.43 ft Very high +0.16 ft 17 mi
Long Creek near RhyneRiver gauge, Long Creek 2.17 ft Very high +0.02 ft 18 mi
McDowell Creek near Charlotte, Nc Csw10River gauge, McDowell Creek 3.93 ft Very high +0.04 ft 20 mi

Questions and answers

How does Indian Creek near Laboratory compare with last year?

It is 1.31 ft lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 2.18 ft.

What is flood stage for Indian Creek near Laboratory?

The official flood stage is 10.00 ft. The level is currently 9.13 ft below it.

What is a normal level for Indian Creek near Laboratory in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 0.84 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.70 ft and 1.06 ft, based on 30 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 Indian Creek near Laboratory today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 08:00 PM EDT, the water level was 0.87 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Indian Creek near Laboratory rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Down 0.25 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Indian Creek near Laboratory normal?

Normal for mid-October. Compared with 30 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:02143500 (Agency page)
Coordinates
35.42056, -81.26528 (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 0.87 ft 2026-10-21 00:00 Provisional
Flow 29.4 cfs 2026-10-21 00:00 Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Indian Creek near Laboratory (usgs:02143500). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/north-carolina/indian-creek-near-laboratory

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.