Mud Creek at Secondary Road 1503 near Balfour water level

Name: Mud Creek at Secondary Road 1503 near Balfour 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, Mud Creek, North Carolina, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

5.67ft Down 0.05 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 21, 2026, 02:30 AM EDT (55 min ago)

Flow: 45.7 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Mud Creek at Secondary Road 1503 near Balfour, where the gauge shows 5.67 ft.

It is 8.33 ft below the flood stage of 14.00 ft.

It is still going down, by 0.05 ft over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 5.67 ft – 5.92 ft.

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

Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge. How to read levels

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

20.00 ft: Major Flood Stage. Extremely rare and catastrophic flooding of Mud Creek is developing with disastrous impacts to property. Basements and crawl spaces may be completely submerged. First-floor building elevations may be experiencing ruinous flooding greater than 1 ft deep. Travel may be severely restricted with roadway inundation exceeding 3-4 ft, stranding several homes and businesses.
17.00 ft: Moderate Flood Stage. Unusual, damaging flooding is developing adjacent to Mud Creek with considerable impacts to property. Significant flooding reaching 4-6 ft deep is ongoing for low-lying areas, including William H King Memorial Park and Jackson Park. Flooding less than 1 ft deep may begin for first-floor building elevations. Some homes and businesses may be stranded. Significant impacts to travel are likely. During intense rainfall over Hendersonville, flooding near South Center Plaza is likely.
14.00 ft: Minor Flood Stage. Common, deeper flooding of low-lying areas adjacent to Mud Creek is developing with lesser impacts to vulnerable property. More significant floodwaters are beginning to impact low-lying areas, including areas of William H. King Memorial Park and the Oklawaha Greenway, with inundation approximately 2-4 ft deep. Secondary roads and outbuildings may be experiencing flooding up to 1-2 ft deep. During intense rainfall, flooding near South Center Plaza may be ongoing, impacting travel.
11.50 ft: Action/Advisory Stage. Common, nuisance flooding of low-lying areas adjacent to Mud Creek is beginning. The lowest elevations of William H King Memorial Park are beginning to flood and floodwaters are approaching the lowest elevations of the Oklawaha Greenway. At this stage, more expansive lowland flooding with nuisance impacts to adjacent farmland, golf courses, and nurseries is ongoing or has recently occurred upstream closer to Erkwood Dr.
5.67 ft: Right now

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

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

21 Wed 71° 42° – Wind 8 mph

22 Thu 70° 42° – Wind 9 mph

23 Fri 65° 44° – Wind 6 mph

24 Sat 63° 42° – Wind 6 mph

25 Sun 62° 40° – Wind 7 mph

26 Mon 69° 40° – Wind 3 mph

27 Tue 69° 45° – Wind 4 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:42 AM Sunset 06:48 PM Daylight 11 hr, 7 min Waxing gibbous 75%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
French Broad River near FletcherRiver gauge, French Broad River	4.23 ft	Normal	−0.06 ft	8 mi
Mills River near Mills RiverRiver gauge, Mills River	1.82 ft	Normal	−0.02 ft	9 mi
French Broad River at BlantyreRiver gauge, French Broad River	5.53 ft	Normal	−0.07 ft	9 mi
Big Falls Creek near TigervilleRiver gauge, Big Falls Creek	0.94 ft	Normal	−0.01 ft	12 mi
North Saluda River near HighlandRiver gauge, North Saluda River	6.4 cfs	Low	−0.2 cfs	13 mi
North Saluda Reservoir near TigervilleReservoir, North Saluda Reservoir	17.01 ft	Very low	−0.06 ft	14 mi
Davidson River near BrevardRiver gauge, Davidson River	0.71 ft	Normal	−0.01 ft	14 mi
Middle Saluda River near ClevelandRiver gauge, Middle Saluda River	1.50 ft	Very low	−0.03 ft	15 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for Mud Creek at Secondary Road 1503 near Balfour?

The official flood stage is 14.00 ft. The level is currently 8.33 ft below it.

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 Mud Creek at Secondary Road 1503 near Balfour today?

On Oct 21, 2026, 02:30 AM EDT, the water level was 5.67 ft. Down 0.05 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Mud Creek at Secondary Road 1503 near Balfour rising or falling?

Down 0.05 ft over the last 24 hours. Down 0.23 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Mud Creek at Secondary Road 1503 near Balfour normal?

Below flood stage. Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge.

How often is this data updated?

The U.S. Geological Survey publishes a new reading every 15 minutes. This page refreshes within minutes of each update.

Where does this data come from?

The values come directly from the U.S. Geological Survey, the official operator of this gauge, and are in the public domain. We do not estimate or model live values.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:0344632850 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 35.33500, -82.46361 (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	5.67 ft	2026-10-21 06:30	Provisional
Flow	45.7 cfs	2026-10-21 06:30	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Mud Creek at Secondary Road 1503 near Balfour (usgs:0344632850). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/north-carolina/mud-creek-at-secondary-road-1503-near-balfour

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