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Smith River at Eden water level

River gauge, Smith River, North Carolina, United States

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Right now

Low for mid-October

Water level

2.00ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Flow
221 cfs
0 10 20 Highest onrecord 19.28 ft Minor floodstage 12.00 ft Lowest on record 1.18 ft

History

History
23ftOct 13Oct 14Oct 16Oct 18Oct 1923ftOct 13Oct 16Oct 19
24ftSep 20Sep 27Oct 4Oct 12Oct 1924ftSep 20Oct 4Oct 19
510ftOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026Minor flood stage510ftOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026Minor flood stage
246ftJanMarMayJulSepNov2026246ftJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

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

What this means

At 2.00 ft, the Smith River at Eden is below normal for mid-October.

That puts it 0.25 ft below the median of 2.25 ft for mid-October, based on 28 years of readings. It is 10.00 ft below the flood stage of 12.00 ft. A year ago it stood at 1.99 ft (+0.01 ft).

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 1.94 ft and 4.51 ft.

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

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

Key numbers

Median for this date
2.25 ft0.25 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date
1.88 ft – 2.80 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (28 years of records)
Same day last year
1.99 ft+0.01 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days
1.94 ft – 4.51 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months
1.78 ft – 4.51 ft
Highest on record
19.28 ftAugust 15, 1940
Lowest on record
1.18 ftAugust 7, 1967

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 12.00 ft, still 10.00 ft away.

Highest crests on record

RankLevelDate
119.28 ftAugust 15, 1940
216.24 ftJune 21, 1972
316.17 ftSeptember 8, 1987
415.68 ftSeptember 22, 1979
515.61 ftSeptember 6, 1996
615.40 ftAugust 18, 1985
715.32 ftSeptember 18, 1945
814.01 ftMay 25, 2020
913.99 ftJanuary 25, 2010
1013.73 ftMarch 30, 1975

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

17 Sat 63° 47° 0.27 in, 85% Wind 13 mph
18 Sun 58° 41° – Wind 12 mph
19 Mon 67° 40° – Wind 10 mph
20 Tue 74° 45° – Wind 8 mph
21 Wed 70° 46° – Wind 7 mph
22 Thu 72° 43° – Wind 5 mph
23 Fri 70° 45° – Wind 6 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:30 AM Sunset 06:39 PM Daylight 11 hr, 8 min First quarter 63%

Map

Other gauges on the Smith River

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Smith River at Smith River Church near WoolwineRiver gauge, Smith River 2.40 ft Below flood stage −0.01 ft 32 mi
Smith River near PhilpottRiver gauge, Smith River 137 cfs Normal −2.0 cfs 23 mi
Smith River at BassettRiver gauge, Smith River 143 cfs Low −7.0 cfs 21 mi
Smith River at MartinsvilleRiver gauge, Smith River 1.85 ft Below flood stage +0.01 ft 11 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Dan River near WentworthRiver gauge, Dan River 1.22 ft Low −0.15 ft 9 mi
Mayo River near PriceRiver gauge, Mayo River 1.08 ft Low −0.04 ft 13 mi
North Mayo River near SpencerRiver gauge, North Mayo River 1.43 ft Below flood stage −0.02 ft 13 mi
Sandy River near DanvilleRiver gauge, Sandy River 1.00 ft Below flood stage −0.04 ft 16 mi
South Mayo River near NettleridgeRiver gauge, South Mayo River 3.27 ft Below flood stage −0.02 ft 20 mi
Dan River at Pine HallRiver gauge, Dan River 1.81 ft Below flood stage −0.01 ft 21 mi
Dan River at Stp near DanvilleRiver gauge, Dan River 4.21 ft Below flood stage −0.46 ft 22 mi

Questions and answers

How does the Smith River at Eden compare with last year?

It is 0.01 ft higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 1.99 ft.

What is flood stage for the Smith River at Eden?

The official flood stage is 12.00 ft. The level is currently 10.00 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the Smith River at Eden in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 2.25 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 1.88 ft and 2.80 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 Smith River at Eden today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 07:00 PM EDT, the water level was 2.00 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Smith River at Eden rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Down 1.16 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Smith River at Eden normal?

Low for mid-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:02074000 (Agency page)
Coordinates
36.52556, -79.76556 (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 2.00 ft 2026-10-19 23:00 Provisional
Flow 221 cfs 2026-10-19 23:00 Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Smith River at Eden (usgs:02074000). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/north-carolina/smith-river-at-eden

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.