West Fork Pigeon River at Bethel water level

Name: West Fork Pigeon River at Bethel 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, West Fork Pigeon River, North Carolina, United States

Directions

Very low for late October

Water level

0.12ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 21, 2026, 12:00 AM EDT (17 min ago)

Flow: 35.5 cfs

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

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

What this means

At 0.12 ft, the West Fork Pigeon River at Bethel is far below normal for late October.

That puts it 1.07 ft below the median of 1.19 ft for late October, based on 31 years of readings. It is 9.88 ft below the flood stage of 10.00 ft. A year ago it stood at 0.18 ft (−0.06 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 −0.01 ft and 1.66 ft.

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

Compared with 31 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 1.19 ft1.07 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 0.72 ft – 1.44 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (31 years of records)
Same day last year: 0.18 ft−0.06 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: −0.01 ft – 1.66 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: −0.01 ft – 1.66 ft
Highest on record: 16.27 ftSeptember 17, 2004

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 10.00 ft, still 9.88 ft away.

What happens at each level

15.00 ft: LAKE LOGAN AND MILL DAM ROADS WILL BE FLOODED.
14.00 ft: SR 1111 WILL BE FLOODED.
13.00 ft: HOMES ALONG SUTTLE STREET WILL FLOOD IN FIBERVILLE AREA.
12.00 ft: BUILDINGS ON MILL DAM AND CHAMBERS FARM LANES WILL FLOOD. FLOODING IN CLYDE AND FIBERVILLE WILL START MAINLY ALONG HYDER MTN AND RICHLAND ROADS AND IN THE CLYDE MOBILE HOME PARK.
11.00 ft: WATER WILL APPROACH STRUCTURES NEAR THE RIVER ON MILL DAM LANE.
10.50 ft: FURTHER FLOODING ALONG BIRD CREEK AND BUILDINGS ALONG FIELDBROOK ROAD WILL FLOOD.
9.50 ft: FLOODING ALONG MILL DAM AND FIELDBROOK ROADS WILL OCCURR...ALONG WITH FARMLAND NEAR THE RIVER. AREAS ALONG SHOVEL CREEK WILL ALSO FLOOD ESPECIALLY NEAR THE JUNKYARD AREA.
9.19 ft: BACKWATER ON BIRD CREEK WILL BEGIN TO FLOOD AREAS BETWEEN THE CREEK AND HIGHWAY 276.
8.40 ft: CREST OF 8.4 HERE WILL CAUSE A CREST AT CANTON CTPN7 AROUND 10.5 FT CEPN7 WAS AT 7.29 FT
6.22 ft: BANKFULL STAGE
5.09 ft: 5.1 HERE AND 4.58 CEPN7 CAUSED A CREST AT CANTON CTPN7 OF 6.9
4.78 ft: 4.78 STAGE HERE AND 4.45 FT AT CEPN7 CAUSED A 6 FT STAGE 2 HOURS LATER AT CTPN7
0.12 ft: Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	16.27 ft	September 17, 2004
2	14.90 ft	September 8, 2004
3	12.63 ft	August 17, 1994
4	12.02 ft	October 5, 1995
5	10.96 ft	February 2, 1983
6	10.68 ft	January 7, 1998
7	10.28 ft	December 29, 2015
8	9.72 ft	December 24, 2015
9	8.19 ft	February 16, 1990
10	8.06 ft	November 26, 1999

Weather at the gauge

The forecast is not available right now.

Sunrise 07:44 AM Sunset 06:50 PM Daylight 11 hr, 6 min Waxing gibbous 74%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
East Fork Pigeon River near CantonRiver gauge, East Fork Pigeon River	−0.08 ft	Low	−0.03 ft	1.7 mi
Pigeon River near CantonRiver gauge, Pigeon River	1.43 ft	Low	±0	5.0 mi
West F Pigeon River above Lake Logan near HazelwoodRiver gauge, West F Pigeon River	0.84 ft	Very low	−0.02 ft	5.1 mi
Pigeon River near HepcoRiver gauge, Pigeon River	1.77 ft	Normal	+0.01 ft	13 mi
Cataloochee Creek near CataloocheeRiver gauge, Cataloochee Creek	2.20 ft	Normal	−0.01 ft	17 mi
Davidson River near BrevardRiver gauge, Davidson River	0.71 ft	Normal	−0.01 ft	17 mi
Mills River near Mills RiverRiver gauge, Mills River	1.83 ft	Normal	−0.01 ft	18 mi
Hominy Creek near West AshevilleRiver gauge, Hominy Creek	1.15 ft	Very low	−0.02 ft	18 mi

Questions and answers

How does the West Fork Pigeon River at Bethel compare with last year?

It is 0.06 ft lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.18 ft.

What is flood stage for the West Fork Pigeon River at Bethel?

The official flood stage is 10.00 ft. The level is currently 9.88 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the West Fork Pigeon River at Bethel in late October?

The median for late October is 1.19 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.72 ft and 1.44 ft, based on 31 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 West Fork Pigeon River at Bethel today?

On Oct 21, 2026, 12:00 AM EDT, the water level was 0.12 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is West Fork Pigeon River at Bethel rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Down 0.16 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of West Fork Pigeon River at Bethel normal?

Very low for late October. Compared with 31 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:03456100 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 35.46389, -82.90000 (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	0.12 ft	2026-10-21 04:00	Provisional
Flow	35.5 cfs	2026-10-21 04:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: West Fork Pigeon River at Bethel (usgs:03456100). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/north-carolina/west-fork-pigeon-river-at-bethel

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