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Broad River near Blacksburg water level

River gauge, Broad River, South Carolina, United States

Directions

High for mid-October

Water level

3.61ft Up 0.31 ft over the last 24 hours

Flow
1,390 cfs
0 10 20 Highest onrecord 26.23 ft Minor floodstage 16.00 ft

History

34ftOct 16Oct 18Oct 21Oct 23Oct 2534ftOct 16Oct 21Oct 25
51015ftSep 21Sep 29Oct 8Oct 16Oct 25Minor flood stage51015ftSep 21Oct 8Oct 25Minor flood stage
51015ftOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026Minor flood stage51015ftOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026Minor flood stage
51015ftJanMarMayJulSepNov202651015ftJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

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

The forecast expects the river to fall to 3.10 ft by Tuesday, October 20 at 02:00 PM. Issued Tuesday, October 20 at 10:56 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

The gauge at Broad River near Blacksburg shows 3.61 ft, above normal for mid-October.

That puts it 0.56 ft above the median of 3.05 ft for mid-October, based on 28 years of readings. It is 12.39 ft below the flood stage of 16.00 ft. A year ago it stood at 3.02 ft (+0.59 ft).

The water is rising: up 0.31 ft over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 3.10 ft by Tuesday, October 20 at 02:00 PM. If the rise continues, low-lying paths and riverside parking can go under water. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 2.61 ft and 14.14 ft.

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

Key numbers

Median for this date
3.05 ft0.56 ft above the median for this date
Normal for this date
2.38 ft – 3.88 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (28 years of records)
Same day last year
3.02 ft+0.59 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days
2.61 ft – 14.14 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months
2.35 ft – 14.14 ft
Highest on record
26.23 ftSeptember 28, 2024
Forecast peak
3.60 ftThursday, October 22 at 08:00 PM

What the stage means on the water

Fast, high water is not the time for casual paddling. Strainers, debris and cold water make an unplanned swim dangerous.

The National Weather Service puts flood stage for this gauge at 16.00 ft, still 12.39 ft away.

What happens at each level

32.00 ft
Major Flooding continues. The Broad River may be reaching the Highway 18 bridge adjacent to the streamgauge site.
25.00 ft
Major Flood Stage. Record flooding is ongoing.
24.00 ft
Moderate Flooding continues. The Broad River may be significantly restricting operations at Lockhart Dam and may be overtopping Cherokee Falls Dam.
22.00 ft
Moderate Flood Stage. Floodwaters are approaching the Gaston Shoals powerhouse and extensive flooding of the adjacent parking lot and fishing access is ongoing. The Broad River is at levels similar to those that occurred in September 2004 due to Hurricane Frances.
20.00 ft
Minor Flooding continues. The Cherokee Falls Hydro Project operations may be impacted by excessively high flows. Floodwaters may be impacting access to the Cherokee Falls powerhouse and inundating residential yards adjacent to the river.
19.50 ft
Minor Flooding continues. Several secondary roads near the river may be inundated.
18.00 ft
Minor Flooding continues. The Broad River may be approaching Wolf Den Rd. Floodwaters may be inundating Little Hope Rd. and River Rd.
16.00 ft
Minor Flood Stage. The Broad River may be flooding River Rd. and Little Hope Rd. near US 29. Farmland flooding is continuing adjacent to the river.
15.00 ft
Action Stage Flooding continues. The Broad River may be approaching River Rd. and Little Hope Rd. near US 29. Adjacent farmland and low-lying area flooding is continuing.
14.00 ft
Action Stage Flooding continues. At this level, minor flooding of low-lying farmland along the river may be ongoing. Areas along Buffalo Breek may be beginning to flood due to backwater effects.
13.00 ft
Action Stage. The Broad River may be overflowing its banks and flooding adjacent low-lying areas.
3.61 ft
Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Chance of at least minor flooding in October to December: < 5 %.

RankLevelDate
126.23 ftSeptember 28, 2024
224.18 ftFebruary 7, 2020
321.92 ftSeptember 8, 2004
421.12 ftJanuary 10, 2024
521.06 ftMarch 20, 2003
619.75 ftMay 6, 2013
718.31 ftJanuary 25, 2010
817.67 ftOctober 8, 2005
916.65 ftDecember 10, 2004
1016.20 ftJuly 8, 2005

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.06 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

19 Mon 69° 38° – Wind 6 mph
20 Tue 75° 40° – Wind 9 mph
21 Wed 73° 44° – Wind 9 mph
22 Thu 75° 47° – Wind 4 mph
23 Fri 71° 47° – Wind 7 mph
24 Sat 67° 47° – Wind 11 mph
25 Sun 68° 42° – Wind 7 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:37 AM Sunset 06:46 PM Daylight 11 hr, 9 min Waxing gibbous 72%

Map

Other gauges on the Broad River

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Broad River near Boiling SpringsRiver gauge, Broad River 2.31 ft High +0.29 ft 9 mi
Broad River below Ninetynine Island ReservoirRiver gauge, Broad River 26.27 ft Normal −0.13 ft 8 mi
Broad River below Neal Shoals Reservoir near CarlisleRiver gauge, Broad River 4.12 ft Very low −0.01 ft 33 mi
Broad River near CarlisleRiver gauge, Broad River 3.08 ft Normal ±0 38 mi
Broad River near JenkinsvilleRiver gauge, Broad River 221.30 ft Normal +0.03 ft 61 mi
Broad River at AlstonRiver gauge, Broad River 3.60 ft Normal +0.01 ft 63 mi
Broad River near ColumbiaRiver gauge, Broad River 154.09 ft Normal +0.05 ft 80 mi
Broad River above CarltonRiver gauge, Broad River 0.71 ft Very low −0.01 ft 108 mi
Broad River near BellRiver gauge, Broad River 3.36 ft Below flood stage −0.04 ft 104 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Gaston Shoals Reservoir above BlacksburgReservoir, Gaston Shoals Reservoir 94.72 ft Very low +0.67 ft 1.1 mi
Thicketty Creek at Cnty Road 42 near GaffneyRiver gauge, Thicketty Creek 3.04 ft Normal −0.02 ft 8 mi
Kings Creek at BlacksburgRiver gauge, Kings Creek 2.43 ft Below flood stage +0.04 ft 9 mi
Pacolet River below Lake Blalock near CowpensRiver gauge, Pacolet River 2.02 ft Normal −0.06 ft 16 mi
Pacolet River at PacoletRiver gauge, Pacolet River 9.39 ft Low −0.12 ft 17 mi
Pacolet River at Us-29 near ConverseRiver gauge, Pacolet River 1.82 ft Normal +0.03 ft 17 mi
Pacolet River near SarattRiver gauge, Pacolet River 5.09 ft Normal −0.16 ft 18 mi
Lawsons Fork Creek at SpartanburgRiver gauge, Lawsons Fork Creek 3.54 ft Normal −0.01 ft 20 mi

Questions and answers

How does the Broad River near Blacksburg compare with last year?

It is 0.59 ft higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 3.02 ft.

What is flood stage for the Broad River near Blacksburg?

The official flood stage is 16.00 ft. The level is currently 12.39 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the Broad River near Blacksburg in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 3.05 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 2.38 ft and 3.88 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 Broad River near Blacksburg today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 05:30 PM EDT, the water level was 3.61 ft. Up 0.31 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Broad River near Blacksburg rising or falling?

Up 0.31 ft over the last 24 hours. Down 2.03 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Broad River near Blacksburg normal?

High 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:02153200 (Agency page)
Coordinates
35.12402, -81.58787 (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 3.61 ft 2026-10-20 21:30 Provisional
Flow 1,390 cfs 2026-10-20 21:30 Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Broad River near Blacksburg (usgs:02153200). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/south-carolina/broad-river-near-blacksburg

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