Catawba River at Great Falls water level

Name: Catawba River at Great Falls 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, Catawba River, South Carolina, United States

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

353.88ft Up 0.47 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 02:30 PM EDT (23 min ago)

Water temperature: 68 °F

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

Water level Normal range (10–90 %)

What this means

The Catawba River at Great Falls is at 353.88 ft, in the normal range for mid-October.

That puts it 1.14 ft above the median of 352.75 ft for mid-October, based on 10 years of readings. A year ago it stood at 353.01 ft (+0.87 ft).

It has risen 0.47 ft over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 351.15 ft and 355.51 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, until steadier rain returns. The sensor also reports a water temperature of 68 °F.

Compared with 10 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 352.75 ft1.14 ft above the median for this date
Normal for this date: 351.75 ft – 356.01 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (10 years of records)
Same day last year: 353.01 ft+0.87 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 351.15 ft – 355.51 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 351.15 ft – 355.51 ft

Floating and fishing near Catawba River at Great Falls

Normal flows mean predictable rapids and good access at most put-ins.

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 75° 41° – Wind 9 mph

21 Wed 72° 44° – Wind 8 mph

22 Thu 75° 49° – Wind 5 mph

23 Fri 72° 48° – Wind 9 mph

24 Sat 69° 49° – Wind 12 mph

25 Sun 71° 45° – Wind 9 mph

26 Mon 75° 48° – Wind 6 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:34 AM Sunset 06:44 PM Daylight 11 hr, 10 min Waxing gibbous 70%

Map

Other gauges on the Catawba River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Catawba River near Pleasant GardensRiver gauge, Catawba River	1.90 ft	Normal	±0	100 mi
Catawba River at Sr1223 below Lake James near BridgewaterRiver gauge, Catawba River	1.60 ft	Very low	±0	95 mi
Catawba River at RhodhissRiver gauge, Catawba River	11.29 ft	Normal	−0.13 ft	87 mi
Catawba River at Nc Highway 16 near MillersvilleRiver gauge, Catawba River	4.72 ft	Very low	−1.96 ft	86 mi
Catawba River below Lookout Shoals Dam near SharonRiver gauge, Catawba River	11.32 ft	Normal	+0.04 ft	81 mi
Catawba River at Rr Bridge above NC 73 at Cowans FordRiver gauge, Catawba River	3.15 ft	Low	−0.02 ft	57 mi
Catawba River below Lake Wylie Dam Fewell IslandRiver gauge, Catawba River	6.02 ft	No reference yet	+0.01 ft	30 mi
Catawba River near Rock HillRiver gauge, Catawba River	3.68 ft	Normal	−0.09 ft	27 mi
Catawba River below CatawbaRiver gauge, Catawba River	7.83 ft	Very high	+0.03 ft	16 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Rocky Creek at Great FallsRiver gauge, Rocky Creek	2.47 ft	Normal	−0.03 ft	2.8 mi
Fishing Creek below Fort LawnRiver gauge, Fishing Creek	13.5 cfs	Normal	−0.5 cfs	3.4 mi
Cedar Creek Reservoir Tailrace below Great FallsRiver gauge, Cedar Creek Reservoir Tailrace	9.28 ft	High	+0.34 ft	4.0 mi
Dutchmans Creek near WinnsboroRiver gauge, Dutchmans Creek	60.86 ft	Highest on record	±0	16 mi
Little Lynches River above KershawRiver gauge, Little Lynches River	3.67 ft	Very low	+0.02 ft	18 mi
Hanging Rock Creek near KershawRiver gauge, Hanging Rock Creek	−0.12 ft	Very low	−0.01 ft	18 mi
Little Lynches River near KershawRiver gauge, Little Lynches River	5.16 ft	High	+0.18 ft	20 mi
Lake Wateree Tailrace above CamdenRiver gauge, Lake Wateree Tailrace	10.09 ft	Low	±0	21 mi

Questions and answers

How does the Catawba River at Great Falls compare with last year?

It is 0.87 ft higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 353.01 ft.

What is a normal level for the Catawba River at Great Falls in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 352.75 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 351.75 ft and 356.01 ft, based on 10 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 Catawba River at Great Falls today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 02:30 PM EDT, the water level was 353.88 ft. Up 0.47 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Catawba River at Great Falls rising or falling?

Up 0.47 ft over the last 24 hours. Down 1.43 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Catawba River at Great Falls normal?

Normal for mid-October. Compared with 10 years of daily readings for this time of year.

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.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:02147310 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 34.59806, -80.89056 (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	353.88 ft	2026-10-20 18:30	Provisional
Water temperature	68 °F	2026-10-20 18:30	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Catawba River at Great Falls (usgs:02147310). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/south-carolina/catawba-river-at-great-falls

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