Doe River at Elizabethton water level

Name: Doe River at Elizabethton 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, Doe River, Tennessee, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

1.56ft Down 0.09 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 11:15 PM EDT (36 min ago)

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

The gauge at Doe River at Elizabethton reads 1.56 ft, a normal level.

It is 6.44 ft below the flood stage of 8.00 ft.

The level is falling, down 0.09 ft over the past 24 hours. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 1.42 ft and 1.82 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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 11.10 ftSeptember 27, 2024

What the stage means on the water

A normal level is usually prime time for floating and wade fishing, as long as the weather holds upstream.

The National Weather Service puts flood stage for this gauge at 8.00 ft, still 6.44 ft away.

What happens at each level

12.50 ft: Floor of the gage well house. The Elizabethton Food City store might take water.
12.00 ft: Catastrophic flooding never before seen. Multiplied dozens of homes and structures flood all along the river. The river reaches the road surface of the Rod Jenkins Bridge. Many homes along River Road and Edgewater Road are flooded. The covered bridge in Elizabethton may be damaged.
11.10 ft: The Elizabethton Food City parking lot floods but the store does not.
11.00 ft: Extensive Helene-like flooding from Roan Mountain to Hampton to Elizabethton. Main St in Roan Mountain floods. Hampton High School property is inundated, some structures take water. A split level home on Spring Street in Hampton takes 4 ft of water, others also flood. Elizabethton experiences inundation between the Doe River and Hwy 19E from Cat Island Park to the Watauga River, including the Detention Center property, Broad St near Hwy 19E, as well as points upstream. Rivers Edge Fellowship church floods.
10.50 ft: Water may reach floors of some homes on the east side of the river, from South Main Street across from the gage house, downstream to Third Street at the covered bridge. Water also reaches the bottom of the side walls of the covered bridge. The river reaches the bottoms of the Rod Jenkins Bridge and the Long Hollow Road bridge. Some homes along River Road and Edgewater Road may begin to take water. Flooding along Riverview Drive.
10.00 ft: Flood waters may be spilling into the Cat Island Park area and the surrounding streets.
8.00 ft: Flooding of yards along the river, including on South Main Street, River Road, and streamside of Edgewater Road. Flooding possible of some structures on Spring Street in Hampton. Often there are initial flash flooding problems around the Roan Mountain community for this Elizabethton gage to reach this stage afterward.
1.56 ft: Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	11.10 ft	September 27, 2024
2	10.92 ft	January 8, 1998
3	10.50 ft	May 21, 1901
4	9.34 ft	November 6, 1977
5	8.20 ft	November 19, 2003
6	7.90 ft	January 14, 1995
7	7.35 ft	March 26, 1965
8	7.31 ft	March 12, 1963
9	7.21 ft	April 13, 2020
10	6.68 ft	December 28, 2018

Weather at the gauge

The forecast is not available right now.

Sunrise 07:41 AM Sunset 06:48 PM Daylight 11 hr, 7 min First quarter 65%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Watauga River at ElizabethtonRiver gauge, Watauga River	563 cfs	Normal	−18.0 cfs	1.1 mi
Nolichucky River at EmbreevilleRiver gauge, Nolichucky River	1.51 ft	Below flood stage	−0.09 ft	18 mi
Buckeye Creek below Buckeye Lake near Cannon GapRiver gauge, Buckeye Creek	1.46 ft	Normal	−0.02 ft	19 mi
Buckeye Creek above Buckeye Lake near Cannon GapRiver gauge, Buckeye Creek	1.49 ft	Normal	−0.02 ft	19 mi
Beaver Creek at BristolRiver gauge, Beaver Creek	13.8 cfs	Normal	−0.6 cfs	20 mi
Watauga River near Sugar GroveRiver gauge, Watauga River	1.75 ft	Normal	−0.04 ft	23 mi
Big Limestone Creek near LimestoneRiver gauge, Big Limestone Creek	27.3 cfs	Normal	−0.9 cfs	26 mi
North F Holston River near Gate CityRiver gauge, North F Holston River	2.25 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	27 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Doe River at Elizabethton?

The official flood stage is 8.00 ft. The level is currently 6.44 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 Doe River at Elizabethton today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 11:15 PM EDT, the water level was 1.56 ft. Down 0.09 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Doe River at Elizabethton rising or falling?

Down 0.09 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Doe River at Elizabethton normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Doe River at Elizabethton?

The highest level on record is 11.10 ft on September 27, 2024.

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:03485500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 36.34453, -82.21012 (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	1.56 ft	2026-10-20 03:15	Provisional

Download

Embed this gauge

Add a live card for this gauge to your website. It updates on its own and links back here.

<iframe src="https://nivelmap.com/embed/14852?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Doe River at Elizabethton water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Doe River at Elizabethton (usgs:03485500). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/tennessee/doe-river-at-elizabethton

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