Watauga River at Elizabethton water level

Name: Watauga 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, Watauga River, Tennessee, United States

Directions

Low for mid-October

Water level

2.97ft Down 0.05 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 05:00 AM EDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 368 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

At 2.97 ft, the Watauga River at Elizabethton is below normal for mid-October.

The level is falling, down 0.05 ft over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 2.97 ft and 5.01 ft.

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

Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

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.

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

17 Sat 55° 43° 0.27 in, 38% Wind 11 mph

18 Sun 64° 40° – Wind 9 mph

19 Mon 67° 44° – Wind 8 mph

20 Tue 71° 40° – Wind 6 mph

21 Wed 70° 42° – Wind 4 mph

22 Thu 69° 43° – Wind 5 mph

23 Fri 70° 40° – Wind 5 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:41 AM Sunset 06:48 PM Daylight 11 hr, 7 min First quarter 67%

Map

Other gauges on the Watauga River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Watauga River near Sugar GroveRiver gauge, Watauga River	1.75 ft	Normal	−0.03 ft	24 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Doe River at ElizabethtonRiver gauge, Doe River	1.54 ft	Below flood stage	−0.08 ft	1.1 mi
Nolichucky River at EmbreevilleRiver gauge, Nolichucky River	1.48 ft	Below flood stage	−0.11 ft	18 mi
Beaver Creek at BristolRiver gauge, Beaver Creek	13.2 cfs	Normal	±0	20 mi
Buckeye Creek below Buckeye Lake near Cannon GapRiver gauge, Buckeye Creek	1.45 ft	Normal	±0	20 mi
Buckeye Creek above Buckeye Lake near Cannon GapRiver gauge, Buckeye Creek	1.49 ft	Normal	−0.01 ft	20 mi
North F Holston River near Gate CityRiver gauge, North F Holston River	2.24 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	26 mi
Big Limestone Creek near LimestoneRiver gauge, Big Limestone Creek	27.3 cfs	Normal	−0.9 cfs	26 mi
South F Holston River near DamascusRiver gauge, South F Holston River	188 cfs	Normal	−12.0 cfs	29 mi

Questions and answers

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 Watauga River at Elizabethton today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 05:00 AM EDT, the water level was 2.97 ft. Down 0.05 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Watauga River at Elizabethton rising or falling?

Down 0.05 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Watauga River at Elizabethton normal?

Low for mid-October. Compared with 5 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.

Where does this data come from?

The values come directly from the U.S. Geological Survey, the official operator of this gauge, and are in the public domain. We do not estimate or model live values.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:03486000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 36.35581, -82.22369 (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	2.97 ft	2026-10-20 09:00	Provisional
Flow	368 cfs	2026-10-20 09:00	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/10291?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Watauga River at Elizabethton water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Watauga River at Elizabethton (usgs:03486000). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/tennessee/watauga-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