Middle Oconee River near Arcade water level

Name: Middle Oconee River near Arcade 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, Middle Oconee River, Georgia, United States

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

2.10ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 06:30 PM EDT (43 min ago)

Flow: 94.0 cfs

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

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

The forecast expects the river to fall to 2.10 ft by Monday, October 19 at 02:00 PM. Issued Monday, October 19 at 09:27 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

The gauge at Middle Oconee River near Arcade reads 2.10 ft, a normal level for mid-October.

That puts it 0.29 ft below the median of 2.39 ft for mid-October, based on 26 years of readings. It is 13.90 ft below the flood stage of 16.00 ft. A year ago it stood at 2.09 ft (+0.01 ft).

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 2.10 ft by Monday, October 19 at 02:00 PM. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 1.80 ft and 5.94 ft.

Compared with 26 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 2.39 ft0.29 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 1.30 ft – 3.79 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (26 years of records)
Same day last year: 2.09 ft+0.01 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 1.80 ft – 5.94 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 1.80 ft – 8.96 ft
Highest on record: 25.35 ftMarch 18, 1990
Forecast peak: 2.10 ftMonday, October 19 at 02:00 PM

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 16.00 ft, still 13.90 ft away.

What happens at each level

30.00 ft: Catastrophic flooding never seen before occurs in the woodlands and fields upstream and downstream from Georgia Highway 82. The water level begins to top the bridge and floods the road one foot deep. A house just downstream will be completely flooded. Several homes on Bismarck Circle Road will be flooded with up to 5 feet of water. An old storage building near the bridge will be flooded and the crawl space of a house will be flooded.
29.00 ft: Record flooding never seen before continues in the woodlands and fields upstream and downstream from Georgia Highway 82. The water level hits the bridge and causes erosion to the sides and floods the road. County officials should have it closed. A house just downstream will be completely flooded. Several homes on Bismarck Circle Road will be flooded with 4 feet of water. An old storage building and residential yard near the bridge will be flooded and the water will reach the foundation of a house.
28.00 ft: Record flooding never seen before occurs in the woodlands...fields and pasture upstream and downstream from the gage at Georgia Highway 82. The water level hits the bridge and may cause erosion to the sides. County officials may close it. A house just downstream will be flooded with 5 feet of water. A few homes on Bismarck Circle Road will be flooded with two feet of water upstream from the gage. An old storage building and residential yard near the bridge will be flooded.
27.00 ft: Major flooding begins. Flooding never seen before occurs in the woodlands...fields and pasture upstream and downstream from the gage at Georgia Highway 82. The water level hits the bridge and may cause erosion to the sides. County officials may close it. A house just downstream will be flooded with 4 feet of water. A few homes on Bismarck Circle Road will be flooded with a foot of water upstream from the gage. An old storage building and residential yard near the bridge will be flooded.
26.00 ft: Significant flooding continues to expand further into the woodlands...fields and pasture upstream and downstream from the gage at Georgia Highway 82. The water level begins to hit the bridge and county officials may close it. A house just downstream will be flooded with 3 feet of water. A few homes on Bismarck Circle Road will begin to flood upstream from the gage. Water will reach the foundation of an old storage building near the bridge.
25.00 ft: Significant flooding continues to expand further into the woodlands...fields and pasture upstream and downstream from the gage at Georgia Highway 82. The water level reaches the bottom of the bridge. A house just downstream will be flooded with two feet of water. The water will reach the foundations of a few homes on Bismarck Circle Road upstream from the gage and the rock drive of a house near the bridge.
23.00 ft: Significant flooding expands into the woodlands...fields and pasture upstream and downstream from the gage at Georgia Highway 82. A house just downstream will be surrounded with water and begin to flood. Flooding begins on low portions of Bismarck Circle Road upstream from the gage.
21.00 ft: Moderate flooding begins. Significant flooding occurs in the woodlands...fields and pasture upstream and downstream from the gage at Georgia Highway 82. A residential yard will be completely flooded with the water reaching the foundation of a house just downstream. The flood waters will be reaching Bismarck Circle Road upstream from the gage.
20.00 ft: Minor flooding continues to expand further into the woodlands...fields and pasture upstream and downstream from the gage at Georgia Highway 82. A few dirt access roads and a residential yard just downstream will be flooded with up to 4 feet of water.
18.00 ft: Minor flooding continues in the woodlands...fields and pasture upstream and downstream from the gage at Georgia Highway 82. A few dirt access roads and a residential yard just downstream will be flooded with up to two feet of water.
16.00 ft: Flood Stage is reached. Minor flooding begins in the woodlands...fields and pasture upstream and downstream from the gage at Georgia Highway 82. A few dirt access roads will be flooded. A residential yard just downstream will begin to flood.
15.00 ft: Bankfull conditions are reached along the river upstream and downstream from the gage at Georgia Highway 82.
2.10 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: 20 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	25.35 ft	March 18, 1990
2	24.97 ft	February 4, 1998
3	24.56 ft	April 20, 2019
4	23.86 ft	January 10, 2024
5	23.50 ft	July 2, 2003
6	22.90 ft	February 7, 2020
7	22.59 ft	October 5, 1995
8	22.18 ft	August 17, 1994
9	22.18 ft	July 17, 1994
10	21.67 ft	November 12, 2009

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

19 Mon 70° 41° – Wind 9 mph

20 Tue 75° 41° – Wind 7 mph

21 Wed 76° 46° – Wind 6 mph

22 Thu 78° 47° – Wind 3 mph

23 Fri 74° 48° – Wind 8 mph

24 Sat 69° 48° – Wind 14 mph

25 Sun 71° 44° – Wind 11 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:43 AM Sunset 06:57 PM Daylight 11 hr, 13 min First quarter 63%

Map

Other gauges on the Middle Oconee River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Middle Oconee River near AthensRiver gauge, Middle Oconee River	0.94 ft	Low	±0	10 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Mulberry Creek near WinderRiver gauge, Mulberry Creek	−1.80 ft	Very low	+0.01 ft	9 mi
Parks Creek at Lyle Field Road near JeffersonRiver gauge, Parks Creek	2.97 ft	Normal	+0.03 ft	9 mi
North Oconee River at College St, at AthensRiver gauge, North Oconee River	3.63 ft	Low	−0.01 ft	11 mi
North Oconee River at Woodbridge Road, near CommerceRiver gauge, North Oconee River	1.64 ft	Low	+0.01 ft	12 mi
Wheeler Creek at Bill Cheek Road, near AuburnRiver gauge, Wheeler Creek	1.24 ft	Normal	±0	17 mi
Grove Creek at US 441 and GA 15 near CommerceRiver gauge, Grove Creek	6.59 ft	Normal	−0.04 ft	17 mi
Apalachee River near BostwickRiver gauge, Apalachee River	1.43 ft	Normal	−0.03 ft	18 mi
Apalachee River at Fence Road, near DaculaRiver gauge, Apalachee River	0.32 ft	Normal	±0	19 mi

Questions and answers

How does the Middle Oconee River near Arcade compare with last year?

It is 0.01 ft higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 2.09 ft.

What is flood stage for the Middle Oconee River near Arcade?

The official flood stage is 16.00 ft. The level is currently 13.90 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the Middle Oconee River near Arcade in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 2.39 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 1.30 ft and 3.79 ft, based on 26 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 Middle Oconee River near Arcade today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 06:30 PM EDT, the water level was 2.10 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Middle Oconee River near Arcade rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Down 1.61 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Middle Oconee River near Arcade normal?

Normal for mid-October. Compared with 26 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:02217475 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 34.03181, -83.56308 (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	2.10 ft	2026-10-19 22:30	Provisional
Flow	94.0 cfs	2026-10-19 22:30	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Middle Oconee River near Arcade (usgs:02217475). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/georgia/middle-oconee-river-near-arcade

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