Oconee River near Mount Vernon water level

Name: Oconee River near Mount Vernon 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, Oconee River, Georgia, United States

Directions

Low for mid-October

Water level

0.63ft Down 0.10 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 01:00 PM EDT (53 min ago)

Flow: 656 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 0.60 ft by Thursday, October 22 at 08:00 PM. Issued Monday, October 19 at 09:27 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

At 0.63 ft, the Oconee River near Mount Vernon is below normal for mid-October.

That puts it 0.78 ft below the median of 1.41 ft for mid-October, based on 17 years of readings. It is 15.37 ft below the flood stage of 16.00 ft. A year ago it stood at 1.08 ft (−0.45 ft).

The level is falling, down 0.10 ft over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 0.60 ft by Thursday, October 22 at 08:00 PM. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 0.43 ft and 1.32 ft.

Compared with 17 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 1.41 ft0.78 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 0.13 ft – 6.06 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (17 years of records)
Same day last year: 1.08 ft−0.45 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 0.43 ft – 1.32 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 0.43 ft – 11.88 ft
Highest on record: 25.30 ftApril 14, 1936
Forecast peak: 0.70 ftMonday, October 19 at 02:00 PM

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.

The National Weather Service puts flood stage for this gauge at 16.00 ft, still 15.37 ft away.

What happens at each level

24.00 ft: Record flooding occurs with widespread inundation of the woodlands and pastures upstream and downstream from the gage on U.S. Highway 280. Most of the access road to the boat ramp on the Wheeler County side of the river is flooded. Around a dozen homes on Dead River Road in the south end of Montgomery County are flooded with up to 4 feet of water. Dead River Road will be flooded up to 6 feet deep.
23.00 ft: Major flooding begins with widespread inundation of the woodlands and pastures upstream and downstream from the gage on U.S. Highway 280. Most of the access road to the boat ramp on the Wheeler County side of the river is flooded. Around a dozen homes on Dead River Road in the south end of Montgomery County are flooded with up to 3 feet of water. Dead River Road will be flooded up to 5 feet deep.
22.00 ft: Significant flooding expands in the woodlands and pastures upstream and downstream from the gage on U.S. Highway 280. More of the access road to the boat ramp on the Wheeler County side of the river is flooded. Around a dozen homes on Dead River Road in the south end of Montgomery County are flooded with up to 2 feet of water. Dead River Road will be flooded up to 4 feet deep.
21.00 ft: Significant flooding continues in the woodlands and pastures upstream and downstream from the gage on U.S. Highway 280. The lower portion of the access road to the boat ramp on the Wheeler County side of the river is flooded. Around a dozen homes on Dead River Road in the south end of Montgomery County become flooded. Portions of Dead River Road will be covered by at least 3 feet of water.
20.00 ft: Moderate flooding begins. Significant flooding occurs in the woodlands and pastures upstream and downstream from the gage on U.S. Highway 280. The access road to the boat ramp on the Wheeler County side of the river begins to flood. Around a dozen homes on Dead River Road in the south end of Montgomery County become surrounded with water. A few homes will have some flooding. Portions of Dead River Road will be covered by at least two feet of water.
19.00 ft: Minor flooding expands further into the woodlands and pastures upstream and downstream from the gage on U.S. Highway 280. The boat ramp parking lot is flooded out on the Wheeler County side of the river. More homes on Dead River Road in the south part of Montgomery County become surrounded with water. Some flooding inside the structures is possible. Some portions of Dead River Road are covered by at least a foot of water.
18.00 ft: Minor flooding expands in the woodlands and pastures upstream and downstream from the gage on U.S. Highway 280. A campground and a few out buildings begin to flood several miles south of Mount Vernon. Eleven homes in the Cherokee Sand Ridge subdivision are surrounded by water. Dead River Road becomes flooded and is closed.
17.00 ft: Minor flooding continues in the woodlands and pastures upstream and downstream from the gage on U.S. Highway 280. Some homes on Dead River Road in the south end of Montgomery County become surrounded by water. Water begins to cover lower portions of Dead River Road.
16.00 ft: Flood Stage is reached. Minor flooding begins in the woodlands...pastures and natural flood plain along the river upstream and downstream from the gage on U.S. Highway 280. Flood waters reach the top of a boat ramp by the bridge on the Wheeler County side of the River.
14.00 ft: Bankfull conditions occur along the river upstream and downstream from the gage on U.S. Highway 280 bridge.
12.00 ft: Water backflows into McCoy Lake upstream from the gage. No known damages occur from the overflow. McCoy Lake is a slough which extends 1 mile upstream from the river gage.
0.63 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: 9 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	25.30 ft	April 14, 1936
2	23.03 ft	March 14, 1998
3	23.00 ft	March 9, 1971
4	22.60 ft	December 5, 1948
5	22.60 ft	February 9, 1998
6	21.80 ft	March 3, 1961
7	21.80 ft	March 28, 1944
8	21.12 ft	December 30, 2015
9	20.80 ft	February 20, 1995
10	20.80 ft	March 3, 1979

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

19 Mon 69° 45° – Wind 10 mph

20 Tue 74° 42° – Wind 10 mph

21 Wed 74° 49° – Wind 11 mph

22 Thu 75° 53° – Wind 5 mph

23 Fri 74° 54° – Wind 11 mph

24 Sat 73° 55° – Wind 17 mph

25 Sun 74° 53° – Wind 15 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:38 AM Sunset 06:55 PM Daylight 11 hr, 17 min First quarter 61%

Map

Other gauges on the Oconee River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Oconee River near PenfieldRiver gauge, Oconee River	2.87 ft	Low	−0.07 ft	113 mi
Oconee River at MilledgevilleRiver gauge, Oconee River	7.07 ft	Very low	±0	71 mi
Oconee River at Avant Mine, near OconeeRiver gauge, Oconee River	1.27 ft	Low	±0	58 mi
Oconee River near OconeeRiver gauge, Oconee River	1.12 ft	Low	−0.03 ft	45 mi
Oconee River at DublinRiver gauge, Oconee River	1.23 ft	Low	−0.09 ft	29 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Little Ocmulgee River at GA 149, at ScotlandRiver gauge, Little Ocmulgee River	2.19 ft	Normal	−0.62 ft	14 mi
Altamaha River at US 221, near CharlottevilleRiver gauge, Altamaha River	2.11 ft	Normal	+0.02 ft	17 mi
Ocmulgee River at Lumber CityRiver gauge, Ocmulgee River	3.03 ft	Normal	+0.07 ft	19 mi
Turnpike Creek near McRaeRiver gauge, Turnpike Creek	5.43 ft	Very high	−0.10 ft	22 mi
Ohoopee River at GA 297, near SwainsboroRiver gauge, Ohoopee River	8.19 ft	Normal	−0.17 ft	23 mi
Altamaha River near BaxleyRiver gauge, Altamaha River	3.52 ft	Normal	+0.02 ft	24 mi
Ohoopee River near ReidsvilleRiver gauge, Ohoopee River	3.03 ft	Normal	−0.28 ft	28 mi
Ocmulgee River at AbbevilleRiver gauge, Ocmulgee River	2.20 ft	Normal	−1.20 ft	40 mi

Questions and answers

How does the Oconee River near Mount Vernon compare with last year?

It is 0.45 ft lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 1.08 ft.

What is flood stage for the Oconee River near Mount Vernon?

The official flood stage is 16.00 ft. The level is currently 15.37 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the Oconee River near Mount Vernon in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 1.41 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.13 ft and 6.06 ft, based on 17 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 Oconee River near Mount Vernon today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 01:00 PM EDT, the water level was 0.63 ft. Down 0.10 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Oconee River near Mount Vernon rising or falling?

Down 0.10 ft over the last 24 hours. Down 0.60 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Oconee River near Mount Vernon normal?

Low for mid-October. Compared with 17 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:02224500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 32.19092, -82.63103 (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	0.63 ft	2026-10-19 17:00	Provisional
Flow	656 cfs	2026-10-19 17:00	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/5781?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Oconee River near Mount Vernon water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Oconee River near Mount Vernon (usgs:02224500). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/georgia/oconee-river-near-mount-vernon

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