Broad River above Carlton water level

Name: Broad River above Carlton 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, Broad River, Georgia, United States

Directions

Very low for mid-October

Water level

0.74ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 06:45 PM EDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 193 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 Wednesday, October 21 at 08:00 PM. Issued Sunday, October 18 at 10:14 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

The Broad River above Carlton is running far below normal at 0.74 ft.

The median for mid-October is 2.60 ft, based on 29 years of readings, so the river stage is 1.86 ft below typical. It is 14.26 ft below the flood stage of 15.00 ft. On the same day last year the reading was 1.32 ft, a difference of −0.58 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 0.60 ft by Wednesday, October 21 at 08:00 PM. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. In the last month it has stayed between 0.53 ft and 1.58 ft.

Compared with 29 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 2.60 ft1.86 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 1.27 ft – 4.22 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (29 years of records)
Same day last year: 1.32 ft−0.58 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 0.53 ft – 1.58 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 0.53 ft – 4.93 ft
Highest on record: 39.00 ftAugust 25, 1908
Forecast peak: 0.70 ftSunday, October 18 at 02:00 PM

Floating and fishing near Broad River above Carlton

Low water exposes gravel bars that make good wading access, but some boat ramps may be left high and dry.

Flood stage here is 15.00 ft, 14.26 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

28.00 ft: Moderate flooding continues to expand further into the woodlands and fields away from the river. Large portions of Roy Wood Road will be completely under water. Flood waters reach the basement level of an assisted living home off of Roy Wood Road and begin to seep into the concrete floor.
25.00 ft: Moderate flooding begins. Extensive flooding expands further into the woodlands and fields along the river. Large portions of Roy Wood Road and the Broad River Outpost for Canoes and Kayaks location will be completely under water. Flooding reaches the bore well in the backyard of an assisted living home off of Roy Wood Road.
24.00 ft: Minor flooding expands further into the woodlands and fields along the river. A sand dredge operation on the left bank near the gage will be completely under water. Large portions of Roy Wood Road and the Broad River Outpost for Canoes and Kayaks location will be under several feet of water. Flooding expands up the backyard of an assisted living home off of Roy Wood Road.
21.00 ft: Minor flooding expands further into the woodlands and fields along the river. A sand dredge operation on the left bank near the gage will be flooded out. Large portions of Roy Wood Road and the Broad River Outpost for Canoes and Kayaks location will be under several feet of water. Flooding expands over the yard behind an assisted living home off of Roy Wood Road.
18.00 ft: Minor flooding will expand further into the woodlands and fields along the river upstream and downstream from the gage on the Georgia Highway 72 bridge. A sand dredge operation on the left bank near the gage will become flooded. A large portion of Roy Wood Road will be flooded with several feet of water and the Broad River Outpost for Canoes and Kayaks location will be under water. Flooding of the yard behind an assisted living home off of Roy Wood Road will continue to expand.
15.00 ft: Flood stage is reached. Minor flooding of woodlands and fields begin upstream and downstream from the gage on the Georgia Highway 72 bridge. A sand dredge operation on the left bank near the gage will become affected. A portion of Roy Wood Road will be flooded with a few feet of water and the dirt parking lot of the Broad River Outpost for Canoes and Kayaks will begin to flood. A wooden pier and portions of the yard behind an assisted living home off of Roy Wood Road will be flooded.
12.00 ft: Bankfull conditions are reached along the river upstream and downstream from the gage on the Georgia Highway 72 bridge. A low portion of Roy Wood Road begins to flood at the merging point of a stream and the river. This location is around one third mile downstream from the Georgia Highway 172 bridge or around eight and one half miles upstream from the Georgia Highway 72 bridge. A wooden pier behind an assisted living home off of Roy Wood Road will begin to flood.
0.74 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: < 5 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	39.00 ft	August 25, 1908
2	28.20 ft	December 10, 1919
3	28.20 ft	February 28, 1902
4	28.00 ft	March 15, 1912
5	27.90 ft	October 2, 1929
6	25.37 ft	April 20, 2019
7	24.07 ft	February 7, 2020
8	22.46 ft	January 10, 2024
9	20.68 ft	October 7, 2021
10	20.18 ft	January 4, 2023

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

17 Sat 71° 54° – Wind 13 mph

18 Sun 65° 46° – Wind 14 mph

19 Mon 71° 40° – Wind 8 mph

20 Tue 78° 46° – Wind 3 mph

21 Wed 75° 50° – Wind 5 mph

22 Thu 77° 49° – Wind 4 mph

23 Fri 76° 49° – Wind 5 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:40 AM Sunset 06:56 PM Daylight 11 hr, 15 min First quarter 54%

Map

Other gauges on the Broad River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Broad River near Boiling SpringsRiver gauge, Broad River	1.89 ft	Normal	−0.40 ft	108 mi
Broad River near BlacksburgRiver gauge, Broad River	3.13 ft	Normal	−0.73 ft	108 mi
Broad River below Ninetynine Island ReservoirRiver gauge, Broad River	26.58 ft	Normal	−0.13 ft	108 mi
Broad River below Neal Shoals Reservoir near CarlisleRiver gauge, Broad River	4.39 ft	Very low	−0.04 ft	98 mi
Broad River near CarlisleRiver gauge, Broad River	3.36 ft	Normal	−0.05 ft	97 mi
Broad River near JenkinsvilleRiver gauge, Broad River	221.30 ft	Normal	−0.78 ft	97 mi
Broad River at AlstonRiver gauge, Broad River	3.59 ft	Low	−0.84 ft	97 mi
Broad River near ColumbiaRiver gauge, Broad River	154.17 ft	Normal	−0.43 ft	111 mi
Broad River near BellRiver gauge, Broad River	3.45 ft	Below flood stage	−0.08 ft	15 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Beaverdam Creek above ElbertonRiver gauge, Beaverdam Creek	1.17 ft	Very low	−0.02 ft	9 mi
Russell Lake above Calhoun FallsLake, Russell Lake	473.28 ft	Low	−0.05 ft	22 mi
North Oconee River at College St, at AthensRiver gauge, North Oconee River	3.63 ft	Low	−0.10 ft	23 mi
Middle Oconee River near AthensRiver gauge, Middle Oconee River	0.94 ft	Low	−0.04 ft	26 mi
Kettle Creek near WashingtonRiver gauge, Kettle Creek	2.99 ft	Low	+0.02 ft	28 mi
Little River near Mount CarmelRiver gauge, Little River	2.71 ft	Normal	−0.02 ft	29 mi
Oconee River near PenfieldRiver gauge, Oconee River	2.88 ft	Low	−0.12 ft	30 mi
Grove Creek at US 441 and GA 15 near CommerceRiver gauge, Grove Creek	6.62 ft	Normal	−0.04 ft	30 mi

Questions and answers

Is the Broad River above Carlton higher than last year?

No, it is 0.58 ft lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 1.32 ft.

What is flood stage for the Broad River above Carlton?

The official flood stage is 15.00 ft. The level is currently 14.26 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the Broad River above Carlton in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 2.60 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 1.27 ft and 4.22 ft, based on 29 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 Broad River above Carlton today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 06:45 PM EDT, the water level was 0.74 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Broad River above Carlton rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Down 0.39 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Broad River above Carlton normal?

Very low for mid-October. Compared with 29 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:02191300 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 34.07422, -83.00394 (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	0.74 ft	2026-10-18 22:45	Provisional
Flow	193 cfs	2026-10-18 22:45	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Broad River above Carlton (usgs:02191300). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/georgia/broad-river-above-carlton

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