Chattahoochee River at GA 280, near Atlanta water level

Name: Chattahoochee River at GA 280, near Atlanta 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, Chattahoochee River, Georgia, United States

Directions

Low for late October

Water level

4.20ft Up 0.04 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 21, 2026, 12:00 AM EDT (44 min ago)

Flow: 1,110 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 4.10 ft by Thursday, October 22 at 02:00 PM. Issued Tuesday, October 20 at 08:40 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

At 4.20 ft, the Chattahoochee River at GA 280, near Atlanta is below normal for late October.

That puts it 0.79 ft below the median of 4.99 ft for late October, based on 37 years of readings. It is 19.80 ft below the flood stage of 24.00 ft. A year ago it stood at 5.27 ft (−1.07 ft).

The water is rising: up 0.04 ft over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 4.10 ft by Thursday, October 22 at 02:00 PM. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 4.03 ft and 9.58 ft.

Compared with 37 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 4.99 ft0.79 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 4.06 ft – 7.67 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (37 years of records)
Same day last year: 5.27 ft−1.07 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 4.03 ft – 9.58 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 3.58 ft – 16.14 ft
Highest on record: 35.98 ftSeptember 22, 2009
Forecast peak: 4.20 ftTuesday, October 20 at 08:00 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 24.00 ft, still 19.80 ft away.

What happens at each level

36.00 ft: Record flooding inundates the area around South Cobb Drive. Flood waters 1 to 12 feet deep cover the railroad tracks. Several commercial buildings off South Cobb Drive and River View Road and a portion of Plant McDonough and Paul Avenue will be under 7 feet of water. A few homes will be flooded. Most of a cement plant including their sales office will be flooded with 1 to 6 feet of water. A supply line railroad bridge will be topped several feet deep. This will be similar to the September 2009 flood event.
34.00 ft: Widespread inundation flooding surrounds South Cobb Drive. Flood waters 1 to 10 feet deep cover the railroad tracks in this area. Several commercial buildings off South Cobb Drive and River View Road will be flooded. Portions of a river access road on Plant McDonough and Paul Avenue will be under 6 feet of water. A few homes will be flooded. Half of a cement plant including their sales office will be flooded with 1 to 4 feet of water. A supply line railroad bridge will be topped with potential damage.
32.00 ft: Widespread inundation flooding surrounds South Cobb Drive. Flood waters 1 to 8 feet deep cover the railroad tracks in this area. Flood waters enter commercial buildings off South Cobb Drive and River View Road. Portions of a river access road on Plant McDonough and Paul Avenue will be under 4 feet of water. A few homes will be flooded. Portions of a cement plant will be flooded with 1 to 2 feet of water. Flooding begins in their sales office. Half of a supply line railroad bridge will be topped.
31.00 ft: Major flooding begins. Widespread inundation flooding occurs from the gage on South Cobb Drive. Flood waters 1 to 7 feet deep cover the railroad tracks in this industrial area. Flood waters enter commercial buildings off South Cobb Drive and River View Road. Portions of a river access road on Plant McDonough and Paul Avenue will be under 3 feet of water. A few homes will begin to flood. Low lying areas of a cement plant near their detention pond and a supply line railroad track will begin to flood.
30.00 ft: Significant flooding expands upstream and downstream from the gage on South Cobb Drive. Flood waters 1 to 6 feet deep cover the railroad tracks in this industrial area. Flood waters begin to enter commercial buildings off South Cobb Drive and River View Road. A portion of a river access road on the Georgia Power Plant McDonough will be under two feet of water. The water level reaches the parking lot of the sales office at a cement plant and a portion of Paul Avenue will be under two feet of water.
28.00 ft: Moderate flooding begins. Significant flooding occurs along the river upstream and downstream from the gage on South Cobb Drive. Flood waters 1 to 4 feet deep cover the railroad tracks in the industrial area on both sides of the river. The water level approaches the parking lot of the sales office at a cement plant and begins to flood a portion of Paul Avenue. Also a portion of a the river access road on the Georgia Power Plant McDonough begins to flood.
26.00 ft: Minor flooding continues in the woodlands and fields along the river upstream and downstream from the gage on South Cobb Drive. Flood waters one to two feet deep cover portions of the railroad tracks in the industrial area on both sides of the river. The water level approaches the foundations of a few commercial buildings in the area.
24.00 ft: Flood stage is reached. Minor flooding occurs of the woodlands and fields in the natural flood plain upstream and downstream from the gage on South Cobb Drive. The water level reaches the railroad tracks in the industrial area on both sides of the river near the bridge.
22.00 ft: Bankfull conditions are reached along the river upstream and downstream from the gage on South Cobb Drive.
4.20 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	35.98 ft	September 22, 2009
2	32.22 ft	September 27, 2024
3	31.51 ft	March 17, 1990
4	30.71 ft	April 13, 1979
5	30.29 ft	September 17, 2004
6	28.91 ft	February 3, 1982
7	28.73 ft	October 5, 1995
8	27.86 ft	November 11, 2009
9	27.52 ft	December 29, 2018
10	27.46 ft	October 11, 2020

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 77° 42° – Wind 5 mph

21 Wed 76° 46° – Wind 6 mph

22 Thu 78° 46° – Wind 6 mph

23 Fri 76° 58° – Wind 9 mph

24 Sat 73° 55° – Wind 11 mph

25 Sun 72° 54° – Wind 11 mph

26 Mon 73° 55° – Wind 8 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:48 AM Sunset 06:58 PM Daylight 11 hr, 10 min Waxing gibbous 74%

Map

Other gauges on the Chattahoochee River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Chattahoochee River at Buford Dam, near BufordRiver gauge, Chattahoochee River	−0.57 ft	Very low	±0	33 mi
Chattahoochee River near BufordRiver gauge, Chattahoochee River	6.78 ft	No reference yet	+0.69 ft	31 mi
Chattahoochee River near NorcrossRiver gauge, Chattahoochee River	2.15 ft	Low	−0.02 ft	20 mi
Chattahoochee River above RoswellRiver gauge, Chattahoochee River	2.89 ft	Very low	+0.01 ft	15 mi
Chattahoochee River at Morgan Falls DamReservoir, Chattahoochee River	864.25 ft	Very low	−0.11 ft	12 mi
Chattahoochee River below Morgan Falls DamRiver gauge, Chattahoochee River	811.30 ft	Low	+0.01 ft	12 mi
Chattahoochee River at US 41, at AtlantaRiver gauge, Chattahoochee River	4.31 ft	Low	+0.05 ft	3.8 mi
Chattahoochee River at AtlantaRiver gauge, Chattahoochee River	2.94 ft	Low	+0.06 ft	3.2 mi
Chattahoochee River near FairburnRiver gauge, Chattahoochee River	0.41 ft	Low	−0.07 ft	16 mi
Chattahoochee River above Bear Creek, near RicoRiver gauge, Chattahoochee River	0.61 ft	Very low	−0.10 ft	21 mi
Chattahoochee River near WhitesburgRiver gauge, Chattahoochee River	2.83 ft	Low	−0.13 ft	34 mi
Chattahoochee River at GA 100, at FranklinRiver gauge, Chattahoochee River	8.01 ft	Low	−0.01 ft	52 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Proctor Creek at Jackson Parkway, at AtlantaRiver gauge, Proctor Creek	3.00 ft	Very low	+0.01 ft	1.6 mi
Woodall Creek at Defoors Ferry Road, at AtlantaRiver gauge, Woodall Creek	0.76 ft	High	+0.01 ft	2.4 mi
Nickajack Creek at US 78/278, near MabletonRiver gauge, Nickajack Creek	1.07 ft	Very low	−0.01 ft	2.5 mi
Nancy Creek at West Wesley Road, at AtlantaRiver gauge, Nancy Creek	1.79 ft	Normal	+0.02 ft	2.8 mi
Peachtree Creek at AtlantaRiver gauge, Peachtree Creek	2.18 ft	Low	−0.18 ft	4.2 mi
Rottenwood Creek at Interstate N Pkwy, near SmyrnaRiver gauge, Rottenwood Creek	2.17 ft	Normal	+0.01 ft	5.4 mi
Chatt River at Powers Fy and I-285 near AtlantaRiver gauge, Chatt River	3.65 ft	Low	+0.05 ft	6 mi
Nancy Creek at Rickenbacker Drive, at AtlantaRiver gauge, Nancy Creek	1.18 ft	High	+0.02 ft	7 mi

Questions and answers

How does the Chattahoochee River at GA 280, near Atlanta compare with last year?

It is 1.07 ft lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 5.27 ft.

What is flood stage for the Chattahoochee River at GA 280, near Atlanta?

The official flood stage is 24.00 ft. The level is currently 19.80 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the Chattahoochee River at GA 280, near Atlanta in late October?

The median for late October is 4.99 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 4.06 ft and 7.67 ft, based on 37 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 Chattahoochee River at GA 280, near Atlanta today?

On Oct 21, 2026, 12:00 AM EDT, the water level was 4.20 ft. Up 0.04 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Chattahoochee River at GA 280, near Atlanta rising or falling?

Up 0.04 ft over the last 24 hours. Down 0.40 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Chattahoochee River at GA 280, near Atlanta normal?

Low for late October. Compared with 37 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:02336490 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 33.81742, -84.48033 (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	4.20 ft	2026-10-21 04:00	Provisional
Flow	1,110 cfs	2026-10-21 04:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Chattahoochee River at GA 280, near Atlanta (usgs:02336490). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/georgia/chattahoochee-river-at-ga-280-near-atlanta

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