Chattahoochee River near Whitesburg water level

Name: Chattahoochee River near Whitesburg 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 mid-October

Water level

2.93ft Down 0.07 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 06:15 PM EDT (42 min ago)

Flow: 1,290 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 2.90 ft by Thursday, October 22 at 02:00 AM. Issued Tuesday, October 20 at 08:40 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

The Chattahoochee River near Whitesburg is running below normal at 2.93 ft.

The median for mid-October is 3.56 ft, based on 36 years of readings, so the river stage is 0.63 ft below typical. It is 14.07 ft below the flood stage of 17.00 ft. On the same day last year the reading was 3.81 ft, a difference of −0.88 ft.

It has dropped 0.07 ft over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 2.90 ft by Thursday, October 22 at 02:00 AM. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. In the last month it has stayed between 2.80 ft and 6.78 ft.

Compared with 36 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 3.56 ft0.63 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 2.78 ft – 5.93 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (36 years of records)
Same day last year: 3.81 ft−0.88 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 2.80 ft – 6.78 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 2.63 ft – 10.08 ft
Highest on record: 29.74 ftSeptember 23, 2009
Forecast peak: 3.00 ftTuesday, October 20 at 02:00 PM

Floating and fishing near Chattahoochee River near Whitesburg

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

Flood stage here is 17.00 ft, 14.07 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

34.00 ft: Widespread catastrophic flooding occurs. Water reaches the bottom of the U.S. Highway 27 bridge and state officals will close it. Large portions of Plant Yates and Plant Wansley will be flooded out. Numerous homes and roads on both sides of the river will be flooded several feet deep. Transportation in the Whitesburg and Sargent areas will be difficult due to road closures. The day use area...riverside trails and the north camping site in the Chattahoochee Bend State Park will be completely flooded.
30.00 ft: Record flooding occurs with widespread inundation flooding surrounding the gage. The Riverside Park will flood up to 11 feet deep. Some river intake buildings will be flooded at Plant Yates. Homes at the end of Bob Brewster Road will be flooded several feet deep. Portions of Payton Road near Cliff Payton Circle and a day use area parking lot and north camping site in the Chattahoochee Bend State Park will be under 9 feet of water. A pumping station at Plant Wansley downstream will be flooded.
28.00 ft: Major flooding continues with widespread inundation flooding surrounding the gage. The Riverside Park will flood up to 9 feet deep. Some river intake buildings flood at Plant Yates near the gage. Some homes at the end of Bob Brewster Road will be flooded a few feet deep. Portions of Payton Road near Cliff Payton Circle and a day use area parking lot and north camping site in the Chattahoochee Bend State Park will be under 7 feet of water. Small coffer dams at Plant Wansley downstream will be flooded.
26.00 ft: Major flooding begins. Widespread inundation flooding occurs upstream and downstream from the gage. The Riverside Park will flood up to 7 feet deep. Some homes at the end of Bob Brewster Road will be flooded. Moore Creek will back up and flood portions of Payton Road near Cliff Payton Circle around 5 feet deep. Large portions of the day use area parking lot and north camping site in the Chattahoochee Bend State Park will be under 5 feet of water. Small coffer dams at Plant Wansley downstream will be topped.
24.00 ft: Significant flooding expands into the woodlands and fields upstream and downstream from the gage. The Riverside Park next to the bridge will be under 5 feet of water. Flood waters will begin to enter some homes at the end of Bob Brewster Road. Moore Creek will back up and flood portions of Payton Road near Cliff Payton Circle around 3 feet deep. Large portions of the day use area parking lot and north camping site in the Chattahoochee Bend State Park will be under 3 feet of water.
21.00 ft: Moderate flooding begins. Significant flooding occurs in the woodlands and fields upstream and downstream from the gage. The Riverside Park next to the bridge will be under two feet of water. Flood waters will surround some homes at the end of Bob Brewster Road. Moore Creek will back up and flood portions of Payton Road near Cliff Payton Circle. The water reaches the top of the boat ramp at the day use area and the top of the steps at the north camping site in the Chattahoochee Bend State Park.
19.00 ft: Minor flooding continues in the woodlands and fields upstream and downstream from the gage at U.S. Highway 27 or Georgia Highway 16. The parking lot of Riverside Park next to the bridge will begin to flood. A sod farm upstream also experiences flooding. Flooding occurs on some unimproved dirt roads along the river. The playground at a day use area in the Chattahoochee Bend State Park will be under two feet of water. Flood waters will surround tent platforms on the North Camping Site of the park.
17.00 ft: Flood Stage is reached. Minor flooding begins in the woodlands and fields along the river upstream and downstream from the gage on U.S. Highway 27 or Georgia Highway 16. Flood waters reach the top of the boat ramp at Riverside Park next to the bridge. The playground at a day use area on the west side of the Chattahoochee Bend State Park will begin to flood.
15.00 ft: Bankfull conditions are reached along the river upstream and downstream from the gage on U.S. Highway 27 or Georgia Highway 16.
2.93 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: 7 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	29.74 ft	September 23, 2009
2	29.11 ft	December 11, 1919
3	27.50 ft	February 25, 1961
4	25.90 ft	March 18, 1990
5	25.10 ft	January 10, 1946
6	25.00 ft	November 29, 1948
7	24.53 ft	July 12, 2005
8	23.90 ft	March 16, 1976
9	23.81 ft	March 9, 1998
10	23.79 ft	April 14, 1979

Weather at the gauge

The forecast is not available right now.

Sunrise 07:49 AM Sunset 07:01 PM Daylight 11 hr, 13 min Waxing gibbous 72%

Map

Other gauges on the Chattahoochee River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Chattahoochee River near NorcrossRiver gauge, Chattahoochee River	1.92 ft	Very low	+0.07 ft	54 mi
Chattahoochee River above RoswellRiver gauge, Chattahoochee River	3.04 ft	Low	+0.30 ft	49 mi
Chattahoochee River at Morgan Falls DamReservoir, Chattahoochee River	864.49 ft	Low	−0.28 ft	45 mi
Chattahoochee River below Morgan Falls DamRiver gauge, Chattahoochee River	811.30 ft	Normal	+0.01 ft	45 mi
Chattahoochee River at US 41, at AtlantaRiver gauge, Chattahoochee River	4.30 ft	Low	−0.06 ft	37 mi
Chattahoochee River at AtlantaRiver gauge, Chattahoochee River	2.95 ft	Low	−0.09 ft	37 mi
Chattahoochee River at GA 280, near AtlantaRiver gauge, Chattahoochee River	4.24 ft	Low	−0.13 ft	34 mi
Chattahoochee River near FairburnRiver gauge, Chattahoochee River	0.31 ft	Low	−0.09 ft	18 mi
Chattahoochee River above Bear Creek, near RicoRiver gauge, Chattahoochee River	0.54 ft	Very low	−0.14 ft	13 mi
Chattahoochee River at GA 100, at FranklinRiver gauge, Chattahoochee River	7.99 ft	Low	+0.01 ft	18 mi
Chattahoochee River below West Point DamRiver gauge, Chattahoochee River	557.96 ft	Low	±0	42 mi
Chattahoochee River at West PointRiver gauge, Chattahoochee River	2.27 ft	Low	±0	44 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Snake Creek near WhitesburgRiver gauge, Snake Creek	1.53 ft	Very low	±0	4.0 mi
Snake Creek Ds Snake Creek Reservior near WhitesburgRiver gauge, Snake Creek Ds Snake Creek Reservior	2.94 ft	Very low	±0	4.0 mi
Dog River at GA 5, near FairplayRiver gauge, Dog River	3.21 ft	Normal	+0.01 ft	13 mi
Little Tallapoosa River at US 27, at CarrolltonRiver gauge, Little Tallapoosa River	1.86 ft	Very low	−0.02 ft	13 mi
Shoal Creek at Ga54, near SharpsburgRiver gauge, Shoal Creek	2.40 ft	Very high	±0	17 mi
New River at GA 100, near CorinthRiver gauge, New River	2.60 ft	Low	+0.01 ft	17 mi
Line Creek below GA 54, near Peachtree CityRiver gauge, Line Creek	3.04 ft	Low	−0.01 ft	18 mi

Questions and answers

Is the Chattahoochee River near Whitesburg higher than last year?

No, it is 0.88 ft lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 3.81 ft.

What is flood stage for the Chattahoochee River near Whitesburg?

The official flood stage is 17.00 ft. The level is currently 14.07 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the Chattahoochee River near Whitesburg in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 3.56 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 2.78 ft and 5.93 ft, based on 36 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 near Whitesburg today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 06:15 PM EDT, the water level was 2.93 ft. Down 0.07 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Chattahoochee River near Whitesburg rising or falling?

Down 0.07 ft over the last 24 hours. Down 0.70 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Chattahoochee River near Whitesburg normal?

Low for mid-October. Compared with 36 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:02338000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 33.47653, -84.90119 (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	2.93 ft	2026-10-20 22:15	Provisional
Flow	1,290 cfs	2026-10-20 22:15	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Chattahoochee River near Whitesburg (usgs:02338000). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/georgia/chattahoochee-river-near-whitesburg

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