Yellow River at GA 124, near Lithonia water level

Name: Yellow River at GA 124, near Lithonia 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, Yellow River, Georgia, United States

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

2.85ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 10:45 PM EDT (35 min ago)

Flow: 57.8 cfs
Water temperature: 61 °F

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

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

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Yellow River at GA 124, near Lithonia, where the gauge shows 2.85 ft.

That puts it 0.11 ft below the median of 2.96 ft for mid-October, based on 23 years of readings. It is 12.15 ft below the flood stage of 15.00 ft. A year ago it stood at 2.77 ft (+0.08 ft).

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 2.71 ft – 5.27 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, until steadier rain returns. The sensor also reports a water temperature of 61 °F.

Compared with 23 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 2.96 ft0.11 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 2.61 ft – 4.12 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (23 years of records)
Same day last year: 2.77 ft+0.08 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 2.71 ft – 5.27 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 2.70 ft – 10.79 ft
Highest on record: 27.47 ftSeptember 21, 2009

Paddling and fishing conditions

Most paddlers and anglers will find the river in good shape at this stage.

For reference, flood stage is 15.00 ft.

What happens at each level

28.00 ft: Record flooding never seen before occurs with widespread inundation of the woodlands near the river upstream and downstream from the gage on Georgia Highway 124. Numerous homes on Riveredge Cove...River Walk...Riverlake Way and Riverview Court will be flooded with water up to 9 feet deep. The USGS gage house will be under 4 feet of water with a data transmission loss. This flooding will be worse than September 2009 flood event.
27.00 ft: Near record flooding occurs with widespread inundation of the woodlands near the river upstream and downstream from the gage on Georgia Highway 124. Numerous homes on Riveredge Cove...River Walk...Riverlake Way and Riverview Court will be flooded with water up to 8 feet deep. The USGS gage house will be under 3 feet of water with a data transmission loss. This will be similar to the September 2009 flood event.
26.00 ft: Major flooding continues with widespread inundation of the woodlands near the river upstream and downstream from the gage on Georgia Highway 124. Numerous homes on Riveredge Cove...River Walk...Riverlake Way and Riverview Court will be flooded with water up to 7 feet deep. The USGS gage house will be under two feet of water with a data transmission loss.
24.00 ft: Major flooding begins. Widespread inundation flooding occurs in the woodlands near the river upstream and downstream from the gage on Georgia Highway 124. Several homes on Riveredge Cove...River Walk...Riverlake Way and Riverview Court will be flooded with water up to 5 feet deep. Also the water level will reach the bottom of the USGS gage house which may cause data transmission problems.
23.00 ft: Significant flooding expands much further into the woodlands near the river upstream and downstream from the gage on Georgia Highway 124. Widespread flooding of backyards of homes occurs on Riveredge Cove...River Walk...Riverlake Way and Riverview Court. Also the water level will be up to 4 feet deep in the lower portions of some homes.
21.00 ft: Significant flooding expands further into the woodlands near the river upstream and downstream from the gage on Georgia Highway 124. Widespread flooding of backyards of homes occurs on Riveredge Cove...River Walk...Riverlake Way and Riverview Court. Also the water level will be up to two feet deep in the lower portions of some homes.
19.00 ft: Moderate flooding begins. Significant flooding expands into the woodlands near the river upstream and downstream from the gage on Georgia Highway 124. Flooding of backyards of homes occurs on portions of Riveredge Cove...River Walk...Riverlake Way and Riverview Court. Also the water level will be reaching the foundations of some of the homes.
17.00 ft: Minor flooding continues and expands further into the woodlands near the river upstream and downstream from the gage on Georgia Highway 124. Some flooding of backyards of homes begin on Riveredge Cove...River Walk...Riverlake Way and Riverview Court.
15.00 ft: Flood stage is reached. Minor flooding will occur in portions of the woodlands near the river upstream and downstream from the gage on Georgia Highway 124.
13.00 ft: Bankfull conditions are reached upstream and downstream on the river from the stream gage at Georgia Highway 124.
2.85 ft: Right now

Impact statements from the U.S. National Weather Service.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	27.47 ft	September 21, 2009
2	17.83 ft	September 28, 2024
3	17.24 ft	July 7, 2005
4	16.77 ft	May 6, 2003
5	16.64 ft	December 24, 2015
6	15.59 ft	October 12, 2020
7	14.39 ft	September 17, 2004

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 76° 43° – Wind 6 mph

21 Wed 76° 46° – Wind 6 mph

22 Thu 77° 49° – Wind 6 mph

23 Fri 74° 48° – Wind 10 mph

24 Sat 71° 47° – Wind 12 mph

25 Sun 71° 46° – Wind 13 mph

26 Mon 72° 45° – Wind 8 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:46 AM Sunset 06:57 PM Daylight 11 hr, 10 min Waxing gibbous 74%

Map

Other gauges on the Yellow River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Yellow River near LuxomniRiver gauge, Yellow River	7.71 ft	Low	−0.02 ft	8 mi
Yellow River near SnellvilleRiver gauge, Yellow River	5.46 ft	Normal	−0.03 ft	5.7 mi
Yellow River at Pleasant Hill Road, near LithoniaRiver gauge, Yellow River	1.21 ft	Low	+0.01 ft	2.7 mi
Yellow River at MilsteadRiver gauge, Yellow River	5.34 ft	Normal	+0.02 ft	7 mi
Yellow River at Gees Mill Road, near MilsteadRiver gauge, Yellow River	1.26 ft	Low	−0.01 ft	10 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Stone Mountain Creek at GA 124, near LithoniaRiver gauge, Stone Mountain Creek	3.39 ft	Low	±0	1.1 mi
North Business Creek at Lee Road, below SnellvilleRiver gauge, North Business Creek	2.68 ft	Normal	+0.01 ft	1.2 mi
Swift Creek near LithoniaRiver gauge, Swift Creek	1.66 ft	Normal	+0.01 ft	2.2 mi
Jacks Creek at Brannan Road, near SnellvilleRiver gauge, Jacks Creek	0.82 ft	Low	+0.01 ft	3.6 mi
Big Haynes Creek at Lenora Road, near SnellvilleRiver gauge, Big Haynes Creek	2.72 ft	Low	−0.01 ft	4.9 mi
Little Stone Mountain Creek near Stone MountainRiver gauge, Little Stone Mountain Creek	2.27 ft	Low	+0.01 ft	6.1 mi
Garner Creek near SnellvilleRiver gauge, Garner Creek	0.75 ft	Low	+0.01 ft	7 mi

Questions and answers

How does the Yellow River at GA 124, near Lithonia compare with last year?

It is 0.08 ft higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 2.77 ft.

What is flood stage for the Yellow River at GA 124, near Lithonia?

The official flood stage is 15.00 ft. The level is currently 12.15 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the Yellow River at GA 124, near Lithonia in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 2.96 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 2.61 ft and 4.12 ft, based on 23 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 Yellow River at GA 124, near Lithonia today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 10:45 PM EDT, the water level was 2.85 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Yellow River at GA 124, near Lithonia rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Down 0.27 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Yellow River at GA 124, near Lithonia normal?

Normal for mid-October. Compared with 23 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:02207120 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 33.77250, -84.05819 (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	2.85 ft	2026-10-21 02:45	Provisional
Flow	57.8 cfs	2026-10-21 02:45	Provisional
Water temperature	61 °F	2026-10-21 02:45	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/5893?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Yellow River at GA 124, near Lithonia water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Yellow River at GA 124, near Lithonia (usgs:02207120). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/georgia/yellow-river-at-ga-124-near-lithonia

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