Big Creek near Alpharetta
Flood levels
Official flood levels at this gauge: action stage begins at 6.0 ft; minor flooding begins at 7.0 ft; moderate flooding begins at 11.0 ft; major flooding begins at 13.0 ft.
| Action stage | 6.0 ft |
|---|---|
| Minor flooding | 7.0 ft |
| Moderate flooding | 11.0 ft |
| Major flooding | 13.0 ft |
Highest recorded crests
- 13.1 ft on Feb 3, 1982 (historic crest)
- 12.8 ft on Mar 17, 1990 (historic crest)
- 12.5 ft on Feb 21, 1961 (historic crest)
- 12.5 ft on Sep 22, 2009 (historic crest)
What the water does
National Weather Service impact statements for this gauge, in the Weather Service's own words.
| 6.0 ft | Bankfull conditions are reached along the creek between Cumming in Forsyth County...to Alpharetta and Roswell in North Fulton County. Some low lying spots along The Big Creek Greenway will begin to flood with a few inches of water upstream and downstream from the gage on Kimball Bridge Road. Water will begin to enter low portions of the YMCA Campground off Preston Ridge Road. |
|---|---|
| 7.0 ft | Flood Stage is reached. Minor flooding of woodlands and fields begin along the creek between Cumming in Forsyth County...to Alpharetta and Roswell in North Fulton County. Flooding starts to effect portions of The Big Creek Greenway near Alpharetta and some portions may become closed with around one foot of water...especially upstream and downstream from the gage on Kimball Bridge Road and near Rock Mill Park. Portions of the YMCA Campground off Preston Ridge Road will begin to flood. |
| 8.0 ft | Minor flooding continues to expand further into the woodlands and fields along the creek from near Cumming in south Forsyth County to Alpharetta and Roswell in north Fulton County. Additional portions of The Big Creek Greenway have minor flooding with 1 to 2 feet of water. Most of the walking and biking paths will be closed...especially upstream and downstream from the gage on Kimball Bridge Road and near Rock Mill Park. Portions of the YMCA Campground off Preston Ridge Road will flood. |
| 9.0 ft | Minor flooding expands along the creek from near Cumming to Alpharetta and Roswell. Backyards of homes off Seale Drive and Gunter Court and portions of the Golf of Georgia begin to flood. The Big Creek Greenway experiences significant flooding up to 3 feet deep...which results in closure of most of the paths. This especially occurs upstream and downstream from the gage on Kimball Bridge Road and Rock Mill Park. A large portion of the YMCA Campground off Preston Ridge Road will be under a foot of water. |
| 10.0 ft | Minor flooding expands along the creek from near Cumming to Alpharetta and Roswell. Backyards of homes off Seale Drive and Gunter Court and portions of the Golf of Georgia are under a foot of water. The Big Creek Greenway experiences significant flooding up to 4 feet deep with closure of the paths. This especially occurs upstream and downstream from the gage on Kimball Bridge Road and Rock Mill Park. A large portion of the YMCA Campground off Preston Ridge Road will be under a two feet of water. |
| 11.0 ft | Moderate flooding begins and occurs upstream and downstream from the gage on Kimball Bridge Road near Rock Mill Park. Backyards of homes off Seale Drive and Gunter Court and portions of the Golf Club of Georgia are under two feet of water. Backyards of homes off Jade Cove Circle and La View Circle near Roswell begin to flood. The Big Creek Greenway will be flooded up to 5 feet deep and will be closed. A large portion of the YMCA Campground off Preston Ridge Road will be under 3 feet of water. |
| 12.0 ft | Significant flooding expands along the creek as water reaches the bottom of a foot bridge just downstream of the gage on Kimball Bridge Road. Backyards of homes off Seale Drive and Gunter Court and portions of the Golf Club of Georgia are under 3 feet of water. Backyards of homes off Jade Cove Circle and La View Circle near Roswell will be under a foot of water. The Big Creek Greenway is flooded up to 6 feet deep. Flooding covers portions of Rock Mill Park and the YMCA Campground off Preston Ridge Road. |
| 13.0 ft | Major flooding begins with water hitting a foot bridge just downstream of the gage on Kimball Bridge Road. Flooding begins on Webb Bridge Road...McGinnis Ferry Road and in the backyards of homes off Society Street. Flood waters reach the foundations of apartments on Gran Crique Drive...and homes on Jade Cove Circle and La View Circle near Roswell. The Big Creek Greenway is flooded up to 7 feet deep. A large portion of Rock Mill Park is flooded and the lower end of the parking lot is affected. |
| 14.0 ft | Record flooding occurs upstream and downstream from Kimball Bridge Road. Flooding occurs on Webb Bridge Road...McGinnis Ferry Road...Haynes Bridge Road and Old Holcomb Bridge Road. Flood waters enter several apartments on Gran Crique Drive and numerous homes on Jade Cove Circle and La View Circle near Roswell. Flooding expands in the Rock Mill Park with the water covering the concrete pad of the square pavilion and more of the parking lot. The Big Creek Greenway is flooded up to 8 feet deep. |
| 15.0 ft | Record flooding continues upstream and downstream from Kimball Bridge Road. Flooding occurs on Webb Bridge Road...McGinnis Ferry Road...Haynes Bridge Road...Old Holcomb Bridge Road and Georgia 400. Flood waters enter several apartments on Gran Crique Drive and numerous homes on Jade Cove Circle and La View Circle near Roswell. Flooding expands in the Rock Mill Park with water covering the concrete pad of the square pavilion and more of the parking lot. The Big Creek Greenway is flooded up to 9 feet deep. |
| 17.0 ft | Flooding never seen before will affect portions of Alpharetta along the creek. Webb Bridge Road...McGinnis Ferry Road...Haynes Bridge Road...Old Holcomb Bridge Road and Georgia 400 will be under water. Several apartments on Gran Crique Drive and numerous homes on Jade Cove Circle and La View Circle near Roswell will be flooded. Flooding expands in the Rock Mill Park with water covering the concrete pad of the octagon pavilion and half of the parking lot. The Big Creek Greenway is flooded up to 11 feet deep. |
| 19.0 ft | Catastrophic flooding occurs along the creek with water reaching the bottom of Kimball Bridge Road. Webb Bridge Road...McGinnis Ferry Road...Windward Parkway...Haynes Bridge Road...and Georgia 400 will be under a few feet of water. Apartments on Gran Crique Drive and Jameson Pass in Alpharetta and numerous homes on Jade Cove Circle and La View Circle near Roswell will be flooded. Rock Mill Park will be completely under water. Flood waters begin to reach several buildings in the Northpoint Mall complex. |
Forecast office: NWS Peachtree City · River Forecast Center: Southeast River Forecast Center.
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