Chattahoochee River at Atlanta
Flood levels
Official flood levels at this gauge: action stage begins at 12.0 ft; minor flooding begins at 14.0 ft; moderate flooding begins at 18.0 ft; major flooding begins at 20.0 ft.
| Action stage | 12.0 ft |
|---|---|
| Minor flooding | 14.0 ft |
| Moderate flooding | 18.0 ft |
| Major flooding | 20.0 ft |
Highest recorded crests
- 29.0 ft on Dec 10, 1919 (historic crest)
- 28.1 ft on Sep 22, 2009 (historic crest)
- 28.0 ft on Jan 9, 1946 (historic crest)
- 23.8 ft on Sep 27, 2024 (historic crest)
What the water does
National Weather Service impact statements for this gauge, in the Weather Service's own words.
| 12.0 ft | Bankfull conditions occur along the river upstream and downstream from the gage on Paces Ferry Road. Low lying areas of residential yards on the Cobb County side of the river and an athletic field at Lovett School will begin to flood. |
|---|---|
| 14.0 ft | Flood stage is reached. Minor flooding begins in the woodlands along the river upstream and downstream from the gage on Paces Ferry Road. Portions of an athletic field at Lovett School...backyards of residential homes on Cochise Drive...Paces Ferry Drive...Paces Manor and Farmington Drive...and walking paths by a restaurant will be under one foot of water. |
| 16.0 ft | Minor flooding continues to expand into the woodlands along the river upstream and downstream from the gage on Paces Ferry Road. Most of an athletic field at Lovett School...backyards of residential homes on Cochise Drive...Paces Ferry Drive...Paces Manor and Farmington Drive...and walking paths by a restaurant will be under 3 feet of water. |
| 18.0 ft | Moderate flooding begins. Significant flooding of the woodlands along the river occurs upstream and downstream from the gage on Paces Ferry Road. An athletic field at Lovett School and backyards of residential homes on Cochise Drive...Paces Ferry Drive...Paces Manor and Farmington Drive...and walking paths by a restaurant will be under 5 feet of water. The flood waters will begin to reach the foundations of some homes in lower lying areas. |
| 19.0 ft | Significant flooding expands along the river upstream and downstream from the gage on Paces Ferry Road. An athletic field at Lovett School and backyards of residential homes on Cochise Drive...Paces Ferry Drive...Paces Manor and Farmington Drive...and walking paths by a restaurant will be under 6 feet of water. Some homes in these areas will be flooded with around one foot of water. |
| 20.0 ft | Major flooding begins. Widespread inundation flooding occurs upstream and downstream from the gage on Paces Ferry Road. An athletic field at Lovett School and backyards of residential homes on Cochise Drive...Paces Ferry Drive...Paces Manor and Farmington Drive will be under 7 feet of water. Several homes...businesses and a restaurant parking lot and patio in this area will begin to flood. Around 3 miles downstream...portions of a cement plant and a supply line railroad bridge will begin to flood. |
| 22.0 ft | Major flooding expands with widespread inundation flooding of residential yards and roads near the gage on Paces Ferry Road. An athletic field at Lovett School will be under 9 feet of water. Several homes on Cochise Drive...Paces Ferry Drive...Paces Manor and Farmington Drive...and a restaurant parking lot near the bridge will be under two feet of water. The restaurant will begin to flood. Around 3 miles downstream...portions of a cement plant and supply line railroad bridge will be flooded. |
| 24.0 ft | Widespread inundation flooding continues of residential yards and roads near the gage on Paces Ferry Road. The athletic fields and track at Lovett School will be flooded. Many homes on Cochise Drive...Paces Ferry Drive...Paces Manor and Farmington Drive will be flooded with up to 4 feet of water. A restaurant near the Paces Ferry Road bridge will be flooded with two feet of water. Around 3 miles downstream...half of a cement plant and most of a supply line railroad bridge will be flooded. |
| 26.0 ft | Extensive inundation flooding occurs around the gage on Paces Ferry Road. The water level will reach the bottom of the bridge. Numerous homes on Cochise Drive...Paces Ferry Drive...Paces Manor and Farmington Drive will be flooded with up to 6 feet of water. A restaurant near the bridge will be flooded with 4 feet of water. Flood waters will be approaching other businesses nearby and some of the buildings on the Lovett School campus. Around 3 miles downstream...a water treatment plant will begin to flood. |
| 28.0 ft | Near record flooding occurs around the gage on Paces Ferry Road. Numerous homes on Cochise Drive...Paces Ferry Drive and Farmington Drive will be flooded with up to 8 feet of water. A restaurant near the Paces Ferry Road bridge will be under 6 feet of water as the flood waters hit the bridge. Flood waters will begin to enter other businesses nearby. Some of the buildings on the Lovett School campus will be flooded with two feet of water. This will be similar to the epic flooding in September 2009. |
| 29.0 ft | Record flooding occurs near the gage on Paces Ferry Road. Numerous homes on Cochise Drive...Paces Ferry Drive and Farmington Drive will be flooded with up to 9 feet of water. A restaurant near the Paces Ferry Road bridge will be under 7 feet of water as the flood waters hit the bridge. Flood waters will affect other businesses nearby. Some of the buildings on the Lovett School campus will be flooded with up to 3 feet of water. This will be worse than the epic flooding in September 2009. |
| 30.0 ft | Record flooding never seen before occurs near the gage on Paces Ferry Road. The Old Paces Ferry Road wooden bridge will be flooded out. This catastropic and massive flood will affect numerous homes...businesses and restaurants on Cochise Drive...Paces Ferry Drive and Farmington Drive with up to 10 feet of water in some locations. A few buildings on the Lovett School campus will be flooded with up to 4 feet of water. Transportation in and out of the area will be nearly impossible due to road closures. |
| 32.0 ft | Record flooding never seen before continues. Both of the old wooden and concrete Paces Ferry Road bridges will be flooded out. This catastropic and massive flood will affect numerous homes...businesses and restaurants on Cochise Drive...Paces Ferry Drive and Farmington Drive with up to 12 feet of water in some locations. A few buildings on the Lovett School campus will be flooded with up to 6 feet of water. Transportation in and out of the area will be nearly impossible due to road closures. |
| 34.0 ft | Record flooding never seen before occurs with both of the old wooden and concrete Paces Ferry Road bridges completely submerged. This catastropic and massive flood will affect numerous homes...businesses and restaurants on Cochise Drive...Paces Ferry Drive and Farmington Drive with up to 14 feet of water in some locations. Some of the buildings on the Lovett School campus will be flooded with up to 8 feet of water. Transportation in and out of the area will be impossible due to road closures. |
Forecast office: NWS Peachtree City · River Forecast Center: Southeast River Forecast Center.
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Nearby stations and gauges
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