Coosawattee River near Ellijay
Flood levels
Official flood levels at this gauge: action stage begins at 6.0 ft; minor flooding begins at 8.0 ft; moderate flooding begins at 10.0 ft; major flooding begins at 11.0 ft.
| Action stage | 6.0 ft |
|---|---|
| Minor flooding | 8.0 ft |
| Moderate flooding | 10.0 ft |
| Major flooding | 11.0 ft |
Highest recorded crests
- 20.7 ft on Mar 29, 1951 (historic crest)
- 17.6 ft on Oct 4, 1964 (historic crest)
- 17.3 ft on Sep 17, 2004 (historic crest)
- 16.7 ft on Feb 16, 1990 (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 upstream and downstream from the gage off Legion Road. |
|---|---|
| 8.0 ft | Flood Stage is reached and minor flooding begins upstream and downstream from the gage off Legion Road. Some flooding will begin in low spots along the walking trail of the Harold Hefner River Park and in the parking lot of the American Legion Post 82 on Legion Road. |
| 9.0 ft | Minor flooding expands. Flooding of much of the walking trail in the Harold Hefner River Park occurs. Flooding of the parking lot of the Georgia Power substation at the corner of Legion Road and Old Highway 5 begins. Flooding of low lands...yards and parking areas...develop along a several mile stretch from just downstream of Ellijay to several miles upstream...including the Ellijay and Cartecay Rivers. |
| 10.0 ft | Moderate flooding begins. Flood water surrounds the American Legion Post 82 on Legion Road...and affects the Georgia Power Substation next to the Post. Significant flooding expands over the Harold Hefner River Park...including the athletic fields and walking trail. |
| 11.0 ft | Major flooding begins. Low portions of Legion Road begin to flood. Several homes and mobile homes will flood from just downstream of Ellijay to several miles upstream of Ellijay on the Ellijay and Cartecay Rivers. Flooding of the Pilgrims Pride Processing Plant parking lot begins...off of Industrial Boulevard. The western portion of the American Legion Post 82 building starts to flood. The Georgia Power Substation next to the Post is flooded. |
| 12.0 ft | Major flooding continues. Flooding expands along low portions of Legion Road. Flooding of several homes and mobile homes continues from just downstream of Ellijay to several miles upstream of Ellijay on the Ellijay and Cartecay Rivers. Flooding expands in the Pilgrims Pride Processing Plant parking lot...off of Industrial Boulevard. The American Legion Post 82 building and the Georgia Power Substation next to the Post is flooded. |
| 13.0 ft | Major flooding continues to expand. Flooding expands along low portions of Legion Road. Flooding continues in several homes and mobile homes from just downstream of Ellijay to several miles upstream of Ellijay on the Ellijay and Cartecay Rivers. Flooding expands in the Pilgrims Pride Processing Plant parking lot...off of Industrial Boulevard. The American Legion Post 82 building and the Georgia Power Substation next to the Post are flooded. |
| 14.0 ft | Major flooding expands and affects several homes and some businesses in Ellijay. Some evacuations may be needed. The Spring Ellijay Plant will begin to flood. Portions of the Pilgrims Pride Processing Plant parking lot will be under 3 feet of water. The American Legion Post 82 building and the Georgia Power Substation next to the Post are flooded with around 3 feet of water. Most of the Harold Hefner River Park is flooded with a few feet of water. |
| 15.0 ft | Major flooding continues. Widespread inundation flooding continues throughout much of Ellijay. State Highway 52 begins to flood and will need to be closed. The Fleet store will begin to flood. Some homes and businesses are flooded and evacuations may be needed. Portions of the Pilgrims Pride Processing Plant parking lot will be under 4 feet of water. The American Legion Post building...the Georgia Power Substation...and the Harold Hefner River Park are now flooded with several feet of water. |
| 16.0 ft | Major flooding continues to expand with significant flooding of homes...businesses...and roads in the Ellijay area. Widespread evacuations are likely. Parts of Old Georgia Highway 5 in Ellijay go underwater and will need to be closed. The Ellijay Water Treatment Plant...off of Merk Davis Road...will begin to flood. The Harold Hefner River Park will be completely flooded with several feet of water. |
| 17.0 ft | A major flood event continues. The U.S. Post Office and the C S Bank on Industrial Boulevard will begin to flood. Numerous industries surrounding the intersection of the Ellijay...Cartecay...and Coosawattee Rivers will begin to flood. Otherwise...widespread flooding of Ellijay continues...with many businesses...homes...and roads affected. Evacuations will be needed. This event will be comparable to flooding associated with Hurricane Ivan in September 2004. |
| 18.0 ft | Major flooding continues with the Sheriffs Patrol Office and the Parks and Recreation Office at the Harold Hefner River Park beginning to flood. Water reaches the bottom of the bridge on Georgia Highway 282 near the intersection of Old Georgia Highway 5. The bridge will likely be closed by state officials. Widespread flooding of homes and businesses continues in Ellijay. This flooding will be worse than the flooding experienced with Hurricane Ivan in September 2004. |
| 21.0 ft | Record flooding occurs. A catastrophic and massive flood event will affect much of the infrastructure of Ellijay. Widespread inundation flooding will occur along the Coosawattee...Ellijay...and Cartecay Rivers. Numerous homes...businesses...and roads will be affected with several feet of water. Transportation in and out of Ellijay will be extremely difficult due to road closures. |
| 23.0 ft | Record flooding never seen before will affect all of Ellijay. Old Georgia 5 bridge on the Ellijay River will be flooded and closed. A catastrophic and massive flood will continue to affect much of the infrastructure of Ellijay. Widespread inundation flooding will occur along the Coosawattee...Ellijay...and Cartecay Rivers. Numerous homes...businesses...and roads will be affected with up to 10 feet of water. Transportation in and out of Ellijay will be almost 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
- Mountaintown Creek at GA 282 near Ellijay NWS gauge · 2.6 mi
- Cartecay River near Ellijay NWS gauge · 2.8 mi
- Fausett Creek near Talking Rock NWS gauge · 7.6 mi
- Coosawattee River at Carters Lake near Carters NWS gauge · 10.3 mi
- Coosawattee River at Carters NWS gauge · 11.8 mi
- Talking Rock Creek near Hinton NWS gauge · 12.1 mi