North Oconee River at College Street at Athens
Flood levels
Official flood levels at this gauge: action stage begins at 10.0 ft; minor flooding begins at 19.0 ft; moderate flooding begins at 20.0 ft; major flooding begins at 23.0 ft.
| Action stage | 10.0 ft |
|---|---|
| Minor flooding | 19.0 ft |
| Moderate flooding | 20.0 ft |
| Major flooding | 23.0 ft |
Highest recorded crests
- 19.4 ft on May 27, 1966 (historic crest)
- 18.9 ft on Apr 20, 2019 (historic crest)
- 16.9 ft on Mar 21, 2003 (historic crest)
- 16.8 ft on Feb 7, 2020 (historic crest)
What the water does
National Weather Service impact statements for this gauge, in the Weather Service's own words.
| 10.0 ft | Bankfull conditions occur along the river upstream and downstream from the gage at College Avenue. Water begins to flood low lying areas of the sidewalks along the North Oconee River Greenway...mainly from College Avenue upstream to the Clarke County line. |
|---|---|
| 12.0 ft | Bankfull conditions continue along the river upstream and downstream from the gage at College Avenue. The water is up to two feet deep on portions of the sidewalks along the North Oconee River Greenway...mainly from College Avenue upstream to the Clarke County line. |
| 14.0 ft | Bankfull conditions expand further into the woodlands along the river upstream and downstream from the gage at College Avenue. The water will be up to 4 feet deep on portions of the sidewalks along the North Oconee River Greenway. |
| 16.0 ft | Bankfull conditions expand much further into the woodlands along the river upstream and downstream from the gage at College Avenue. The water will be up to 6 feet deep on portions of the sidewalks along the North Oconee River Greenway...mainly from College Avenue upstream to the Clarke County line. The water will be around one foot deep over several manhole covers of the storm sewer system. Low portions of the North Oconee River Park off of Martin Luther King Parkway will begin to flood. |
| 18.0 ft | Bankfull conditions expand much further into the woodlands along the river upstream and downstream from the gage at College Avenue. The water will be up to 8 feet deep on portions of the sidewalks along the North Oconee River Greenway...mainly from College Avenue upstream to the Clarke County line. The water will be around three feet deep over several manhole covers of the storm sewer system. Portions of the North Oconee River Park off Martin Luther King Parkway will be under two feet of water. |
| 19.0 ft | Flood stage is reached in the woodlands upstream and downstream from the gage at College Avenue. The water will be up to 9 feet deep on portions of the sidewalks along the North Oconee River Greenway...mainly from College Avenue upstream to the Clarke County line. Portions of the North Oconee River Park off Martin Luther King Parkway will be under 3 feet of water. The flood waters will reach the bottom of the East Broad Street vehicular and pedestrian bridges. County officials may close them. |
| 20.0 ft | Moderate flooding begins. Significant flooding occurs upstream and downstream from the gage on College Avenue. The North Oconee River Greenway parking lots will begin to flood. Portions of North Oconee River Park off Martin Luther King Parkway will be under 4 feet of water. The flood waters will be hitting the East Broad Street bridges with possible erosion. County officials will likely have them closed. |
| 22.0 ft | Significant flooding expands upstream and downstream from the gage on College Avenue. The North Oconee River Greenway parking lots will be under two feet of water. Portions of North Oconee River Park off Martin Luther King Parkway will be under 4 feet of water. The flood waters will be hitting the North Avenue and East Broad Street bridges with possible erosion. County officials will likely have them closed. |
| 23.0 ft | Major flooding begins. Extensive damage occurs to homes and mobile homes located in the flood plain of the river. Many roads and highways will be flooded as well as the failure of small dams in the area. |
| 23.2 ft | Significant flooding of MLK begins. |
| 23.5 ft | Greenway Parking lot starts flooding. |
| 23.7 ft | Intersection of College Avenue and MLK floods. |
| 24.1 ft | This was the record crest of the North Oconee at Athens May 27... 1966. Widespread flooding occurs to roads and homes. |
| 25.6 ft | College Avenue Bridge floods. |
| 27.2 ft | Apartments downstream of College Avenue Bridge flood. |
| 30.6 ft | Solid Waste Department floods just west of College Avenue Bridge. |
Forecast office: NWS Peachtree City · River Forecast Center: Southeast River Forecast Center.
North Oconee River at College Street at Athens in your pocket
Tidora puts this spot on your Home Screen and Lock Screen with free widgets, and sends free flood alerts before the water reaches the levels that matter to you. No account, no subscription needed for either.
Download Tidora on the App Store
Tidora is preparing for launch; these pages go fully live when the app ships.
Nearby stations and gauges
- Middle Oconee River at US 78 at Athens NWS gauge · 3.0 mi
- Middle Oconee River near Arcade NWS gauge · 11.5 mi
- Apalachee River at Snows Mill Road near Bishop NWS gauge · 13.7 mi
- Apalachee River near Bostwick NWS gauge · 13.7 mi
- Parks Creek at Lyle Field Road near Jefferson NWS gauge · 15.7 mi
- North Oconee River at Woodbridge Road near Commerce NWS gauge · 17.8 mi