Sweetwater Creek near Austell
Flood levels
Official flood levels at this gauge: action stage begins at 8.0 ft; minor flooding begins at 10.0 ft; moderate flooding begins at 13.0 ft; major flooding begins at 17.0 ft.
| Action stage | 8.0 ft |
|---|---|
| Minor flooding | 10.0 ft |
| Moderate flooding | 13.0 ft |
| Major flooding | 17.0 ft |
Highest recorded crests
- 30.8 ft on Sep 22, 2009 (historic crest)
- 21.8 ft on Jul 12, 2005 (historic crest)
- 20.0 ft on Jul 8, 1916 (historic crest)
- 19.9 ft on Feb 4, 1982 (historic crest)
What the water does
National Weather Service impact statements for this gauge, in the Weather Service's own words.
| 8.0 ft | Bankfull conditions are reached upstream and downstream from the gage near the Interstate 20 bridge. Water begins to flow into low areas of the flood plain. |
|---|---|
| 10.0 ft | Flood Stage is reached. Minor flooding occurs in the woodlands and fields upstream and downstream from the gage near the Interstate 20 bridge. Portions of a paintball playing field just downstream of the bridge begin to flood. Athletic fields in the Woodrow Wilson Park on Mount Vernon Road begin to flood due to water backing up in ditches. |
| 12.0 ft | Minor flooding continues in the woodlands and fields upstream and downstream from the gage near the Interstate 20 bridge. Portions of a paintball playing field just downstream of the bridge and athletic fields in the Woodrow Wilson Park on Mount Vernon Road are flooded with one to two feet of water. A portion of Wren Circle in Douglas County...the County Iron Works and Sunlight Drive in Cobb County begin to flood. |
| 13.0 ft | Moderate flooding begins. Significant flooding occurs in the woodlands and fields upstream and downstream from the gage near the Interstate 20 bridge. Portions of a paintball playing field just downstream of the bridge and athletic fields in the Woodrow Wilson Park on Mount Vernon Road are flooded with 2 to 3 feet of water. Water begins to flood a few mobile homes on Brook Forest Road and homes on Wren Circle in Douglas County. Portions of Sunlight Drive in Cobb County will be flooded. |
| 15.0 ft | Significant flooding continues in the woodlands and fields upstream and downstream from the gage by the Interstate 20 bridge. Portions of a paintball playing field just downstream of the bridge and athletic fields in the Woodrow Wilson Park on Mount Vernon Road are flooded with 4 to 5 feet of water. Several homes on Wren Circle and Robin Road and portions of Brook Forest and Beech Gum Mobile Home Parks in Douglas County...and Sunlight Drive and Old Marietta Road in Cobb County will be flooded. |
| 17.0 ft | Major flooding begins. Extensive flooding occurs upstream and downstream from the gage by the Interstate 20 bridge. Large portions of a paintball playing field just downstream of the bridge and athletic fields in the Woodrow Wilson Park are flooded with 6 to 7 feet of water. Numerous homes on Mount Vernon Road...Wren Circle and Robin Road and portions of Brook Forest and Beech Gum Mobile Home Parks in Douglas County...and Sunlight Drive...Old Marietta Road and Brooks Drive in Cobb County will be flooded. |
| 18.0 ft | Major flooding expands upstream and downstream from the gage by the Interstate 20 bridge. The paintball playing field just downstream of the bridge and athletic fields in the Woodrow Wilson Park are flooded with 7 to 8 feet of water. Numerous homes on Mount Vernon Road...Wren Circle and Robin Road and portions of Brook Forest and Beech Gum Mobile Home Parks in Douglas County...and Sunlight Drive...Old Marietta Road and Brooks Drive in Cobb County will be flooded. |
| 20.0 ft | Widespread inundation flooding occurs from the gage by Interstate 20. A paintball playing field near the bridge and athletic fields in the Woodrow Wilson Park are flooded with 10 feet of water. Numerous homes on Mount Vernon Road...Wren Circle...Robin Road and the Brook Forest and Beech Gum Mobile Home Parks in Douglas County...and Old Marietta Road...Old Alabama Road and Maxham Road in Cobb County will be flooded. Powder Springs...Noses and Olley Creeks will backup and flood neighborhoods close to them. |
| 23.0 ft | Widespread inundation flooding continues to expand around Austell. A paintball playing field near the gage and athletic fields in the Woodrow Wilson Park are completely flooded. Numerous homes on Mount Vernon Road...Wren Circle...Robin Road and the Brook Forest and Beech Gum Mobile Home Parks in Douglas County...and Old Marietta Road...Old Alabama Road and Maxham Road in Cobb County will be flooded. Powder Springs...Noses and Olley Creeks will backup and flood neighborhoods close to them. |
| 26.0 ft | Widespread inundation flooding expands around Austell. A portion of Interstate 20 over the creek will begin to flood. Numerous homes and businesses on Mount Vernon Road...Wren Circle...Bankhead and Veterans Memorial Highways and the Brook Forest and Beech Gum Mobile Home Parks in Douglas County...and Old Marietta Road...Old Alabama Road and Maxham Road in Cobb County will be flooded. Powder Springs...Noses and Olley Creeks will backup and flood neighborhoods nearby with several feet of water. |
| 28.0 ft | Massive inundation flooding affects the infrastructure around Austell. A portion of Interstate 20 over the creek will be flooded. Numerous homes and businesses on Mount Vernon Road...Wren Circle...Bankhead and Veterans Memorial Highways and the Brook Forest and Beech Gum Mobile Home Parks in Douglas County...and Old Marietta Road...Old Alabama Road and Maxham Road in Cobb County will be flooded. Powder Springs...Noses and Olley Creeks will backup and flood neighborhoods nearby with several feet of water. |
| 30.0 ft | Near record flooding occurs around Austell affecting its infrastructure. Sections of Interstate 20 will be flooded with a few feet of water. The Thornton Road bridge begins to flood on the east side of Lithia Springs. A catastrophic and massive flood event occurs similar to the Epic Flood of 2009. Numerous homes...businesses...and roads will be affected with water up to 20 feet deep in some locations. Transportation in and out of Austell and Lithia Springs will be difficult due to road closures. |
| 32.0 ft | Flooding never seen before will affect all of Austell and its infrastructure. Sections of Interstate 20 will be flooded with several feet of water. The Thornton Road bridge will flood on the east side of Lithia Springs. This catastrophic and massive flood event will be worse than the Epic Flood of 2009. Numerous homes...businesses...and roads will be affected with over 20 feet of water in some locations. Transportation in and out of Austell and Lithia Springs will be difficult due to road closures. |
Forecast office: NWS Peachtree City · River Forecast Center: Southeast River Forecast Center.
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Nearby stations and gauges
- Sweetwater Creek near Northwest Austell NWS gauge · 3.5 mi
- Utoy Creek at Great Southwest Parkway near Atlanta NWS gauge · 3.5 mi
- Sweetwater Creek below Austell NWS gauge · 3.8 mi
- Olley Creek at Clay Road near Austell NWS gauge · 4.2 mi
- Nickajack Creek at US Highway 78 and 278 near Mableton NWS gauge · 5.7 mi
- Noses Creek at Powder Springs Road near Powder Springs NWS gauge · 6.1 mi