Rivers in Georgia
Big Creek near Alpharetta
Below flood stage
3.72ftStage
Observed Wed, Sep 23, 12:45 AM EDT
- Flood stage
- 7.00 ft
- Forecast crest
- 4.70 ftWed, Sep 23, 2:00 AM EDT
- Record crest
- 13.05 ft1982
Flood stages and impacts
| Category | Stage |
|---|---|
| Major flood | 13.00 ft |
| Moderate flood | 11.00 ft |
| Minor flood | 7.00 ft |
| Action | 6.00 ft |
- 19.00 ftCatastrophic 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.
- 17.00 ftFlooding 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.
- 15.00 ftRecord 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.
- 14.00 ftRecord 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.
- 13.00 ftMajor 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.
- 12.00 ftSignificant 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.
- 11.00 ftModerate 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.
- 10.00 ftMinor 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.
- 9.00 ftMinor 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.
- 8.00 ftMinor 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.
- 7.00 ftFlood 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.
- 6.00 ftBankfull 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.
Flood outlook
Chance of flooding, September to November
| Category | Chance |
|---|---|
| Minor flooding | 53% |
| Moderate flooding | 8% |
| Major flooding | Under 5% |
The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued September 15, 2026.
Crest history
169 crests on NOAA’s list since 1961.
| # | Date | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | February 3, 1982 | 13.05 ft |
| 2 | March 17, 1990 | 12.81 ft |
| 3 | February 21, 1961 | 12.54 ft |
| 4 | September 22, 2009 | 12.50 ft |
| 5 | December 6, 1983 | 12.30 ft |
| 6 | March 30, 1977 | 12.20 ft |
| 7 | December 31, 1961 | 11.97 ft |
| 8 | September 17, 2004 | 11.93 ft |
| 9 | March 26, 1964 | 11.82 ft |
| 10 | January 13, 1993 | 11.71 ft |
| 11 | April 14, 1979 | 11.65 ft |
| 12 | March 9, 1998 | 11.29 ft |
| 13 | February 7, 2020 | 11.27 ft |
| 14 | March 5, 1966 | 11.26 ft |
| 15 | March 8, 1998 | 11.17 ft |
| 16 | October 12, 2020 | 11.09 ft |
| 17 | January 28, 1996 | 11.09 ft |
| 18 | November 12, 2009 | 11.08 ft |
| 19 | February 5, 1998 | 11.08 ft |
| 20 | December 29, 2018 | 10.97 ft |
| 21 | March 7, 2003 | 10.90 ft |
| 22 | January 1, 1974 | 10.81 ft |
| 23 | March 31, 1976 | 10.80 ft |
| 24 | March 1, 1997 | 10.80 ft |
| 25 | January 7, 2009 | 10.78 ft |
Most recent crests
- February 28, 2026: 7.45 ft
- April 8, 2025: 7.53 ft
- February 14, 2025: 10.29 ft
- December 12, 2024: 7.49 ft
- September 27, 2024: 10.77 ft
- March 10, 2024: 7.44 ft
- March 7, 2024: 8.48 ft
- February 13, 2024: 8.57 ft
- January 26, 2024: 9.09 ft
- January 10, 2024: 10.22 ft
Nearby
Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.
- UpstreamBig Creek at GA 9 near Cumming
- DownstreamBig Creek at Hog Wallow at Roswell
- Chattahoochee River at Roswell
- Chattahoochee River at Highway 141 near Norcross
- Crooked Creek at Norcross
- Willeo Creek at GA 120 near Roswell
- Dick Creek at Old Atlanta Road near Suwanee
- Chattahoochee River at Morgan Falls Dam near Roswell
What this means
Forecasts by the Southeast River Forecast Center. Forecasts are issued routinely year-round. Automated gauge readings are now available, courtesy of the USGS. River forecasts for this location take into account past precipitation and the precipitation amounts expected approximately 48 hours into the future from the forecast issuance time.
Sources
Stage, flood stages, impacts and crest history from NOAA’s National Water Prediction Service. Streamflow and the daily record from the U.S. Geological Survey.