Rivers in North Carolina

SF Catawba River below George Poston Park, 1 N Lowell

Gaston County, North CarolinaNWS LOWN7USGS 02145000Greer office

Below flood stage
2.95ftStage

Observed Thu, Sep 24, 5:15 AM EDT

Flood stage
10.00 ft
Forecast crest
2.70 ftThu, Sep 24, 2:00 PM EDT
Record crest
21.33 ft1940

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood15.50 ft
Moderate flood13.00 ft
Minor flood10.00 ft
Action9.00 ft
  1. 17.00 ftMajor, devastating flooding of the town of Cramerton is ongoing.
  2. 16.50 ftMajor Flooding continues. Several roads adjacent to the South Fork Catawba River in Cramerton and McAdenville may be inundated. Significant flooding of homes and businesses along the river may be ongoing. Additionally, floodwaters may be inundating parts of Lakeview Dr. in McAdenville and and Catawba Run in Lowell. Floodwaters may be impacting the Willow Rd. water treatment plant in McAdenville.
  3. 15.50 ftMajor Flood Stage. South Fork Catawba River floodwaters may be inundating the Cramerton Fire Department, Cramerton Drug Store, the former South Fork Masonic Lodge building, and adjacent homes and businesses along 8th Ave. Floodwaters may be flooding the lowest elevations of the Cramerton Police Department parking lot. Flooding of Duharts Creek may be impacting adjacent sections of Mayflower Rd., and Cramer Mountain Rd. may be inundated with several inches of water.
  4. 13.00 ftModerate Flood Stage. Unusual, damaging flooding is developing adjacent to the South Fork Catawba River with considerable impacts to property. Significant flooding of Goat Island Park and Riverside Park is ongoing. Floodwaters are threatening the Cramerton Fire Department and adjacent businesses. The river is approaching the crawl spaces of homes along Riverside Dr between 4th St and 5th St in Cramerton.
  5. 12.00 ftMinor Flooding continues. South Fork Catawba River floodwaters may approach the Cramerton Fire Department building at the intersection 8th Ave and 9th St. The parking lot behind the adjacent Cramerton Drug Company may be flooded. Floodwaters may approach one home along Riverside Dr. in Cramerton.
  6. 11.50 ftMinor Flooding continues. The South Fork Catawba River is likely inundating Riverside Dr. between 5th and 6th Streets in Cramerton with several inches of water. The pumping station at Pharr Yarns in McAdenville may begin to flood.
  7. 11.00 ftMinor Flood Stage continues. The South Fork Catawba River may begin flooding Riverside Dr. between 5th and 6th Streets in Cramerton. Floodwaters may also approach residential yards along Catawba Run Rd., near the streamgauge. Hoyle Creek floodwaters, possibly due to backwater effects from the South Fork Catawba River, may begin to impact the Old Willis School Road bridge near Sandcastle Rd.
  8. 10.00 ftMinor Flood Stage. South Fork Catawba River floodwaters are beginning to inundate Goat Island Park. More significant inundation is beginning to occur at Riverside Park. Floodwaters are approaching Riverside Dr near 5th and 6th Streets in Cramerton.
  9. 9.00 ftAction/Advisory Stage. South Fork Catawba River floodwaters begin to enter Riverside Park in Cramerton.

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor flooding9%
Moderate flooding8%
Major flooding6%

The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued September 15, 2026.

Crest history

79 crests on NOAA’s list since 1940.

#DateStage
1August 15, 194021.33 ft
2July 29, 201317.50 ft
3August 11, 197017.38 ft
4September 19, 194516.98 ft
5February 7, 202016.22 ft
6March 21, 200315.88 ft
7March 2, 198715.72 ft
8September 28, 202415.43 ft
9March 4, 195215.30 ft
10January 10, 202415.14 ft
11October 17, 196414.20 ft
12June 10, 201914.10 ft
13November 20, 195713.36 ft
14January 23, 195413.32 ft
15February 17, 199513.12 ft
16April 29, 195813.05 ft
17April 29, 199712.97 ft
18October 9, 200512.96 ft
19February 11, 194612.95 ft
20July 10, 194312.88 ft
21January 26, 201012.70 ft
22April 11, 200312.67 ft
23October 2, 198912.67 ft
24October 7, 194912.67 ft
25March 6, 196312.60 ft

Most recent crests

  • September 28, 2024: 15.43 ft
  • August 8, 2024: 9.08 ft
  • January 10, 2024: 15.14 ft
  • December 28, 2023: 11.44 ft
  • February 7, 2020: 16.22 ft
  • June 10, 2019: 14.10 ft
  • February 23, 2019: 11.02 ft
  • November 13, 2018: 11.05 ft
  • April 25, 2018: 9.30 ft
  • April 24, 2017: 9.35 ft

Nearby

Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.

What this means

Forecasts by the Southeast River Forecast Center. Forecasts are issued routinely year-round. 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.