TornadoLiveMap

Watauga River at Elizabethton — water level right now

Carter County, Tennessee · NWS gauge EZBT1
Loading the latest reading…
–
current stage (ft)
 
8.5
minor flood stage
 
21
record crest
set 1901-05-21
–
flood status
official NWS category
Official NOAA forecast → Full US flood map →

Flood stages at this gauge

Where the water stands right now against the four official thresholds:

action · 7
minor · 8.5
moderate · 11
major · 13
Flood stageLevel (ft)What it means
Major flood stage13extensive inundation and significant evacuations — a serious event
Moderate flood stage11some buildings and roads inundated; evacuations possible
Minor flood stage8.5low-lying roads and fields near the river start to flood
Action stage7water is approaching flood level — time to pay attention

Highest floods on record here

#Crest (ft)Datevs. minor flood stage
1211901-05-21+12.5 above
220.971940-08-14+12.47 above
3191902-02-28+10.5 above
415.61916-07-16+7.1 above
513.572024-09-27+5.07 above
613.41924-06-13+4.9 above
711.71998-01-08+3.2 above
811.21984-05-07+2.7 above
9112003-11-19+2.5 above
1010.71963-03-12+2.2 above
1110.641977-11-06+2.14 above
1210.431965-03-26+1.93 above

Historic crests recorded at this gauge by the National Weather Service — the 12 highest on file.

Where this gauge is

The marker is this gauge; nearby gauges load live and are clickable.

Nearby river gauges

Doe River at Elizabethton 1 mi away · loading… Nolichucky River at Embreeville 18 mi away · loading… Big Creek near Rogersville 41 mi away · loading… Crockett Creek below Rogersville 46 mi away · loading… French Broad River near Newport 58 mi away · loading… Pigeon River at Newport 59 mi away · loading…

Gauge details

NWS gauge IDEZBT1
CountyCarter
StateTennessee
NWS forecast officeMorristown
River forecast centerLower Mississippi River Forecast Center
Coordinates36.356, -82.224
Time zoneEST5EDT
Turn Around, Don't Drown. Six inches of moving water can knock you off your feet and twelve inches can float a car. Never drive around barricades or into water of unknown depth — most flood deaths happen in vehicles.

Questions about Watauga River at Elizabethton

Is Watauga River at Elizabethton flooding right now?

The live reading at the top of this page answers that: the gauge is compared against its official NWS flood stages every 15 minutes. Minor flooding at this gauge begins at 8.5 ft. Blue means normal, yellow is action stage, orange minor, red moderate and dark red major flooding.

What is flood stage for Watauga River at Elizabethton?

major flood stage 13 ft, moderate flood stage 11 ft, minor flood stage 8.5 ft, action stage 7 ft. These are official National Weather Service thresholds set specifically for this gauge, not generic values.

What is the record flood at Watauga River at Elizabethton?

The highest crest on file at this gauge is 21 ft, reached on 1901-05-21 — that is 12.5 ft above minor flood stage. The full list of the highest crests is in the table on this page.

Where does this data come from?

From the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, the official U.S. river gauge network — a U.S. government work in the public domain. Live stage is refreshed every 15 minutes; flood thresholds and historic crests are refreshed monthly. For life-safety decisions follow NWS Morristown and local emergency management.