Watauga River at Elizabethton, TN
USGS Site No: 03486000 • Watauga River • Carter County, TN
Watauga River at Elizabethton, TN on the Watauga River is currently at 1,960 cfs (Very High — 95th percentile for this date) . Gage height: 4.93 ft.
Reading from
Historical Percentile Comparison
Today's discharge compared to the long-term record for October 28 at this station. Percentile rank shows what fraction of historical years had lower flow on this date.
| Percentile | Label | CFS Threshold | Today's Flow |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | Very Low threshold | 406 | |
| 25th | Low threshold | 436 | |
| 50th (Median) | Normal (median) | 528 | |
| 75th | High threshold | 994 | |
| 95th | Very High threshold | 0 |
30-Day Hydrograph
Recent discharge plotted against the historical 10th–95th percentile envelope for the same calendar days. Source: USGS daily values + long-term statistics.
30-Day Flow History
| Date | Discharge (CFS) | Gage Ht (ft) |
|---|---|---|
| May 28, 2026 | 892 | — |
| May 27, 2026 | 832 | — |
| May 26, 2026 | 843 | — |
| May 25, 2026 | 968 | — |
| May 24, 2026 | 653 | — |
| May 23, 2026 | 1,060 | — |
| May 22, 2026 | 579 | — |
| May 21, 2026 | 506 | — |
| May 20, 2026 | 471 | — |
| May 19, 2026 | 474 | — |
| May 18, 2026 | 481 | — |
| May 17, 2026 | 495 | — |
| May 16, 2026 | 423 | — |
| May 15, 2026 | 494 | — |
| Apr 21, 2026 | 564 | — |
| Apr 20, 2026 | 494 | — |
| Apr 19, 2026 | 564 | — |
| Apr 18, 2026 | 548 | — |
| Apr 17, 2026 | 575 | — |
| Apr 16, 2026 | 565 | — |
| Apr 15, 2026 | 552 | — |
| Apr 14, 2026 | 564 | — |
| Apr 13, 2026 | 571 | — |
| Apr 12, 2026 | 585 | — |
| Apr 11, 2026 | 600 | — |
| Apr 10, 2026 | 615 | — |
| Apr 9, 2026 | 633 | — |
| Apr 8, 2026 | 657 | — |
| Apr 7, 2026 | 681 | — |
| Apr 6, 2026 | 716 | — |
Station Information
- USGS Site No
- 03486000
- State
- TN
- County
- Carter County
- Coordinates
- 36.3558, -82.2237
- Drainage Area
- 692 mi²
- Datum (ft)
- 1,486.0
- HUC Code
- 060101030505
Flood Stage Thresholds
- Action Stage
- 7.0 ft
- Flood Stage
- 8.5 ft
- Moderate Flood
- 11.0 ft
- Major Flood
- 13.0 ft
Currently 3.57 ft below flood stage.
Recent Extremes
- Max discharge
-
4,800 cfsMay 14, 2025
- Min discharge
-
319 cfsSep 15, 2025
- Days at flood stage
- 0
Computed from the local daily-values archive.
Nearby Gauges
-
Doe River at Elizabethton, TNUnknown1.1 mi · 0 cfs
-
Nolichucky River at Embreeville, TNUnknown17.8 mi · 0 cfs
-
Reedy Creek at Orebank, TNUnknown19.3 mi
-
Beaver Creek at Bristol, VANormal19.7 mi · 16 cfs
-
Buckeye Creek Below Buckeye Lake Near Cannon Gap, NCVery High19.9 mi · 5 cfs