River Levels
North Carolina river levels
Live streamflow for 112 gauged North Carolina reaches, highest first. Where a gauge has a long enough record, the reading is placed against its own history for today's date.
61% of gauged North Carolina rivers are running below normal for the date, as of October 8, 2026.
Of 98 gauged reaches with a long enough USGS record, 60 are below normal (27 of them much below), 34 are in the normal range, and 4 are above normal (2 of them much above). Normal means the middle half of that gauge's own history for this calendar date.
To cite: Paddling Hubs analysis of USGS streamflow, paddlinghubs.com/flows/north-carolina. The daily normals behind it are a free download.
| River | Flow | Usually today | Vs normal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Fear Rivernear Mahanaim Adventures | 1,140 cfs14.99 ft | 1,410 cfs | Normal37th percentile · 45 yr record |
| Catawba Rivernear Riverside Marina, Paddle and Row | 884 cfs5.56 ft | 2,110 cfs | No historical record |
| Yadkin Rivernear Dan River Company | 852 cfs2.52 ft | 1,290 cfs | Below normal21st percentile · 62 yr record |
| French Broad Rivernear Blue Heron Whitewater | 736 cfs2.51 ft | 1,190 cfs | Below normal14th percentile · 92 yr record |
| Locks Creeknear Cape Fear River Adventures | 732 cfs9.76 ft | Not recorded | No historical record |
| Pee Dee Rivernear Lake Tillery Kayaking LLC | 581 cfs3.67 ft | 4,350 cfs | Below normal10th percentile · 13 yr record |
| New Rivernear New River Outfitters | 555 cfs1.03 ft | 916 cfs | Below normal18th percentile · 96 yr record |
| Nolichucky Rivernear Blue Heron Whitewater | 455 cfs41.66 ft | 678 cfs | Below normal21st percentile · 123 yr record |
| Tuckasegee Rivernear Smoky Mountain River Adventures | 450 cfs1.73 ft | 786 cfs | Below normal15th percentile · 129 yr record |
| Cape Fear Rivernear Cape Fear River Adventures | 444 cfs2.16 ft | 685 cfs | Below normal16th percentile · 45 yr record |
| Yadkin Rivernear New River Outfitters | 385 cfs2.22 ft | 508 cfs | Normal31st percentile · 64 yr record |
| Haw Rivernear Cape Fear River Adventures | 359 cfs2.13 ft | 487 cfs | Below normal25th percentile · 13 yr record |
| Yadkin Rivernear Wahoo's Adventures | 301 cfs1.85 ft | 324 cfs | Normal29th percentile · 18 yr record |
| Little Tennessee Rivernear NOC Paddling School | 224 cfs1.80 ft | 468 cfs | Much below normal9th percentile · 82 yr record |
| South Fork Catawba Rivernear Riverside Marina, Paddle and Row | 182 cfs1.84 ft | 330 cfs | Below normal13th percentile · 84 yr record |
| Oconaluftee Rivernear Smoky Mountain River Adventures | 157 cfs1.14 ft | 208 cfs | Normal27th percentile · 81 yr record |
| Rocky Rivernear Lake Tillery Kayaking LLC | 149 cfs3.86 ft | 137 cfs | Normal51st percentile · 97 yr record |
| Sugar Creeknear Riverside Marina, Paddle and Row | 148 cfs4.00 ft | 149 cfs | Normal49th percentile · 20 yr record |
| Johns Rivernear Wahoo's Adventures | 147 cfs2.15 ft | 172 cfs | Normal41st percentile · 41 yr record |
| South Fork New Rivernear New River Outfitters | 147 cfs1.78 ft | 247 cfs | Below normal17th percentile · 102 yr record |
| Saluda Rivernear Wai Mauna SUP Tours and Paddleboard Rentals - Brevard | 128 cfs2.97 ft | Not recorded | No historical record |
| Deep Rivernear Cape Fear River Adventures | 122 cfs1.23 ft | 151 cfs | Normal41st percentile · 96 yr record |
| Ararat Rivernear Dan River Company | 104 cfs0.87 ft | 167 cfs | Below normal22nd percentile · 62 yr record |
| Neuse Rivernear Neuse River Outfitters | 100 cfs1.21 ft | 140 cfs | Much below normal9th percentile · 44 yr record |
| Dan Rivernear Dan River Company | 98 cfs1.41 ft | 250 cfs | Much below normal5th percentile · 103 yr record |
| Cheoah Rivernear NOC Paddling School | 94 cfs2.75 ft | 80 cfs | Above normal76th percentile · 27 yr record |
| Haw Rivernear The Haw River Canoe & Kayak Company | 91 cfs2.64 ft | 218 cfs | Much below normal9th percentile · 53 yr record |
| Little Tennessee Rivernear Smoky Mountain River Adventures | 87 cfs1.28 ft | 171 cfs | Below normal10th percentile · 82 yr record |
| Valley Rivernear NOC Paddling School | 82 cfs1.82 ft | 75 cfs | Normal54th percentile · 122 yr record |
| North Pacolet Rivernear H2o Dreams Paddling School | 80 cfs3.11 ft | 97 cfs | Normal33rd percentile · 96 yr record |
| French Broad Rivernear Wai Mauna SUP Tours and Paddleboard Rentals - Brevard | 79 cfs1.98 ft | 113 cfs | Below normal23rd percentile · 119 yr record |
| Mayo Rivernear Dan River Company | 78 cfs0.81 ft | 165 cfs | Much below normal6th percentile · 97 yr record |
| Nantahala Rivernear NOC Paddling School | 69 cfs0.84 ft | 88 cfs | Normal34th percentile · 86 yr record |
| Haw Creeknear The Haw River Canoe & Kayak Company | 61 cfs1.53 ft | 141 cfs | Below normal10th percentile · 98 yr record |
| Pigeon Rivernear Wai Mauna SUP Tours and Paddleboard Rentals - Brevard | 59 cfs1.24 ft | 126 cfs | Much below normal5th percentile · 94 yr record |
| Broad Rivernear H2o Dreams Paddling School | 58 cfs1.97 ft | 73 cfs | Normal35th percentile · 75 yr record |
| Little Rivernear NOC Paddling School | 56 cfs1.34 ft | 85 cfs | Normal32nd percentile · 63 yr record |
| Little Rivernear Cape Fear River Adventures | 54 cfs5.97 ft | 164 cfs | Below normal17th percentile · 88 yr record |
| Rocky Rivernear Mountain Island Lake Paddle Co. | 45 cfs1.04 ft | 57 cfs | Normal28th percentile · 26 yr record |
| Watauga Rivernear Wahoo's Adventures | 44 cfs1.45 ft | 67 cfs | Normal33rd percentile · 86 yr record |
| South Fork Mills Rivernear Wai Mauna SUP Tours and Paddleboard Rentals - Brevard | 42 cfs1.63 ft | 81 cfs | Below normal16th percentile · 102 yr record |
| South Pacolet Rivernear H2o Dreams Paddling School | 42 cfs3.98 ft | 38 cfs | Normal53rd percentile · 37 yr record |
| Reddies Rivernear New River Outfitters | 41 cfs0.97 ft | 76 cfs | Much below normal8th percentile · 87 yr record |
| Tar Rivernear Neuse Adventures Canoe and Kayak Rentals | 41 cfs1.92 ft | 106 cfs | Below normal15th percentile · 14 yr record |
| West Fork Tuckasegee Rivernear Smoky Mountain River Adventures | 39 cfs3.83 ft | 258 cfs | Much below normal5th percentile · 22 yr record |
| Buffalo Creeknear The Haw River Canoe & Kayak Company | 38 cfs1.92 ft | 65 cfs | Much below normal5th percentile · 28 yr record |
| Ellerbe Creeknear Neuse River Outfitters | 37 cfs1.45 ft | 14 cfs | Much above normal90th percentile · 44 yr record |
| South Fork Holston Rivernear New River Outfitters | 34 cfs1.77 ft | 32 cfs | Normal52nd percentile · 106 yr record |
| Contentnea Creeknear Neuse Adventures Canoe and Kayak Rentals | 33 cfs2.13 ft | 27 cfs | Normal57th percentile · 62 yr record |
| North Mayo Rivernear Dan River Company | 33 cfs1.22 ft | 70 cfs | Much below normal7th percentile · 98 yr record |
| Clear Creeknear H2o Dreams Paddling School | 32 cfs5.38 ft | 71 cfs | No historical record |
| Little Sugar Creeknear Riverside Marina, Paddle and Row | 32 cfs2.36 ft | 31 cfs | Normal52nd percentile · 49 yr record |
| Davidson Rivernear Wai Mauna SUP Tours and Paddleboard Rentals - Brevard | 31 cfs0.52 ft | 58 cfs | Below normal14th percentile · 106 yr record |
| South Mayo Rivernear Dan River Company | 30 cfs3.10 ft | 65 cfs | Much below normal6th percentile · 64 yr record |
| Elk Creeknear Wahoo's Adventures | 29 cfs0.86 ft | 41 cfs | Normal29th percentile · 61 yr record |
| Hominy Creeknear Blue Heron Whitewater | 28 cfs0.89 ft | 69 cfs | No historical record |
| Swannanoa Rivernear Blue Heron Whitewater | 27 cfs1.26 ft | 64 cfs | Below normal19th percentile · 106 yr record |
| Cartoogechaye Creeknear NOC Paddling School | 26 cfs0.08 ft | 58 cfs | No historical record |
| Ivy Creeknear Blue Heron Whitewater | 25 cfs1.87 ft | 49 cfs | Below normal16th percentile · 92 yr record |
| South Tyger Rivernear H2o Dreams Paddling School | 24 cfs3.58 ft | Not recorded | No historical record |
Streamflow from the U.S. Geological Survey, updated hourly. "Usually today" is the median for this calendar date over the gauge's full record. A gauge tells you how much water is moving, not whether a run is safe: check the class, the hazards, and a current local report before you put on.
All state river levels·Browse every mapped North Carolina river
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