About this river
Watauga River is a 33.0 mile river near River Dog Adventures in Tennessee. Streamflow is measured at the USGS gauge Watauga River at Elizabethton, TN (site 03486000). The National Hydrography Dataset places it at stream order 7. Reach geometry comes from the USGS National Hydrography Dataset.
Typical flow by month
2017 to 2026
Watauga River typically runs highest in February, at a median 2,010 cfs, and lowest in September, at 485 cfs. The highest flow on record for any single day is 12,000 cfs, in 2024.
| Month | Typical (cfs) | Usual range (cfs) | Relative level |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1,280 | 627 to 1,990 | |
| February | 2,010 | 1,115 to 2,550 | |
| March | 1,450 | 741 to 2,520 | |
| April | 1,040 | 581 to 2,180 | |
| May | 1,300 | 771 to 2,200 | |
| June | 992 | 835 to 1,460 | |
| July | 835 | 746 to 1,100 | |
| August | 997 | 777 to 1,250 | |
| September | 485 | 368 to 720 | |
| October | 662 | 399 to 1,090 | |
| November | 847 | 448 to 1,365 | |
| December | 922 | 491 to 1,870 |
Typical is the median of each month’s daily median values, and the usual range runs from the median 25th to the median 75th percentile, across about 10 years of record. Statistics published by the US Geological Survey for Watauga River at Elizabethton, TN (site 03486000). Conditions on any given day can fall well outside the usual range. Check the current reading before you go.
Embed this gauge on your site
Paste this snippet anywhere, an outfitter page, a club site, a trip report, to show Watauga River's live streamflow, water level and 7-day trend. It reads the USGS gauge directly, updates itself, and links back here.
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