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Cahaba River at Suttle

Highest listed crest 44.00 ftFlood stage 32.0 ft35 crests since 1951

The Cahaba River at Suttle crested above flood stage 26 times among the 35 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1951 to 2022. The highest, 44.00 ft on February 25, 1961, was moderate flooding, 12.00 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Cahaba River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
44.00 ft
February 25, 1961; 91,500 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
32.0 ft
Major flooding from 55.0 ft
Crests at major
0
26 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
March 26, 2022
32.17 ft, minor flooding
Location
Perry County
Near Selma (12.3 mi)

Flood stages

The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.

Flood categories, Cahaba River at Suttle
Action stage28.04Jun 1, 2018The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)32.025Mar 26, 2022Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage43.01Feb 25, 1961Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage55.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

35 crests from 1951 to 2022. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Cahaba River at Suttle, 1951 to 2022 2030405060ft Flood stage 32.0 ftMajor 55.0 ft Mar 30, 1951: 42.80 ft, minor flooding; 74,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 1961: 44.00 ft, moderate flooding; 91,500 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1970: 40.00 ft, minor floodingFeb 25, 1971: 34.00 ft, minor floodingJan 13, 1972: 38.20 ft, minor floodingMar 18, 1976: 40.23 ft, minor floodingApr 1, 1977: 39.14 ft, minor floodingApr 15, 1979: 41.55 ft, minor floodingMar 15, 1980: 36.04 ft, minor floodingMar 8, 1989: 29.22 ft, action stage; 20,500 cubic feet per secondJan 23, 1990: 32.26 ft, minor flooding; 22,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 1990: 41.09 ft, minor flooding; 67,900 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1990: 36.19 ft, minor flooding; 28,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1995: 23.90 ft, below flood stageFeb 19, 1995: 25.30 ft, below flood stageMar 9, 1995: 26.84 ft, below flood stage; 16,900 cubic feet per secondJan 30, 1996: 33.50 ft, minor floodingFeb 5, 1996: 33.10 ft, minor floodingMar 10, 1996: 35.58 ft, minor flooding; 26,100 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1997: 30.32 ft, action stage; 20,300 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 1998: 36.58 ft, minor flooding; 30,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 2, 1999: 33.29 ft, minor flooding; 23,300 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 2000: 36.50 ft, minor flooding; 29,900 cubic feet per secondNov 27, 2004: 30.32 ft, action stage; 20,300 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 2005: 33.19 ft, minor flooding; 23,200 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 2006: 23.26 ft, below flood stage; 13,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 2008: 20.95 ft, below flood stage; 11,700 cubic feet per secondSep 24, 2009: 35.82 ft, minor flooding; 26,000 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2010: 36.79 ft, minor flooding; 31,300 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 2011: 34.98 ft, minor floodingApr 10, 2014: 37.18 ft, minor floodingJun 26, 2017: 36.43 ft, minor floodingJun 1, 2018: 31.97 ft, action stageDec 31, 2018: 36.75 ft, minor floodingMar 26, 2022: 32.17 ft, minor flooding; 22,616 cubic feet per second Highest, 44.00 ft, Feb 25, 1961 1960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Cahaba River at Suttle 1950s: 1 1960s: 1 1970s: 6 1980s: 1 1990s: 8 8 2000s: 3 2010s: 5 2020s: 1 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  1. These are the crests the local National Weather Service office lists for the gauge: the highest on record and recent crests. Lesser floods between them may be missing, so counts by decade are a floor.
  2. Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Cahaba River at Suttle
1Feb 25, 196144.00+12.00Moderate91,500
2Mar 30, 195142.80+10.80Minor74,600
3Apr 15, 197941.55+9.55Minor—
4Feb 18, 199041.09+9.09Minor67,900
5Mar 18, 197640.23+8.23Minor—
6Mar 23, 197040.00+8.00Minor—
7Apr 1, 197739.14+7.14Minor—
8Jan 13, 197238.20+6.20Minor—
9Apr 10, 201437.18+5.18Minor—
10Mar 14, 201036.79+4.79Minor31,300
11Dec 31, 201836.75+4.75Minor—
12Jan 10, 199836.58+4.58Minor30,400
13Apr 6, 200036.50+4.50Minor29,900
14Jun 26, 201736.43+4.43Minor—
15Mar 19, 199036.19+4.19Minor28,100
16Mar 15, 198036.04+4.04Minor—
17Sep 24, 200935.82+3.82Minor26,000
18Mar 10, 199635.58+3.58Minor26,100
19Mar 12, 201134.98+2.98Minor—
20Feb 25, 197134.00+2.00Minor—
21Jan 30, 199633.50+1.50Minor—
22Feb 2, 199933.29+1.29Minor23,300
23Apr 4, 200533.19+1.19Minor23,200
24Feb 5, 199633.10+1.10Minor—
25Jan 23, 199032.26+0.26Minor22,200
26Mar 26, 202232.17+0.17Minor22,616
27Jun 1, 201831.97−0.03Action—
28Mar 3, 199730.32−1.68Action20,300
29Nov 27, 200430.32−1.68Action20,300
30Mar 8, 198929.22−2.78Action20,500
31Mar 9, 199526.84−5.16Below flood stage16,900
32Feb 19, 199525.30−6.70Below flood stage—
33Feb 13, 199523.90−8.10Below flood stage—
34Mar 23, 200623.26−8.74Below flood stage13,700
35Feb 24, 200820.95−11.05Below flood stage11,700

The worst floods along the Cahaba River

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Cahaba River that crested above flood stage within a week.

February 25, 1961: 44.00 ft here, moderate flooding

March 30, 1951: 42.80 ft here, minor flooding

April 15, 1979: 41.55 ft here, minor flooding

Gauges on the Cahaba River

In USGS station-number order, which runs downstream within a river basin.

Flood gauges on the Cahaba River
Cahaba HeightsAL14.028.86 ft, Apr 13, 19793
West BloctonAL13.019.97 ft, Apr 13, 19790
CentrevilleAL23.036.70 ft, Mar 28, 19020
Suttle this gaugeAL32.044.00 ft, Feb 25, 19610
Marion JunctionAL36.043.80 ft, Feb 24, 19611

Perry County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Alabama

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SUTA1, retrieved October 30, 2026. Stages in feet on the gauge's own datum, not elevation. Crests are as the National Weather Service lists them; preliminary values may be revised.