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Chattahoochee River at 14th Street at Columbus

Highest listed crest 55.20 ftFlood stage 27.0 ft118 crests since 1913

The Chattahoochee River at 14th Street at Columbus crested at major flood stage 4 times among the 118 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1913 to 2025. The highest, 55.20 ft on March 15, 1929, was major flooding, 28.20 feet above flood stage. 3 other gauges on the Chattahoochee River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 2 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
55.20 ft
March 15, 1929; 198,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
27.0 ft
Major flooding from 47.0 ft
Crests at major
4
21st of 89 gauges in Alabama
Most recent flood crest
May 28, 2025
27.16 ft, minor flooding
Location
Russell County
Near Phenix City (2.4 mi), Columbus (7.5 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Chattahoochee River at 14th Street at Columbus
Action stage25.021Feb 4, 2016The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)27.082May 28, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage42.04Apr 8, 1964Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage47.04Feb 26, 1961Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

118 crests from 1913 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Chattahoochee River at 14th Street at Columbus, 1913 to 2025 2030405060ft Flood stage 27.0 ftMajor 47.0 ft Mar 15, 1913: 42.00 ft, moderate flooding; 107,000 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 1917: 27.97 ft, minor flooding; 42,600 cubic feet per secondDec 12, 1919: 52.60 ft, major flooding; 172,000 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1925: 48.00 ft, major flooding; 133,000 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1929: 55.20 ft, major flooding; 198,000 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 1929: 26.10 ft, action stage; 42,000 cubic feet per secondNov 17, 1930: 28.63 ft, minor flooding; 46,000 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 1932: 33.12 ft, minor flooding; 58,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1933: 26.08 ft, action stage; 40,300 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1933: 26.90 ft, action stage; 42,300 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1934: 29.62 ft, minor flooding; 49,200 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 1936: 32.99 ft, minor flooding; 56,600 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 1936: 29.76 ft, minor flooding; 47,200 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 1936: 30.10 ft, minor flooding; 48,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 1936: 35.52 ft, minor flooding; 64,800 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1936: 40.24 ft, minor flooding; 84,700 cubic feet per secondJan 6, 1937: 32.50 ft, minor flooding; 55,000 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1937: 27.00 ft, minor flooding; 40,200 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1938: 31.22 ft, minor flooding; 51,100 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1938: 39.60 ft, minor flooding; 81,700 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1939: 31.30 ft, minor flooding; 52,800 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1939: 32.15 ft, minor flooding; 59,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 1940: 25.50 ft, action stage; 40,900 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1942: 38.90 ft, minor flooding; 82,500 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1943: 29.14 ft, minor flooding; 49,500 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1943: 43.00 ft, moderate flooding; 102,000 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1944: 36.10 ft, minor flooding; 72,400 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1944: 31.60 ft, minor flooding; 56,400 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 1944: 34.70 ft, minor flooding; 60,800 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 1945: 35.20 ft, minor flooding; 68,800 cubic feet per secondJan 7, 1946: 33.50 ft, minor flooding; 62,600 cubic feet per secondJan 12, 1946: 28.10 ft, minor flooding; 47,000 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1946: 28.00 ft, minor flooding; 46,600 cubic feet per secondJan 21, 1947: 30.90 ft, minor flooding; 54,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 1948: 25.00 ft, action stage; 39,300 cubic feet per secondJul 11, 1948: 38.60 ft, minor flooding; 81,900 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 1949: 33.80 ft, minor flooding; 63,000 cubic feet per secondNov 28, 1949: 44.40 ft, moderate flooding; 104,000 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1952: 32.20 ft, minor flooding; 57,800 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1952: 28.80 ft, minor flooding; 48,600 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 1953: 27.10 ft, minor flooding; 44,400 cubic feet per secondDec 4, 1953: 25.20 ft, action stage; 39,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 1956: 30.00 ft, minor flooding; 51,700 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1957: 36.00 ft, minor flooding; 74,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 1958: 25.90 ft, action stage; 41,500 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 1959: 25.90 ft, action stage; 35,500 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1960: 27.00 ft, minor flooding; 42,700 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1960: 31.90 ft, minor flooding; 59,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 1961: 30.80 ft, minor flooding; 53,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 1961: 49.80 ft, major flooding; 145,000 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1961: 32.30 ft, minor flooding; 50,000 cubic feet per secondDec 14, 1961: 32.02 ft, minor flooding; 57,300 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1962: 25.01 ft, action stageApr 13, 1962: 27.30 ft, minor flooding; 47,400 cubic feet per secondNov 23, 1962: 25.06 ft, action stage; 36,200 cubic feet per secondJan 21, 1963: 25.68 ft, action stage; 40,900 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1964: 28.05 ft, minor flooding; 49,000 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 1964: 45.89 ft, moderate flooding; 140,000 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 1964: 33.72 ft, minor flooding; 51,700 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 1964: 25.30 ft, action stage; 34,000 cubic feet per secondDec 27, 1964: 25.25 ft, action stage; 33,000 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 1965: 26.70 ft, action stage; 55,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1966: 32.40 ft, minor flooding; 77,800 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1966: 30.72 ft, minor flooding; 61,800 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 1968: 25.91 ft, action stage; 46,000 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 1969: 29.69 ft, minor flooding; 66,000 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1970: 34.44 ft, minor flooding; 87,200 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1971: 38.50 ft, minor floodingJan 12, 1972: 30.70 ft, minor flooding; 70,800 cubic feet per secondDec 22, 1972: 26.67 ft, action stage; 54,700 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1975: 33.90 ft, minor flooding; 89,900 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1977: 26.07 ft, action stage; 57,900 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 1978: 31.60 ft, minor flooding; 75,000 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 1979: 30.91 ft, minor flooding; 72,900 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 1980: 27.37 ft, minor flooding; 60,400 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1981: 30.71 ft, minor flooding; 73,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 1982: 26.23 ft, action stage; 54,000 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1983: 26.94 ft, action stage; 56,700 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1990: 41.14 ft, minor flooding; 98,800 cubic feet per secondNov 25, 1992: 32.89 ft, minor flooding; 88,500 cubic feet per secondJul 7, 1994: 31.24 ft, minor flooding; 69,000 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 1998: 34.01 ft, minor floodingMay 9, 2003: 39.95 ft, minor flooding; 82,400 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 2009: 23.02 ft, below flood stage; 31,700 cubic feet per secondSep 25, 2009: 27.72 ft, minor flooding; 54,400 cubic feet per secondNov 12, 2009: 28.81 ft, minor flooding; 53,800 cubic feet per secondDec 3, 2009: 23.29 ft, below flood stage; 31,700 cubic feet per secondDec 19, 2009: 24.02 ft, below flood stage; 41,800 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 2010: 23.52 ft, below flood stage; 43,300 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 2010: 26.07 ft, action stage; 53,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 2013: 20.96 ft, below flood stage; 28,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 2013: 21.02 ft, below flood stage; 35,100 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 2014: 24.90 ft, below flood stage; 32,700 cubic feet per secondDec 25, 2015: 35.84 ft, minor flooding; 96,150 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 2016: 26.47 ft, action stage; 32,291 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 2016: 31.38 ft, minor flooding; 60,304 cubic feet per secondNov 15, 2018: 28.82 ft, minor flooding; 44,157 cubic feet per secondDec 29, 2018: 28.93 ft, minor flooding; 44,766 cubic feet per secondJan 4, 2019: 29.79 ft, minor flooding; 49,673 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 2019: 27.96 ft, minor flooding; 39,512 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 2019: 33.12 ft, minor flooding; 72,140 cubic feet per secondJan 15, 2020: 28.37 ft, minor flooding; 41,681 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 2020: 27.16 ft, minor flooding; 35,518 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 2020: 29.22 ft, minor flooding; 46,398 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 2020: 30.27 ft, minor flooding; 52,550 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 2020: 32.41 ft, minor flooding; 66,840 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 2021: 28.64 ft, minor flooding; 43,153 cubic feet per secondOct 5, 2021: 28.64 ft, minor flooding; 43,153 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 2022: 31.68 ft, minor flooding; 61,687 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 2022: 28.97 ft, minor flooding; 44,999 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 2023: 34.23 ft, minor flooding; 81,005 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 2024: 29.64 ft, minor flooding; 48,799 cubic feet per secondFeb 12, 2024: 35.47 ft, minor flooding; 91,797 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 2024: 30.77 ft, minor flooding; 55,671 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 2024: 30.74 ft, minor flooding; 55,480 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 2025: 30.34 ft, minor flooding; 52,979 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 2025: 28.75 ft, minor flooding; 43,768 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2025: 27.16 ft, minor flooding; 35,518 cubic feet per second Highest, 55.20 ft, Mar 15, 1929 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Chattahoochee River at 14th Street at Columbus 1910s: 3 1920s: 2 1930s: 14 1940s: 14 1950s: 5 1960s: 13 1970s: 6 1980s: 2 1990s: 4 2000s: 3 2010s: 7 2020s: 17 17 1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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

The 50 highest of 118 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Chattahoochee River at 14th Street at Columbus
1Mar 15, 192955.20+28.20Major198,000
2Dec 12, 191952.60+25.60Major172,000
3Feb 26, 196149.80+22.80Major145,000
4Jan 19, 192548.00+21.00Major133,000
5Apr 8, 196445.89+18.89Moderate140,000
6Nov 28, 194944.40+17.40Moderate104,000
7Mar 21, 194343.00+16.00Moderate102,000
8Mar 15, 191342.00+15.00Moderate107,000
9Mar 17, 199041.14+14.14Minor98,800
10Apr 9, 193640.24+13.24Minor84,700
11May 9, 200339.95+12.95Minor82,400
12Apr 9, 193839.60+12.60Minor81,700
13Mar 22, 194238.90+11.90Minor82,500
14Jul 11, 194838.60+11.60Minor81,900
15Mar 3, 197138.50+11.50Minor—
16Mar 23, 194436.10+9.10Minor72,400
17Apr 6, 195736.00+9.00Minor74,600
18Dec 25, 201535.84+8.84Minor96,150
19Feb 5, 193635.52+8.52Minor64,800
20Feb 12, 202435.47+8.47Minor91,797
21Apr 26, 194535.20+8.20Minor68,800
22Apr 27, 194434.70+7.70Minor60,800
23Mar 22, 197034.44+7.44Minor87,200
24Mar 28, 202334.23+7.23Minor81,005
25Mar 10, 199834.01+7.01Minor—
26Apr 3, 197533.90+6.90Minor89,900
27Apr 30, 194933.80+6.80Minor63,000
28Apr 27, 196433.72+6.72Minor51,700
29Jan 7, 194633.50+6.50Minor62,600
30Dec 30, 193233.12+6.12Minor58,800
31Apr 19, 201933.12+6.12Minor72,140
32Jan 1, 193632.99+5.99Minor56,600
33Nov 25, 199232.89+5.89Minor88,500
34Jan 6, 193732.50+5.50Minor55,000
35Apr 20, 202032.41+5.41Minor66,840
36Feb 14, 196632.40+5.40Minor77,800
37Apr 1, 196132.30+5.30Minor50,000
38Mar 5, 195232.20+5.20Minor57,800
39Mar 30, 193932.15+5.15Minor59,000
40Dec 14, 196132.02+5.02Minor57,300
41Apr 5, 196031.90+4.90Minor59,100
42Feb 4, 202231.68+4.68Minor61,687
43Mar 30, 194431.60+4.60Minor56,400
44Jan 26, 197831.60+4.60Minor75,000
45Apr 1, 201631.38+4.38Minor60,304
46Mar 1, 193931.30+4.30Minor52,800
47Jul 7, 199431.24+4.24Minor69,000
48Apr 1, 193831.22+4.22Minor51,100
49Apr 14, 197930.91+3.91Minor72,900
50Jan 21, 194730.90+3.90Minor54,100

The worst floods along the Chattahoochee River

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

March 15, 1929: 55.20 ft here, major flooding

December 12, 1919: 52.60 ft here, major flooding

February 26, 1961: 49.80 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Chattahoochee River

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

Flood gauges on the Chattahoochee River
HelenGA6.012.00 ft, Aug 23, 19672
CorneliaGA14.020.63 ft, Oct 11, 20200
Highway 141 near NorcrossGA12.027.70 ft, Jan 8, 194613
RoswellGA9.011.96 ft, Sep 21, 20090
Morgan Falls Dam near RoswellGA821.0827.01 ft, Sep 22, 20091
US 41 at AtlantaGA14.028.59 ft, Sep 22, 20095
AtlantaGA14.029.00 ft, Dec 10, 191913
GA 280 near AtlantaGA24.035.98 ft, Sep 22, 20093
FairburnGA20.031.60 ft, Dec 10, 19192
WhitesburgGA17.029.74 ft, Sep 23, 20093
GA 100 at FranklinGA23.030.55 ft, Sep 24, 20091
West PointGA17.029.25 ft, Dec 10, 191914
14th Street at Columbus this gaugeAL27.055.20 ft, Mar 15, 19294
W.F. George Lock and DamAL134.0158.50 ft, Mar 17, 19290
George W. Andrews Lock and Dam (USACE)GA106.0128.28 ft, Mar 18, 19291

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CBUG1, 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.