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Limestone Creek (AL) near Athens (Capshaw)

Highest listed crest 17.48 ftFlood stage 12.0 ft25 crests since 1949

The Limestone Creek (AL) near Athens (Capshaw) crested above flood stage 21 times among the 25 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1949 to 2020. The highest, 17.48 ft on March 16, 1973, was moderate flooding, 5.48 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
17.48 ft
March 16, 1973; 45,800 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
12.0 ft
Major flooding from 20.0 ft
Crests at major
0
21 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
February 6, 2020
12.56 ft, minor flooding
Location
Limestone County
Near Madison (4.5 mi), Athens (7.5 mi), Huntsville (9.1 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Limestone Creek (AL) near Athens (Capshaw)
Action stage10.02Feb 22, 2003The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)12.020Feb 6, 2020Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage16.01Mar 16, 1973Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage20.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

25 crests from 1949 to 2020. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Limestone Creek (AL) near Athens (Capshaw), 1949 to 2020 5101520ft Flood stage 12.0 ftMajor 20.0 ft Jan 5, 1949: 12.89 ft, minor flooding; 15,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 1951: 13.16 ft, minor flooding; 16,000 cubic feet per secondJan 21, 1954: 14.32 ft, minor flooding; 21,000 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1963: 15.50 ft, minor flooding; 26,000 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1964: 13.00 ft, minor flooding; 15,500 cubic feet per secondDec 18, 1967: 12.17 ft, minor flooding; 12,500 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1973: 17.48 ft, moderate flooding; 45,800 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 1975: 12.21 ft, minor flooding; 12,500 cubic feet per secondOct 17, 1975: 12.61 ft, minor flooding; 13,600 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1977: 12.38 ft, minor flooding; 13,000 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1980: 12.12 ft, minor flooding; 12,200 cubic feet per secondJan 4, 1982: 11.81 ft, action stage; 10,500 cubic feet per secondDec 23, 1991: 15.20 ft, minor flooding; 26,700 cubic feet per secondJan 23, 1999: 13.56 ft, minor flooding; 17,000 cubic feet per secondJul 5, 2001: 9.36 ft, below flood stage; 5,180 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 2003: 7.91 ft, below flood stage; 3,444 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 2003: 10.68 ft, action stage; 7,552 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 2003: 12.49 ft, minor flooding; 13,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 2004: 12.99 ft, minor flooding; 15,400 cubic feet per secondDec 7, 2004: 12.00 ft, minor flooding; 11,800 cubic feet per secondDec 9, 2009: 12.82 ft, minor flooding; 13,959 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 2011: 15.10 ft, minor flooding; 23,199 cubic feet per secondJul 5, 2013: 12.67 ft, minor flooding; 13,418 cubic feet per secondDec 26, 2015: 12.01 ft, minor flooding; 11,036 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 2020: 12.56 ft, minor flooding; 13,021 cubic feet per second Highest, 17.48 ft, Mar 16, 1973 19501960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Limestone Creek (AL) near Athens (Capshaw) 1940s: 1 1950s: 2 1960s: 3 1970s: 4 4 1980s: 1 1990s: 2 2000s: 4 2010s: 3 2020s: 1 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Limestone Creek (AL) near Athens (Capshaw)
1Mar 16, 197317.48+5.48Moderate45,800
2Mar 12, 196315.50+3.50Minor26,000
3Dec 23, 199115.20+3.20Minor26,700
4Apr 28, 201115.10+3.10Minor23,199
5Jan 21, 195414.32+2.32Minor21,000
6Jan 23, 199913.56+1.56Minor17,000
7Feb 1, 195113.16+1.16Minor16,000
8Mar 15, 196413.00+1.00Minor15,500
9Feb 6, 200412.99+0.99Minor15,400
10Jan 5, 194912.89+0.89Minor15,000
11Dec 9, 200912.82+0.82Minor13,959
12Jul 5, 201312.67+0.67Minor13,418
13Oct 17, 197512.61+0.61Minor13,600
14Feb 6, 202012.56+0.56Minor13,021
15May 6, 200312.49+0.49Minor13,500
16Apr 5, 197712.38+0.38Minor13,000
17Mar 13, 197512.21+0.21Minor12,500
18Dec 18, 196712.17+0.17Minor12,500
19Mar 20, 198012.12+0.12Minor12,200
20Dec 26, 201512.01+0.01Minor11,036
21Dec 7, 200412.000.00Minor11,800
22Jan 4, 198211.81−0.19Action10,500
23Feb 22, 200310.68−1.32Action7,552
24Jul 5, 20019.36−2.64Below flood stage5,180
25Feb 16, 20037.91−4.09Below flood stage3,444

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge ATNA1, 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.