Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Pea River at Elba (US 84)

Highest listed crest 43.50 ftFlood stage 30.0 ft20 crests since 1929

The Pea River at Elba (US 84) crested above flood stage 11 times among the 20 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1929 to 2020. The highest, 43.50 ft on March 15, 1929, was moderate flooding, 13.50 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Pea River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
43.50 ft
March 15, 1929; 68,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
30.0 ft
Major flooding from 46.0 ft
Crests at major
0
11 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
September 18, 2020
31.64 ft, minor flooding
Location
Coffee County
Near Enterprise (14.2 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Pea River at Elba (US 84)
Action stage25.09Jan 1, 2016The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)30.03Sep 18, 2020Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage32.08Dec 26, 2015Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage46.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

20 crests from 1929 to 2020. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Pea River at Elba (US 84), 1929 to 2020 253035404550ft Flood stage 30.0 ftMajor 46.0 ft Mar 15, 1929: 43.50 ft, moderate flooding; 68,000 cubic feet per secondJan 21, 1936: 29.55 ft, action stage; 24,300 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1937: 30.00 ft, minor flooding; 25,000 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1938: 35.00 ft, moderate flooding; 34,500 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1943: 26.80 ft, action stage; 20,400 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1944: 25.80 ft, action stage; 19,000 cubic feet per secondSep 25, 1956: 26.00 ft, action stage; 19,000 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1960: 31.45 ft, minor flooding; 27,500 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 1971: 25.65 ft, action stage; 18,500 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1973: 27.00 ft, action stage; 20,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 1975: 37.26 ft, moderate flooding; 38,200 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 1978: 28.60 ft, action stage; 22,900 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1990: 43.28 ft, moderate flooding; 56,600 cubic feet per secondJul 7, 1994: 38.33 ft, moderate flooding; 40,000 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1998: 39.23 ft, moderate flooding; 41,500 cubic feet per secondDec 15, 2009: 33.73 ft, moderate flooding; 31,900 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 2014: 25.58 ft, action stage; 18,700 cubic feet per secondDec 26, 2015: 41.42 ft, moderate flooding; 51,501 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 2016: 28.40 ft, action stage; 22,500 cubic feet per secondSep 18, 2020: 31.64 ft, minor flooding; 27,500 cubic feet per second Highest, 43.50 ft, Mar 15, 1929 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Pea River at Elba (US 84) 1920s: 1 1930s: 2 1940s: 0 1950s: 0 1960s: 1 1970s: 1 1980s: 0 1990s: 3 3 2000s: 1 2010s: 1 2020s: 1 1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Pea River at Elba (US 84)
1Mar 15, 192943.50+13.50Moderate68,000
2Mar 17, 199043.28+13.28Moderate56,600
3Dec 26, 201541.42+11.42Moderate51,501
4Mar 8, 199839.23+9.23Moderate41,500
5Jul 7, 199438.33+8.33Moderate40,000
6Feb 19, 197537.26+7.26Moderate38,200
7Mar 17, 193835.00+5.00Moderate34,500
8Dec 15, 200933.73+3.73Moderate31,900
9Sep 18, 202031.64+1.64Minor27,500
10Apr 5, 196031.45+1.45Minor27,500
11Apr 6, 193730.000.00Minor25,000
12Jan 21, 193629.55−0.45Action24,300
13Jan 26, 197828.60−1.40Action22,900
14Jan 1, 201628.40−1.60Action22,500
15Mar 12, 197327.00−3.00Action20,700
16Jan 19, 194326.80−3.20Action20,400
17Sep 25, 195626.00−4.00Action19,000
18Mar 24, 194425.80−4.20Action19,000
19Mar 27, 197125.65−4.35Action18,500
20Apr 8, 201425.58−4.42Action18,700

The worst floods along the Pea River

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

March 15, 1929: 43.50 ft here, moderate flooding

March 17, 1990: 43.28 ft here, moderate flooding

December 26, 2015: 41.42 ft here, moderate flooding

Gauges on the Pea River

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

Flood gauges on the Pea River
Ariton (US 231)AL14.025.39 ft, Dec 25, 20152
Elba (US 84) this gaugeAL30.043.50 ft, Mar 15, 19290
Samson (CR 52)AL35.045.30 ft, Mar 15, 19290

Other gauges in Coffee County

Flood gauges in Coffee County
Enterprise (CR 606)10.016.45 ft, Jul 6, 19942

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge ELBA1, 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.