Tallapoosa River at Horseshoe Bend

Highest listed crest 23.59 ftFlood stage 14.0 ft7 crests since 1990

The Tallapoosa River at Horseshoe Bend crested above flood stage 4 times among the 7 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1990 to 2024. The highest, 23.59 ft on May 9, 2023, was minor flooding, 9.59 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest: 23.59 ft; May 9, 2023; 132,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage: 14.0 ft; No major stage set
Crests at major: 0; 4 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest: May 9, 2023; 23.59 ft, minor flooding
Location: Tallapoosa County; Near Alexander City (12.4 mi)
Identifiers: NWS HBPA1; USGS 02414715

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Tallapoosa River at Horseshoe Bend

Flood stage (minor)	14.0	4	May 9, 2023	Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat

Every listed crest

7 crests from 1990 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

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.
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, Tallapoosa River at Horseshoe Bend

1	May 9, 2023	23.59	+9.59	Minor	132,000
2	Mar 17, 1990	19.15	+5.15	Minor	91,400
3	May 19, 2013	15.66	+1.66	Minor	60,200
4	Mar 27, 2023	14.91	+0.91	Minor	41,500
5	Mar 8, 1998	13.62	−0.38	Below flood stage	45,500
6	May 5, 2021	13.60	−0.40	Below flood stage	53,400
7	Mar 9, 2024	12.92	−1.08	Below flood stage	—

The worst floods along the Tallapoosa River

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

March 17, 1990: 19.15 ft here, minor flooding

Tallapoosa Water PlantAL · Mar 18, 1990 · 42.13 ft · Major · its highest
MilsteadAL · Mar 17, 1990 · 49.85 ft · Moderate
WadleyAL · Mar 17, 1990 · 26.72 ft · Moderate

May 19, 2013: 15.66 ft here, minor flooding

WadleyAL · May 18, 2013 · 24.13 ft · Moderate

March 27, 2023: 14.91 ft here, minor flooding

Tallapoosa Water PlantAL · Mar 29, 2023 · 33.59 ft · Moderate
MilsteadAL · Mar 28, 2023 · 45.97 ft · Minor
WadleyAL · Mar 27, 2023 · 13.88 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Tallapoosa River

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Tallapoosa River

Horseshoe Bend this gauge	AL	14.0	23.59 ft, May 9, 2023	0
Milstead	AL	40.0	54.00 ft, Dec 10, 1919	1
Tallapoosa Water Plant	AL	25.0	42.13 ft, Mar 18, 1990	1
US 78 near Tallapoosa	GA	16.0	19.96 ft, Mar 16, 2025	0
Wadley	AL	13.0	37.30 ft, May 8, 2003	2
Heflin	AL	13.0	14.49 ft, Aug 3, 2025	0

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge HBPA1, 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.