Tennessee River at Decatur

Highest listed crest 14.80 ftFlood stage 9.0 ft9 crests since 1867

The Tennessee River at Decatur crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 9 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1867 to 2019. The highest, 14.80 ft on March 15, 1867, was major flooding, 5.80 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Tennessee River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest: 14.80 ft; March 15, 1867
Flood stage: 9.0 ft; Major flooding from 14.0 ft
Crests at major: 1; 35th of 89 gauges in Alabama
Most recent flood crest: February 24, 2019; 10.11 ft, minor flooding
Location: Morgan County; Near Decatur (2.8 mi), Athens (11.7 mi), Hartselle (12.0 mi)
Identifiers: NWS DECA1; USGS 03577150

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Tennessee River at Decatur

Action stage	7.5	3	Feb 8, 2004	The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)	9.0	5	Feb 24, 2019	Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage	12.0	0	—	Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage	14.0	1	Mar 15, 1867	Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

9 crests from 1867 to 2019. 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, Tennessee River at Decatur

1	Mar 15, 1867	14.80	+5.80	Major	—
2	May 10, 2003	10.29	+1.29	Minor	—
3	Feb 24, 2019	10.11	+1.11	Minor	—
4	Mar 18, 1973	9.97	+0.97	Minor	—
5	Dec 29, 2015	9.55	+0.55	Minor	—
6	Oct 6, 2004	9.34	+0.34	Minor	—
7	Feb 18, 2003	8.23	−0.77	Action	—
8	Feb 8, 2004	8.09	−0.91	Action	—
9	Aug 13, 2001	8.07	−0.93	Action	—

The worst floods along the Tennessee River

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

March 15, 1867: 14.80 ft here, major flooding

ChattanoogaTN · Mar 11, 1867 · 678.90 ft · Major · its highest

May 10, 2003: 10.29 ft here, minor flooding

ChattanoogaTN · May 8, 2003 · 657.20 ft · Major
SavannahTN · May 12, 2003 · 390.70 ft · Major
PerryvilleTN · May 13, 2003 · 377.10 ft · Major
WhitesburgAL · May 9, 2003 · 24.67 ft · Major
FlorenceAL · May 7, 2003 · 25.53 ft · Minor

February 24, 2019: 10.11 ft here, minor flooding

SavannahTN · Feb 26, 2019 · 395.30 ft · Major
PerryvilleTN · Feb 27, 2019 · 378.20 ft · Major
FlorenceAL · Feb 24, 2019 · 28.99 ft · Moderate
WhitesburgAL · Feb 25, 2019 · 22.90 ft · Moderate
ChattanoogaTN · Feb 24, 2019 · 651.14 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Tennessee River

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

Flood gauges on the Tennessee River

Chattanooga	TN	651.1	678.90 ft, Mar 11, 1867	4
Decatur this gauge	AL	9.0	14.80 ft, Mar 15, 1867	1
Florence	AL	18.0	32.50 ft, Mar 19, 1897	1
Johnsonville	TN	361.5	372.64 ft, May 4, 2011	1
Perryville	TN	365.0	380.90 ft, Mar 1, 1897	5
Savannah	TN	370.0	401.20 ft, Mar 21, 1897	13
Whitesburg	AL	17.0	26.10 ft, Mar 19, 1973	8

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge DECA1, 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.