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Tennessee River at Florence

Highest listed crest 32.50 ftFlood stage 18.0 ft53 crests since 1897

The Tennessee River at Florence crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 53 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1897 to 2025. The highest, 32.50 ft on March 19, 1897, was major flooding, 14.50 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
32.50 ft
March 19, 1897; 444,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
18.0 ft
Major flooding from 32.0 ft
Crests at major
1
35th of 89 gauges in Alabama
Most recent flood crest
February 17, 2025
20.18 ft, minor flooding
Location
Lauderdale County
Near Florence (3.0 mi), Muscle Shoals (3.7 mi)

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 Florence
Action stage16.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)18.048Feb 17, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage27.04Feb 24, 2019Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage32.01Mar 19, 1897Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

53 crests from 1897 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Tennessee River at Florence, 1897 to 2025 1520253035ft Flood stage 18.0 ftMajor 32.0 ft Mar 19, 1897: 32.50 ft, major flooding; 444,000 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1899: 25.10 ft, minor flooding; 325,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1948: 28.00 ft, moderate floodingMar 30, 1965: 24.60 ft, minor flooding; 341,000 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 1968: 20.82 ft, minor flooding; 260,000 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1973: 30.03 ft, moderate flooding; 530,000 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1979: 20.21 ft, minor flooding; 237,000 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1980: 24.83 ft, minor flooding; 336,000 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 1984: 23.81 ft, minor flooding; 339,000 cubic feet per secondNov 2, 1989: 21.91 ft, minor flooding; 318,000 cubic feet per secondDec 23, 1990: 27.58 ft, moderate flooding; 440,000 cubic feet per secondDec 3, 1991: 25.12 ft, minor flooding; 332,000 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 1993: 20.83 ft, minor flooding; 222,000 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1994: 25.53 ft, minor flooding; 364,000 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1998: 21.50 ft, minor floodingApr 22, 1998: 20.40 ft, minor floodingFeb 19, 2001: 19.16 ft, minor floodingFeb 18, 2003: 21.94 ft, minor floodingMay 7, 2003: 25.53 ft, minor floodingFeb 9, 2004: 20.44 ft, minor floodingSep 20, 2004: 20.75 ft, minor floodingNov 26, 2004: 19.07 ft, minor floodingDec 1, 2004: 20.58 ft, minor floodingDec 10, 2004: 25.98 ft, minor floodingDec 13, 2008: 18.42 ft, minor floodingJan 11, 2009: 19.64 ft, minor floodingMay 4, 2009: 20.24 ft, minor floodingMay 8, 2009: 22.43 ft, minor floodingDec 13, 2009: 19.34 ft, minor floodingJan 28, 2010: 19.18 ft, minor floodingFeb 10, 2010: 19.74 ft, minor floodingMay 3, 2010: 21.21 ft, minor floodingMar 12, 2011: 22.00 ft, minor floodingApr 29, 2011: 20.90 ft, minor floodingSep 7, 2011: 18.30 ft, minor floodingJan 30, 2012: 18.40 ft, minor floodingJan 18, 2013: 22.18 ft, minor floodingMay 8, 2013: 21.74 ft, minor floodingJul 12, 2013: 21.55 ft, minor floodingDec 29, 2015: 23.67 ft, minor floodingMar 1, 2018: 20.67 ft, minor floodingJan 2, 2019: 20.28 ft, minor floodingJan 6, 2019: 18.00 ft, minor floodingJan 28, 2019: 18.38 ft, minor floodingFeb 18, 2019: 18.04 ft, minor floodingFeb 24, 2019: 28.99 ft, moderate floodingFeb 13, 2020: 25.49 ft, minor floodingMar 26, 2020: 22.00 ft, minor floodingApr 15, 2020: 21.49 ft, minor floodingMar 20, 2021: 18.75 ft, minor floodingApr 1, 2021: 21.49 ft, minor floodingFeb 27, 2022: 21.22 ft, minor floodingFeb 17, 2025: 20.18 ft, minor flooding Highest, 32.50 ft, Mar 19, 1897 1900192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Tennessee River at Florence 1890s: 2 1900s: 0 1910s: 0 1920s: 0 1930s: 0 1940s: 1 1950s: 0 1960s: 2 1970s: 2 1980s: 3 1990s: 6 2000s: 13 2010s: 17 17 2020s: 7 1890s1900s1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 53 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Tennessee River at Florence
1Mar 19, 189732.50+14.50Major444,000
2Mar 17, 197330.03+12.03Moderate530,000
3Feb 24, 201928.99+10.99Moderate—
4Feb 13, 194828.00+10.00Moderate—
5Dec 23, 199027.58+9.58Moderate440,000
6Dec 10, 200425.98+7.98Minor—
7Mar 28, 199425.53+7.53Minor364,000
8May 7, 200325.53+7.53Minor—
9Feb 13, 202025.49+7.49Minor—
10Dec 3, 199125.12+7.12Minor332,000
11Mar 20, 189925.10+7.10Minor325,000
12Mar 22, 198024.83+6.83Minor336,000
13Mar 30, 196524.60+6.60Minor341,000
14May 4, 198423.81+5.81Minor339,000
15Dec 29, 201523.67+5.67Minor—
16May 8, 200922.43+4.43Minor—
17Jan 18, 201322.18+4.18Minor—
18Mar 12, 201122.00+4.00Minor—
19Mar 26, 202022.00+4.00Minor—
20Feb 18, 200321.94+3.94Minor—
21Nov 2, 198921.91+3.91Minor318,000
22May 8, 201321.74+3.74Minor—
23Jul 12, 201321.55+3.55Minor—
24Mar 3, 199821.50+3.50Minor—
25Apr 15, 202021.49+3.49Minor—
26Apr 1, 202121.49+3.49Minor—
27Feb 27, 202221.22+3.22Minor—
28May 3, 201021.21+3.21Minor—
29Apr 29, 201120.90+2.90Minor—
30Mar 27, 199320.83+2.83Minor222,000
31Jan 10, 196820.82+2.82Minor260,000
32Sep 20, 200420.75+2.75Minor—
33Mar 1, 201820.67+2.67Minor—
34Dec 1, 200420.58+2.58Minor—
35Feb 9, 200420.44+2.44Minor—
36Apr 22, 199820.40+2.40Minor—
37Jan 2, 201920.28+2.28Minor—
38May 4, 200920.24+2.24Minor—
39Mar 6, 197920.21+2.21Minor237,000
40Feb 17, 202520.18+2.18Minor—
41Feb 10, 201019.74+1.74Minor—
42Jan 11, 200919.64+1.64Minor—
43Dec 13, 200919.34+1.34Minor—
44Jan 28, 201019.18+1.18Minor—
45Feb 19, 200119.16+1.16Minor—
46Nov 26, 200419.07+1.07Minor—
47Mar 20, 202118.75+0.75Minor—
48Dec 13, 200818.42+0.42Minor—
49Jan 30, 201218.40+0.40Minor—
50Jan 28, 201918.38+0.38Minor—

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 19, 1897: 32.50 ft here, major flooding

  • SavannahTN · Mar 21, 1897 · 401.20 ft · Major · its highest

March 17, 1973: 30.03 ft here, moderate flooding

  • ChattanoogaTN · Mar 18, 1973 · 657.98 ft · Major
  • SavannahTN · Mar 20, 1973 · 396.11 ft · Major
  • PerryvilleTN · Mar 21, 1973 · 377.80 ft · Major
  • WhitesburgAL · Mar 19, 1973 · 26.10 ft · Major · its highest
  • DecaturAL · Mar 18, 1973 · 9.97 ft · Minor

February 24, 2019: 28.99 ft here, moderate flooding

  • SavannahTN · Feb 26, 2019 · 395.30 ft · Major
  • PerryvilleTN · Feb 27, 2019 · 378.20 ft · Major
  • WhitesburgAL · Feb 25, 2019 · 22.90 ft · Moderate
  • ChattanoogaTN · Feb 24, 2019 · 651.14 ft · Minor
  • DecaturAL · Feb 24, 2019 · 10.11 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
ChattanoogaTN651.1678.90 ft, Mar 11, 18674
DecaturAL9.014.80 ft, Mar 15, 18671
Florence this gaugeAL18.032.50 ft, Mar 19, 18971
JohnsonvilleTN361.5372.64 ft, May 4, 20111
PerryvilleTN365.0380.90 ft, Mar 1, 18975
SavannahTN370.0401.20 ft, Mar 21, 189713
WhitesburgAL17.026.10 ft, Mar 19, 19738

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge FLOA1, 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.