Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Chattahoochee River at GA 280 near Atlanta

Highest listed crest 35.98 ftFlood stage 24.0 ft14 crests since 1979

The Chattahoochee River at GA 280 near Atlanta crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 14 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1979 to 2025. The highest, 35.98 ft on September 22, 2009, was major flooding, 11.98 feet above flood stage. 10 other gauges on the Chattahoochee River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 5 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
35.98 ft
September 22, 2009; 42,300 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
24.0 ft
Major flooding from 31.0 ft
Crests at major
3
39th of 271 gauges in Georgia
Most recent flood crest
February 13, 2025
24.08 ft, minor flooding
Location
Fulton County
Near Smyrna (3.8 mi), Atlanta (5.0 mi), Mableton (5.6 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Chattahoochee River at GA 280 near Atlanta
Action stage22.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)24.07Feb 13, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage28.04Sep 17, 2004Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage31.03Sep 27, 2024Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

14 crests from 1979 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Chattahoochee River at GA 280 near Atlanta, 1979 to 2025 24262830323436ft Flood stage 24.0 ftMajor 31.0 ft Apr 13, 1979: 30.71 ft, moderate flooding; 32,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 3, 1982: 28.91 ft, moderate flooding; 28,300 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1990: 31.51 ft, major flooding; 33,300 cubic feet per secondOct 5, 1995: 28.73 ft, moderate flooding; 28,500 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 2004: 30.29 ft, moderate flooding; 31,000 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 2009: 35.98 ft, major flooding; 42,300 cubic feet per secondNov 11, 2009: 27.86 ft, minor flooding; 27,188 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 2010: 24.04 ft, minor flooding; 21,559 cubic feet per secondDec 29, 2018: 27.52 ft, minor flooding; 26,698 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 2019: 26.33 ft, minor flooding; 24,907 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 2020: 24.82 ft, minor flooding; 22,740 cubic feet per secondOct 11, 2020: 27.46 ft, minor flooding; 26,612 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 2024: 32.22 ft, major floodingFeb 13, 2025: 24.08 ft, minor flooding; 21,640 cubic feet per second Highest, 35.98 ft, Sep 22, 2009 19801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Chattahoochee River at GA 280 near Atlanta 1970s: 1 1980s: 1 1990s: 2 2000s: 3 2010s: 3 2020s: 4 4 1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Chattahoochee River at GA 280 near Atlanta
1Sep 22, 200935.98+11.98Major42,300
2Sep 27, 202432.22+8.22Major—
3Mar 17, 199031.51+7.51Major33,300
4Apr 13, 197930.71+6.71Moderate32,000
5Sep 17, 200430.29+6.29Moderate31,000
6Feb 3, 198228.91+4.91Moderate28,300
7Oct 5, 199528.73+4.73Moderate28,500
8Nov 11, 200927.86+3.86Minor27,188
9Dec 29, 201827.52+3.52Minor26,698
10Oct 11, 202027.46+3.46Minor26,612
11Apr 19, 201926.33+2.33Minor24,907
12Sep 17, 202024.82+0.82Minor22,740
13Feb 13, 202524.08+0.08Minor21,640
14May 3, 201024.04+0.04Minor21,559

The worst floods along the Chattahoochee River

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

September 22, 2009: 35.98 ft here, major flooding

September 27, 2024: 32.22 ft here, major flooding

March 17, 1990: 31.51 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Chattahoochee River

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

Flood gauges on the Chattahoochee River
HelenGA6.012.00 ft, Aug 23, 19672
CorneliaGA14.020.63 ft, Oct 11, 20200
Highway 141 near NorcrossGA12.027.70 ft, Jan 8, 194613
RoswellGA9.011.96 ft, Sep 21, 20090
Morgan Falls Dam near RoswellGA821.0827.01 ft, Sep 22, 20091
US 41 at AtlantaGA14.028.59 ft, Sep 22, 20095
AtlantaGA14.029.00 ft, Dec 10, 191913
GA 280 near Atlanta this gaugeGA24.035.98 ft, Sep 22, 20093
FairburnGA20.031.60 ft, Dec 10, 19192
WhitesburgGA17.029.74 ft, Sep 23, 20093
GA 100 at FranklinGA23.030.55 ft, Sep 24, 20091
West PointGA17.029.25 ft, Dec 10, 191914
14th Street at ColumbusAL27.055.20 ft, Mar 15, 19294
W.F. George Lock and DamAL134.0158.50 ft, Mar 17, 19290
George W. Andrews Lock and Dam (USACE)GA106.0128.28 ft, Mar 18, 19291

Other gauges in Fulton County

Flood gauges in Fulton County
Hog Wallow at Roswell10.015.41 ft, Sep 22, 20090
Alpharetta7.013.05 ft, Feb 3, 19821
Roswell9.011.96 ft, Sep 21, 20090
Atlanta14.029.00 ft, Dec 10, 191913
Highway 141 near Norcross12.027.70 ft, Jan 8, 194613
Morgan Falls Dam near Roswell821.0827.01 ft, Sep 22, 20091
Rickenbacker Drive at Atlanta11.015.50 ft, Dec 1, 19738
West Wesley Road at Atlanta12.025.46 ft, Sep 22, 20093
Atlanta17.025.80 ft, Dec 9, 19199
Jackson Parkway at Atlanta13.018.03 ft, Mar 13, 19750
Atlanta12.015.95 ft, Mar 13, 20190
Forrest Park Road at Atlanta15.016.62 ft, Sep 19, 20090
Great Southwest Parkway near Atlanta18.027.89 ft, Sep 22, 20091
Defoors Ferry Road at Atlanta15.023.61 ft, Sep 22, 20091

Fulton County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Georgia

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CHAG1, 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.