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Chattahoochee River near Fairburn

Highest listed crest 31.60 ftFlood stage 20.0 ft11 crests since 1919

The Chattahoochee River near Fairburn crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 11 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1919 to 2024. The highest, 31.60 ft on December 10, 1919, was major flooding, 11.60 feet above flood stage. 6 other gauges on the Chattahoochee River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 2 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
31.60 ft
December 10, 1919; 75,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
20.0 ft
Major flooding from 30.0 ft
Crests at major
2
52nd of 271 gauges in Georgia
Most recent flood crest
September 28, 2024
24.15 ft, minor flooding
Location
Douglas County
Near South Fulton (5.4 mi), Douglasville (5.8 mi), Union City (7.7 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 near Fairburn
Action stage17.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)20.06Sep 28, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage25.03Jul 12, 2005Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage30.02Sep 23, 2009Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

11 crests from 1919 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Chattahoochee River near Fairburn, 1919 to 2024 20222426283032ft Flood stage 20.0 ftMajor 30.0 ft Dec 10, 1919: 31.60 ft, major flooding; 75,000 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 1972: 23.56 ft, minor flooding; 32,700 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1976: 24.09 ft, minor flooding; 34,300 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 1979: 25.18 ft, moderate flooding; 37,500 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1990: 25.74 ft, moderate flooding; 39,200 cubic feet per secondJul 12, 2005: 25.96 ft, moderate flooding; 39,895 cubic feet per secondSep 23, 2009: 30.65 ft, major flooding; 55,902 cubic feet per secondNov 12, 2009: 21.56 ft, minor flooding; 26,166 cubic feet per secondDec 25, 2015: 20.14 ft, minor flooding; 22,751 cubic feet per secondDec 29, 2018: 21.22 ft, minor flooding; 25,308 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 2024: 24.15 ft, minor flooding; 34,388 cubic feet per second Highest, 31.60 ft, Dec 10, 1919 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Chattahoochee River near Fairburn 1910s: 1 1920s: 0 1930s: 0 1940s: 0 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 3 3 1980s: 0 1990s: 1 2000s: 3 2010s: 2 2020s: 1 1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 near Fairburn
1Dec 10, 191931.60+11.60Major75,000
2Sep 23, 200930.65+10.65Major55,902
3Jul 12, 200525.96+5.96Moderate39,895
4Mar 17, 199025.74+5.74Moderate39,200
5Apr 14, 197925.18+5.18Moderate37,500
6Sep 28, 202424.15+4.15Minor34,388
7Mar 16, 197624.09+4.09Minor34,300
8Jan 11, 197223.56+3.56Minor32,700
9Nov 12, 200921.56+1.56Minor26,166
10Dec 29, 201821.22+1.22Minor25,308
11Dec 25, 201520.14+0.14Minor22,751

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.

December 10, 1919: 31.60 ft here, major flooding

September 23, 2009: 30.65 ft here, major flooding

July 12, 2005: 25.96 ft here, moderate 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 AtlantaGA24.035.98 ft, Sep 22, 20093
Fairburn this gaugeGA20.031.60 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 Douglas County

Flood gauges in Douglas County
GA 5 near Fairplay13.033.83 ft, Sep 21, 20091
Austell21.025.43 ft, Sep 28, 20240
Austell10.030.82 ft, Sep 22, 200911

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge FBNG1, 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.