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Etowah River at Canton

Highest listed crest 26.70 ftFlood stage 16.0 ft94 crests since 1892

The Etowah River at Canton crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 94 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1892 to 2025. The highest, 26.70 ft on January 7, 1946, was major flooding, 10.70 feet above flood stage. 5 other gauges on the Etowah River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 2 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
26.70 ft
January 7, 1946; 32,300 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
16.0 ft
Major flooding from 26.0 ft
Crests at major
2
52nd of 271 gauges in Georgia
Most recent flood crest
February 13, 2025
20.96 ft, minor flooding
Location
Cherokee County
Near Canton (0.5 mi), Holly Springs (5.1 mi), Woodstock (9.5 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Etowah River at Canton
Action stage15.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)16.067Feb 13, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage22.025Sep 17, 2004Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage26.02Jan 7, 1946Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

94 crests from 1892 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Etowah River at Canton, 1892 to 2025 16182022242628ft Flood stage 16.0 ftMajor 26.0 ft Jan 1, 1892: 25.00 ft, moderate flooding; 36,700 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 1895: 17.50 ft, minor flooding; 12,400 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1899: 22.20 ft, moderate flooding; 20,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 12, 1900: 16.20 ft, minor flooding; 12,300 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 1901: 21.60 ft, minor flooding; 19,600 cubic feet per secondDec 29, 1901: 22.20 ft, moderate flooding; 20,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 1903: 22.00 ft, moderate flooding; 20,400 cubic feet per secondDec 3, 1905: 18.30 ft, minor flooding; 12,900 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1908: 16.60 ft, minor flooding; 10,600 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1909: 19.50 ft, minor flooding; 14,900 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1911: 17.20 ft, minor flooding; 11,100 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1912: 21.20 ft, minor flooding; 18,400 cubic feet per secondJul 10, 1916: 25.90 ft, moderate flooding; 36,100 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1917: 19.60 ft, minor flooding; 14,300 cubic feet per secondDec 22, 1918: 25.20 ft, moderate flooding; 29,500 cubic feet per secondDec 10, 1919: 26.30 ft, major flooding; 36,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 9, 1921: 23.20 ft, moderate flooding; 21,500 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 1922: 17.60 ft, minor flooding; 10,200 cubic feet per secondDec 18, 1922: 19.00 ft, minor flooding; 11,700 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1925: 16.10 ft, minor flooding; 8,740 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1927: 16.50 ft, minor flooding; 9,460 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 1928: 17.60 ft, minor flooding; 10,700 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1929: 19.50 ft, minor flooding; 13,600 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1930: 20.20 ft, minor flooding; 15,300 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1932: 17.30 ft, minor flooding; 10,400 cubic feet per secondDec 12, 1932: 25.20 ft, moderate flooding; 28,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 1936: 23.20 ft, moderate flooding; 22,700 cubic feet per secondJan 3, 1937: 20.50 ft, minor flooding; 15,300 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 1938: 22.40 ft, moderate flooding; 19,700 cubic feet per secondAug 13, 1940: 16.00 ft, minor flooding; 8,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 1942: 21.20 ft, minor flooding; 13,300 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 1942: 18.40 ft, minor flooding; 10,100 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1944: 19.00 ft, minor flooding; 10,600 cubic feet per secondJan 7, 1946: 26.70 ft, major flooding; 32,300 cubic feet per secondJan 21, 1947: 21.20 ft, minor flooding; 14,500 cubic feet per secondAug 5, 1948: 16.10 ft, minor flooding; 8,500 cubic feet per secondNov 29, 1948: 22.40 ft, moderate flooding; 17,200 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1950: 16.10 ft, minor flooding; 8,500 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1952: 23.30 ft, moderate flooding; 19,500 cubic feet per secondJan 17, 1954: 21.70 ft, minor flooding; 15,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 1955: 20.10 ft, minor flooding; 12,600 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1957: 21.70 ft, minor flooding; 15,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 1961: 23.20 ft, moderate flooding; 19,300 cubic feet per secondDec 13, 1961: 23.80 ft, moderate flooding; 20,900 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 1963: 24.38 ft, moderate flooding; 22,600 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 1964: 24.70 ft, moderate flooding; 25,000 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1965: 16.04 ft, minor flooding; 8,740 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1966: 22.67 ft, moderate flooding; 19,000 cubic feet per secondAug 25, 1967: 21.32 ft, minor flooding; 15,900 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 1968: 18.24 ft, minor flooding; 11,000 cubic feet per secondAug 23, 1969: 18.91 ft, minor flooding; 11,900 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 1972: 20.41 ft, minor flooding; 14,200 cubic feet per secondDec 16, 1972: 18.56 ft, minor flooding; 11,200 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1974: 19.20 ft, minor flooding; 12,300 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1975: 19.04 ft, minor flooding; 11,900 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1976: 22.76 ft, moderate flooding; 19,000 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1977: 23.56 ft, moderate flooding; 18,500 cubic feet per secondNov 6, 1977: 21.96 ft, minor flooding; 17,200 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 1979: 23.57 ft, moderate flooding; 21,600 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 1980: 20.17 ft, minor flooding; 14,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 3, 1982: 24.45 ft, moderate flooding; 24,100 cubic feet per secondDec 7, 1983: 18.05 ft, minor flooding; 12,800 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1987: 18.43 ft, minor flooding; 12,200 cubic feet per secondOct 2, 1989: 24.20 ft, moderate flooding; 23,298 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1990: 25.33 ft, moderate flooding; 27,100 cubic feet per secondDec 17, 1992: 17.28 ft, minor flooding; 10,900 cubic feet per secondOct 6, 1995: 17.00 ft, minor flooding; 10,610 cubic feet per secondJan 28, 1996: 22.72 ft, moderate flooding; 19,500 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1996: 21.00 ft, minor flooding; 16,330 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1997: 16.11 ft, minor flooding; 11,300 cubic feet per secondOct 27, 1997: 18.05 ft, minor floodingFeb 5, 1998: 19.82 ft, minor floodingMar 9, 1998: 17.67 ft, minor floodingMar 6, 2003: 18.43 ft, minor flooding; 13,600 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 2004: 22.39 ft, moderate floodingJan 7, 2009: 18.47 ft, minor flooding; 13,667 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 2009: 20.73 ft, minor flooding; 16,217 cubic feet per secondNov 11, 2009: 17.11 ft, minor flooding; 12,219 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 2013: 16.28 ft, minor flooding; 11,440 cubic feet per secondAug 8, 2013: 20.16 ft, minor flooding; 15,520 cubic feet per secondDec 23, 2013: 18.90 ft, minor flooding; 14,083 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 2014: 16.28 ft, minor flooding; 11,399 cubic feet per secondJan 5, 2015: 17.55 ft, minor flooding; 12,699 cubic feet per secondDec 25, 2015: 17.02 ft, minor flooding; 12,147 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 2019: 18.87 ft, minor flooding; 14,061 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 2019: 16.89 ft, minor flooding; 12,035 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 2020: 20.02 ft, minor flooding; 15,294 cubic feet per secondFeb 12, 2020: 18.63 ft, minor flooding; 13,811 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 2021: 16.69 ft, minor flooding; 11,835 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 2022: 17.02 ft, minor flooding; 12,166 cubic feet per secondJan 5, 2023: 17.56 ft, minor floodingJan 10, 2024: 17.72 ft, minor flooding; 12,874 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 2024: 16.78 ft, minor flooding; 11,925 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 2025: 20.96 ft, minor flooding; 16,566 cubic feet per second Highest, 26.70 ft, Jan 7, 1946 1900192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Etowah River at Canton 1890s: 3 1900s: 7 1910s: 6 1920s: 7 1930s: 6 1940s: 8 1950s: 5 1960s: 9 9 1970s: 8 1980s: 5 1990s: 9 2000s: 5 2010s: 8 2020s: 8 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 94 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Etowah River at Canton
1Jan 7, 194626.70+10.70Major32,300
2Dec 10, 191926.30+10.30Major36,100
3Jul 10, 191625.90+9.90Moderate36,100
4Mar 17, 199025.33+9.33Moderate27,100
5Dec 22, 191825.20+9.20Moderate29,500
6Dec 12, 193225.20+9.20Moderate28,200
7Jan 1, 189225.00+9.00Moderate36,700
8Mar 26, 196424.70+8.70Moderate25,000
9Feb 3, 198224.45+8.45Moderate24,100
10Apr 30, 196324.38+8.38Moderate22,600
11Oct 2, 198924.20+8.20Moderate23,298
12Dec 13, 196123.80+7.80Moderate20,900
13Apr 14, 197923.57+7.57Moderate21,600
14Mar 31, 197723.56+7.56Moderate18,500
15Mar 23, 195223.30+7.30Moderate19,500
16Feb 9, 192123.20+7.20Moderate21,500
17Feb 5, 193623.20+7.20Moderate22,700
18Feb 26, 196123.20+7.20Moderate19,300
19Mar 31, 197622.76+6.76Moderate19,000
20Jan 28, 199622.72+6.72Moderate19,500
21Mar 4, 196622.67+6.67Moderate19,000
22Apr 8, 193822.40+6.40Moderate19,700
23Nov 29, 194822.40+6.40Moderate17,200
24Sep 17, 200422.39+6.39Moderate—
25Mar 16, 189922.20+6.20Moderate20,800
26Dec 29, 190122.20+6.20Moderate20,800
27Feb 17, 190322.00+6.00Moderate20,400
28Nov 6, 197721.96+5.96Minor17,200
29Jan 17, 195421.70+5.70Minor15,500
30Apr 5, 195721.70+5.70Minor15,500
31May 21, 190121.60+5.60Minor19,600
32Aug 25, 196721.32+5.32Minor15,900
33Mar 15, 191221.20+5.20Minor18,400
34Feb 17, 194221.20+5.20Minor13,300
35Jan 21, 194721.20+5.20Minor14,500
36Mar 7, 199621.00+5.00Minor16,330
37Feb 13, 202520.96+4.96Minor16,566
38Sep 22, 200920.73+4.73Minor16,217
39Jan 3, 193720.50+4.50Minor15,300
40Jan 11, 197220.41+4.41Minor14,200
41Mar 7, 193020.20+4.20Minor15,300
42Mar 9, 198020.17+4.17Minor14,900
43Aug 8, 201320.16+4.16Minor15,520
44Feb 7, 195520.10+4.10Minor12,600
45Feb 7, 202020.02+4.02Minor15,294
46Feb 5, 199819.82+3.82Minor—
47Mar 24, 191719.60+3.60Minor14,300
48Mar 14, 190919.50+3.50Minor14,900
49Mar 5, 192919.50+3.50Minor13,600
50Apr 5, 197419.20+3.20Minor12,300

The worst floods along the Etowah River

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

January 7, 1946: 26.70 ft here, major flooding

December 10, 1919: 26.30 ft here, major flooding

March 17, 1990: 25.33 ft here, moderate flooding

Gauges on the Etowah River

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

Flood gauges on the Etowah River
GA 136 near LandrumGA14.016.01 ft, Mar 26, 20210
GA 9 near DawsonvilleGA13.016.20 ft, Jan 7, 19460
Kelly Bridge Road near MattGA19.020.20 ft, Feb 6, 20200
Canton this gaugeGA16.026.70 ft, Jan 7, 19462
Allatoona Lake near CartersvilleGA860.0861.19 ft, Apr 10, 19640
Allatoona Dam above CartersvilleGA9.020.80 ft, Jan 1, 19464
GA 61 near CartersvilleGA18.037.00 ft, Apr 1, 188613
KingstonGA20.031.00 ft, Dec 11, 19193
GA 1 Loop near RomeGA32.037.50 ft, Apr 9, 19380

Other gauges in Cherokee County

Flood gauges in Cherokee County
Canton17.024.87 ft, Feb 13, 20250
GA 5 near Woodstock11.020.80 ft, Sep 21, 20090
Ball Ground13.014.23 ft, Sep 22, 20090
Old GA 5 below Ball Ground18.018.67 ft, Feb 13, 20250
GA 108 near Waleska14.014.70 ft, Feb 13, 20250

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CNNG1, 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.