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Middle Oconee River at US 78 at Athens

Highest listed crest 25.50 ftFlood stage 18.0 ft23 crests since 1902

The Middle Oconee River at US 78 at Athens crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 23 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1902 to 2024. The highest, 25.50 ft on February 28, 1902, was major flooding, 7.50 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
25.50 ft
February 28, 1902; 19,600 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
18.0 ft
Major flooding from 22.0 ft
Crests at major
3
39th of 271 gauges in Georgia
Most recent flood crest
January 11, 2024
18.48 ft, minor flooding
Location
Clarke County
Near Athens (3.0 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Middle Oconee River at US 78 at Athens
Action stage15.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)18.012Jan 11, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage20.08Feb 5, 1998Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage22.03Aug 19, 1939Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

23 crests from 1902 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Middle Oconee River at US 78 at Athens, 1902 to 2024 1820222426ft Flood stage 18.0 ftMajor 22.0 ft Feb 28, 1902: 25.50 ft, major flooding; 19,600 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1929: 23.60 ft, major flooding; 11,800 cubic feet per secondOct 2, 1929: 21.30 ft, moderate flooding; 9,500 cubic feet per secondJul 26, 1938: 19.60 ft, minor flooding; 5,160 cubic feet per secondAug 19, 1939: 23.00 ft, major flooding; 8,420 cubic feet per secondAug 14, 1940: 20.30 ft, moderate flooding; 5,930 cubic feet per secondNov 30, 1948: 19.60 ft, minor flooding; 14,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 1961: 18.20 ft, minor flooding; 12,200 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 1964: 18.54 ft, minor flooding; 12,600 cubic feet per secondJan 21, 1969: 20.54 ft, moderate flooding; 13,000 cubic feet per secondJan 12, 1972: 18.96 ft, minor flooding; 11,300 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1976: 20.62 ft, moderate flooding; 12,900 cubic feet per secondNov 7, 1977: 20.10 ft, moderate flooding; 12,500 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 1979: 19.96 ft, minor flooding; 12,300 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1990: 20.84 ft, moderate flooding; 13,700 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1990: 20.84 ft, moderate flooding; 13,700 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1996: 18.58 ft, minor flooding; 11,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 1998: 21.20 ft, moderate flooding; 14,100 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 2003: 19.75 ft, minor flooding; 12,500 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 2003: 19.40 ft, minor floodingApr 21, 2019: 19.68 ft, minor flooding; 12,117 cubic feet per secondFeb 8, 2020: 18.04 ft, minor flooding; 10,630 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 2024: 18.48 ft, minor flooding; 11,023 cubic feet per second Highest, 25.50 ft, Feb 28, 1902 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Middle Oconee River at US 78 at Athens 1900s: 1 1910s: 0 1920s: 2 1930s: 2 1940s: 2 1950s: 0 1960s: 3 1970s: 4 4 1980s: 0 1990s: 4 2000s: 2 2010s: 1 2020s: 2 1900s1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Middle Oconee River at US 78 at Athens
1Feb 28, 190225.50+7.50Major19,600
2Mar 5, 192923.60+5.60Major11,800
3Aug 19, 193923.00+5.00Major8,420
4Oct 2, 192921.30+3.30Moderate9,500
5Feb 5, 199821.20+3.20Moderate14,100
6Mar 8, 199020.84+2.84Moderate13,700
7Mar 18, 199020.84+2.84Moderate13,700
8May 30, 197620.62+2.62Moderate12,900
9Jan 21, 196920.54+2.54Moderate13,000
10Aug 14, 194020.30+2.30Moderate5,930
11Nov 7, 197720.10+2.10Moderate12,500
12Apr 15, 197919.96+1.96Minor12,300
13Mar 21, 200319.75+1.75Minor12,500
14Apr 21, 201919.68+1.68Minor12,117
15Jul 26, 193819.60+1.60Minor5,160
16Nov 30, 194819.60+1.60Minor14,200
17Jul 3, 200319.40+1.40Minor—
18Jan 12, 197218.96+0.96Minor11,300
19Mar 7, 199618.58+0.58Minor11,300
20Apr 8, 196418.54+0.54Minor12,600
21Jan 11, 202418.48+0.48Minor11,023
22Feb 26, 196118.20+0.20Minor12,200
23Feb 8, 202018.04+0.04Minor10,630

The worst floods along the Middle Oconee River

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

February 5, 1998: 21.20 ft here, moderate flooding

  • ArcadeGA · Feb 4, 1998 · 24.97 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Middle Oconee River

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

Flood gauges on the Middle Oconee River
ArcadeGA16.025.35 ft, Mar 18, 19900
US 78 at Athens this gaugeGA18.025.50 ft, Feb 28, 19023

Other gauges in Clarke County

Flood gauges in Clarke County
College Street at Athens19.019.40 ft, May 27, 19660

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge MOCG1, 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.