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Oconee River near Penfield

Highest listed crest 26.90 ftFlood stage 13.0 ft128 crests since 1919

The Oconee River near Penfield crested above flood stage 115 times among the 128 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1919 to 2025. The highest, 26.90 ft on December 19, 1919, was moderate flooding, 13.90 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Oconee River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
26.90 ft
December 19, 1919; 37,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
13.0 ft
Major flooding from 27.0 ft
Crests at major
0
115 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
August 6, 2025
18.51 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Greene County
Georgia

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Oconee River near Penfield
Action stage11.013Dec 1, 2010The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)13.073Feb 15, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage18.042Aug 6, 2025Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage27.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

128 crests from 1919 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Oconee River near Penfield, 1919 to 2025 1015202530ft Flood stage 13.0 ftMajor 27.0 ft Dec 19, 1919: 26.90 ft, moderate flooding; 37,000 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1929: 26.90 ft, moderate flooding; 37,000 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1936: 26.70 ft, moderate flooding; 36,000 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1970: 17.68 ft, minor flooding; 11,000 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1971: 21.78 ft, moderate flooding; 19,100 cubic feet per secondJan 13, 1972: 20.63 ft, moderate flooding; 16,800 cubic feet per secondDec 16, 1972: 20.24 ft, moderate flooding; 16,000 cubic feet per secondJan 3, 1974: 18.87 ft, moderate flooding; 13,200 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1975: 21.44 ft, moderate flooding; 18,400 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1976: 22.11 ft, moderate flooding; 19,700 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1977: 15.70 ft, minor flooding; 8,440 cubic feet per secondNov 8, 1977: 22.00 ft, moderate flooding; 19,500 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 1979: 20.90 ft, moderate flooding; 17,400 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 1980: 18.78 ft, moderate flooding; 13,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 11, 1981: 15.73 ft, minor flooding; 8,720 cubic feet per secondJan 6, 1982: 19.03 ft, moderate flooding; 13,700 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1983: 19.24 ft, moderate flooding; 14,000 cubic feet per secondDec 6, 1983: 19.12 ft, moderate flooding; 14,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 1985: 14.62 ft, minor flooding; 7,320 cubic feet per secondDec 1, 1985: 12.70 ft, action stage; 5,150 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1987: 18.84 ft, moderate flooding; 13,300 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 1988: 13.20 ft, minor flooding; 5,709 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 1988: 13.76 ft, minor flooding; 6,190 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 1989: 16.58 ft, minor flooding; 9,780 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 1989: 25.92 ft, moderate flooding; 31,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 1990: 19.30 ft, moderate flooding; 14,300 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1990: 22.30 ft, moderate flooding; 22,170 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1991: 14.86 ft, minor flooding; 7,870 cubic feet per secondSep 29, 1992: 14.22 ft, minor flooding; 6,450 cubic feet per secondNov 26, 1992: 18.94 ft, moderate flooding; 14,300 cubic feet per secondDec 19, 1992: 18.96 ft, moderate flooding; 13,770 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 1994: 20.09 ft, moderate flooding; 16,500 cubic feet per secondOct 13, 1994: 16.50 ft, minor flooding; 9,804 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 1995: 18.58 ft, moderate flooding; 12,800 cubic feet per secondSep 29, 1995: 14.30 ft, minor flooding; 6,937 cubic feet per secondOct 7, 1995: 19.40 ft, moderate flooding; 14,480 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 1996: 19.00 ft, moderate flooding; 13,770 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1996: 18.90 ft, moderate flooding; 18,100 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 1997: 13.05 ft, minor flooding; 5,552 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 1997: 14.46 ft, minor flooding; 7,127 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1997: 19.50 ft, moderate flooding; 14,500 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 1997: 13.88 ft, minor flooding; 6,452 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 1997: 12.57 ft, action stage; 5,009 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1997: 13.05 ft, minor flooding; 5,552 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 1997: 15.28 ft, minor flooding; 8,144 cubic feet per secondOct 27, 1997: 17.56 ft, minor floodingNov 23, 1997: 13.42 ft, minor floodingDec 25, 1997: 19.20 ft, moderate floodingFeb 5, 1998: 22.59 ft, moderate flooding; 21,800 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 1998: 20.13 ft, moderate floodingApr 4, 1998: 15.73 ft, minor floodingApr 11, 1998: 18.28 ft, moderate floodingFeb 2, 1999: 15.54 ft, minor flooding; 8,280 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 2000: 11.85 ft, action stage; 4,340 cubic feet per secondJul 26, 2001: 15.35 ft, minor flooding; 8,030 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 2002: 12.56 ft, action stage; 4,880 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 2003: 11.04 ft, action stageFeb 24, 2003: 12.70 ft, action stageMar 8, 2003: 16.80 ft, minor floodingMar 22, 2003: 20.70 ft, moderate flooding; 17,100 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 2003: 15.00 ft, minor floodingMay 23, 2003: 15.60 ft, minor floodingJun 9, 2003: 11.83 ft, action stageJun 15, 2003: 11.56 ft, action stageJun 19, 2003: 12.47 ft, action stageJul 4, 2003: 19.80 ft, moderate floodingSep 19, 2004: 15.70 ft, minor floodingMar 30, 2005: 17.25 ft, minor flooding; 10,742 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 2005: 13.92 ft, minor flooding; 6,301 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 2009: 14.89 ft, minor flooding; 7,425 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 2009: 16.82 ft, minor flooding; 10,009 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 2009: 17.00 ft, minor flooding; 10,271 cubic feet per secondOct 15, 2009: 19.76 ft, moderate flooding; 15,079 cubic feet per secondNov 13, 2009: 18.90 ft, moderate flooding; 13,323 cubic feet per secondDec 3, 2009: 16.81 ft, minor flooding; 10,018 cubic feet per secondDec 11, 2009: 14.42 ft, minor flooding; 6,856 cubic feet per secondDec 20, 2009: 14.72 ft, minor flooding; 7,216 cubic feet per secondDec 27, 2009: 15.34 ft, minor flooding; 7,992 cubic feet per secondJan 18, 2010: 12.98 ft, action stage; 5,280 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 2010: 19.33 ft, moderate flooding; 14,172 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 2010: 18.19 ft, moderate flooding; 12,113 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2010: 11.45 ft, action stage; 4,045 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 2010: 13.26 ft, minor flooding; 5,567 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 2010: 12.31 ft, action stage; 4,677 cubic feet per secondDec 1, 2010: 11.01 ft, action stage; 3,751 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 2011: 14.08 ft, minor flooding; 6,461 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 2011: 15.00 ft, minor flooding; 7,561 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 2013: 15.32 ft, minor flooding; 7,963 cubic feet per secondJul 11, 2013: 15.20 ft, minor flooding; 7,810 cubic feet per secondDec 25, 2013: 14.95 ft, minor flooding; 7,496 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 2013: 13.13 ft, minor flooding; 5,434 cubic feet per secondJan 12, 2014: 16.44 ft, minor flooding; 9,480 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 2014: 14.40 ft, minor flooding; 6,836 cubic feet per secondNov 5, 2015: 16.49 ft, minor flooding; 9,549 cubic feet per secondNov 10, 2015: 14.81 ft, minor flooding; 7,323 cubic feet per secondDec 26, 2015: 17.05 ft, minor flooding; 10,369 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 2015: 21.53 ft, moderate flooding; 19,069 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 2016: 14.98 ft, minor flooding; 9,098 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 2016: 13.80 ft, minor flooding; 8,012 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 2017: 14.18 ft, minor flooding; 8,218 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 2018: 13.73 ft, minor flooding; 7,884 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 2018: 13.36 ft, minor flooding; 7,544 cubic feet per secondNov 15, 2018: 14.56 ft, minor flooding; 8,760 cubic feet per secondDec 11, 2018: 17.15 ft, minor flooding; 11,193 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 2018: 15.04 ft, minor flooding; 9,200 cubic feet per secondJan 6, 2019: 15.04 ft, minor flooding; 9,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 2019: 14.02 ft, minor flooding; 8,268 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 2019: 19.58 ft, moderate flooding; 14,862 cubic feet per secondJan 5, 2020: 13.15 ft, minor flooding; 7,613 cubic feet per secondJan 14, 2020: 14.58 ft, minor flooding; 9,255 cubic feet per secondFeb 8, 2020: 18.87 ft, moderate flooding; 15,522 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 2020: 13.73 ft, minor flooding; 8,261 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 2020: 14.18 ft, minor flooding; 8,779 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 2020: 14.45 ft, minor flooding; 8,485 cubic feet per secondSep 18, 2020: 13.99 ft, minor flooding; 7,907 cubic feet per secondOct 8, 2021: 16.70 ft, minor flooding; 11,904 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 2022: 13.31 ft, minor flooding; 6,861 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 2022: 15.72 ft, minor flooding; 10,098 cubic feet per secondJan 5, 2023: 17.24 ft, minor flooding; 12,600 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 2023: 13.03 ft, minor flooding; 6,548 cubic feet per secondAug 28, 2023: 13.59 ft, minor flooding; 7,211 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 2024: 19.52 ft, moderate flooding; 16,633 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 2024: 13.72 ft, minor flooding; 7,082 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 2024: 16.63 ft, minor flooding; 11,414 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 2024: 14.84 ft, minor flooding; 8,566 cubic feet per secondSep 29, 2024: 13.54 ft, minor flooding; 7,138 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 2025: 17.64 ft, minor flooding; 13,295 cubic feet per secondAug 6, 2025: 18.51 ft, moderate flooding; 14,770 cubic feet per second Highest, 26.90 ft, Dec 19, 1919 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Oconee River near Penfield 1910s: 1 1920s: 1 1930s: 1 1940s: 0 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 10 1980s: 11 1990s: 27 27 2000s: 18 2010s: 26 2020s: 20 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

The 50 highest of 128 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Oconee River near Penfield
1Dec 19, 191926.90+13.90Moderate37,000
2Mar 6, 192926.90+13.90Moderate37,000
3Apr 9, 193626.70+13.70Moderate36,000
4Oct 1, 198925.92+12.92Moderate31,700
5Feb 5, 199822.59+9.59Moderate21,800
6Mar 17, 199022.30+9.30Moderate22,170
7Mar 16, 197622.11+9.11Moderate19,700
8Nov 8, 197722.00+9.00Moderate19,500
9Mar 3, 197121.78+8.78Moderate19,100
10Dec 31, 201521.53+8.53Moderate19,069
11Mar 14, 197521.44+8.44Moderate18,400
12Apr 15, 197920.90+7.90Moderate17,400
13Mar 22, 200320.70+7.70Moderate17,100
14Jan 13, 197220.63+7.63Moderate16,800
15Dec 16, 197220.24+7.24Moderate16,000
16Mar 9, 199820.13+7.13Moderate—
17Jun 28, 199420.09+7.09Moderate16,500
18Jul 4, 200319.80+6.80Moderate—
19Oct 15, 200919.76+6.76Moderate15,079
20Apr 21, 201919.58+6.58Moderate14,862
21Jan 11, 202419.52+6.52Moderate16,633
22Mar 1, 199719.50+6.50Moderate14,500
23Oct 7, 199519.40+6.40Moderate14,480
24Jan 27, 201019.33+6.33Moderate14,172
25Feb 20, 199019.30+6.30Moderate14,300
26Apr 9, 198319.24+6.24Moderate14,000
27Dec 25, 199719.20+6.20Moderate—
28Dec 6, 198319.12+6.12Moderate14,000
29Jan 6, 198219.03+6.03Moderate13,700
30Feb 4, 199619.00+6.00Moderate13,770
31Dec 19, 199218.96+5.96Moderate13,770
32Nov 26, 199218.94+5.94Moderate14,300
33Mar 18, 199618.90+5.90Moderate18,100
34Nov 13, 200918.90+5.90Moderate13,323
35Jan 3, 197418.87+5.87Moderate13,200
36Feb 8, 202018.87+5.87Moderate15,522
37Mar 3, 198718.84+5.84Moderate13,300
38May 21, 198018.78+5.78Moderate13,300
39Feb 18, 199518.58+5.58Moderate12,800
40Aug 6, 202518.51+5.51Moderate14,770
41Apr 11, 199818.28+5.28Moderate—
42Feb 6, 201018.19+5.19Moderate12,113
43Mar 22, 197017.68+4.68Minor11,000
44Feb 15, 202517.64+4.64Minor13,295
45Oct 27, 199717.56+4.56Minor—
46Mar 30, 200517.25+4.25Minor10,742
47Jan 5, 202317.24+4.24Minor12,600
48Dec 11, 201817.15+4.15Minor11,193
49Dec 26, 201517.05+4.05Minor10,369
50Sep 22, 200917.00+4.00Minor10,271

The worst floods along the Oconee River

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

December 19, 1919: 26.90 ft here, moderate flooding

  • MilledgevilleGA · Dec 12, 1919 · 31.40 ft · Minor
  • DublinGA · Dec 15, 1919 · 24.00 ft · Minor

March 6, 1929: 26.90 ft here, moderate flooding

April 9, 1936: 26.70 ft here, moderate flooding

Gauges on the Oconee River

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Oconee River
Avant Mine near OconeeGA18.020.67 ft, Apr 15, 19980
DublinGA21.033.00 ft, Apr 12, 19364
Highway 280 near Mount VernonGA16.025.30 ft, Apr 14, 19363
Lake OconeeGA435.5436.00 ft, Feb 5, 19980
Lake SinclairGA340.5341.50 ft, Mar 9, 19980
MilledgevilleGA22.042.90 ft, Feb 25, 19615
OconeeGA17.029.90 ft, Mar 10, 19986
Penfield this gaugeGA13.026.90 ft, Dec 19, 19190

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge PNFG1, 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.