Catawba River at Lake Hickory/Oxford Dam
Highest listed crest 104.70 ftFlood stage 101.0 ft7 crests since 1940
The Catawba River at Lake Hickory/Oxford Dam crested above flood stage 2 times among the 7 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1940 to 2024. The highest, 104.70 ft on August 30, 1940, was minor flooding, 3.70 feet above flood stage. 4 other gauges on the Catawba River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 3 at their own highest listed crest.
The gauge
- Highest listed crest
- 104.70 ft
- August 30, 1940
- Flood stage
- 101.0 ft
- Major flooding from 110.0 ft
- Crests at major
- 0
- 2 above flood stage
- Most recent flood crest
- May 6, 2013
- 101.70 ft, minor flooding
Flood stages
The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.
| Action stage | 100.5 | 0 | — |
| Flood stage (minor) | 101.0 | 2 | May 6, 2013 |
| Moderate flood stage | 105.0 | 0 | — |
| Major flood stage | 110.0 | 0 | — |
Every listed crest
7 crests from 1940 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.
Crests at or above flood stage, by decade
- 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.
- 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
| 1 | Aug 30, 1940 | 104.70 | +3.70 | Minor |
| 2 | May 6, 2013 | 101.70 | +0.70 | Minor |
| 3 | Sep 9, 2004 | 100.11 | −0.89 | Below flood stage |
| 4 | Apr 10, 2003 | 100.10 | −0.90 | Below flood stage |
| 5 | Sep 28, 2024 | 100.10 | −0.90 | Below flood stage |
| 6 | Jul 5, 1989 | 100.00 | −1.00 | Below flood stage |
| 7 | Jan 15, 1995 | 100.00 | −1.00 | Below flood stage |
The worst floods along the Catawba River
For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Catawba River that crested above flood stage within a week.
August 30, 1940: 104.70 ft here, minor flooding
- Lookout Shoals Lake and DamNC · Aug 30, 1940 · 114.40 ft · Major · its highest
- Lake Rhodhiss DamNC · Aug 30, 1940 · 110.10 ft · Major · its highest
- Mountain Island Lake and DamNC · Aug 30, 1940 · 109.60 ft · Major · its highest
- Cedar Creek Reservoir/Rocky Ck-Cedar Ck DamSC · Aug 30, 1940 · 106.00 ft · Major
May 6, 2013: 101.70 ft here, minor flooding
- Lookout Shoals Lake and DamNC · May 6, 2013 · 106.98 ft · Major
- Mountain Island Lake and DamNC · May 7, 2013 · 104.02 ft · Moderate
- Lake Rhodhiss DamNC · May 6, 2013 · 105.34 ft · Minor
- Lake James/Linville DamNC · May 6, 2013 · 104.04 ft · Minor
- Pleasant GardensNC · May 6, 2013 · 13.72 ft · Minor
Gauges on the Catawba River
Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.
| Catawba | SC | 24.66 ft, Feb 8, 2020 | 0 |
| Rock Hill | SC | 24.15 ft, May 23, 1901 | 0 |
| Cedar Creek Reservoir/Rocky Ck-Cedar Ck Dam | SC | 106.62 ft, Sep 29, 2024 | 2 |
| Great Falls Reservoir/Great Falls-Dearborn Dams | SC | 105.90 ft, Sep 29, 2024 | 0 |
| Lake Hickory/Oxford Dam this gauge | NC | 104.70 ft, Aug 30, 1940 | 0 |
| Lake James/Linville Dam | NC | 110.70 ft, Sep 26, 2024 | 1 |
| Lake Rhodhiss Dam | NC | 110.10 ft, Aug 30, 1940 | 1 |
| Lookout Shoals Lake and Dam | NC | 114.40 ft, Aug 30, 1940 | 7 |
| Mountain Island Lake and Dam | NC | 109.60 ft, Aug 30, 1940 | 3 |
| Pleasant Gardens | NC | 17.55 ft, Sep 8, 2004 | 0 |
Other gauges in Catawba County
| HENRY FORK | 29.20 ft, Aug 13, 1940 | 0 |
Catawba County: every hazard · River floods across the country · North Carolina
NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge OXFN7, 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.