Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Catawba River near Pleasant Gardens

Highest listed crest 17.55 ftFlood stage 11.0 ft41 crests since 1981

The Catawba River near Pleasant Gardens crested above flood stage 12 times among the 41 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1981 to 2019. The highest, 17.55 ft on September 8, 2004, was moderate flooding, 6.55 feet above flood stage. 6 other gauges on the Catawba River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
17.55 ft
September 8, 2004; 23,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
11.0 ft
Major flooding from 18.0 ft
Crests at major
0
12 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
December 28, 2018
11.03 ft, minor flooding
Location
McDowell County
North Carolina

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Catawba River near Pleasant Gardens
Action stage9.012Apr 19, 2019The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)11.011Dec 28, 2018Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage16.01Sep 8, 2004Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage18.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

41 crests from 1981 to 2019. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Catawba River near Pleasant Gardens, 1981 to 2019 05101520ft Flood stage 11.0 ftMajor 18.0 ft May 27, 1981: 6.65 ft, below flood stage; 2,600 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1982: 9.03 ft, action stage; 4,480 cubic feet per secondFeb 2, 1983: 13.60 ft, minor flooding; 11,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1984: 9.75 ft, action stage; 6,090 cubic feet per secondFeb 12, 1985: 7.43 ft, below flood stage; 3,640 cubic feet per secondNov 1, 1985: 10.48 ft, action stage; 6,980 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1987: 9.57 ft, action stage; 5,880 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 1988: 4.11 ft, below flood stage; 1,060 cubic feet per secondAug 28, 1989: 9.56 ft, action stage; 5,870 cubic feet per secondAug 25, 1990: 11.14 ft, minor flooding; 7,830 cubic feet per secondOct 12, 1990: 11.04 ft, minor flooding; 7,700 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1992: 10.21 ft, action stage; 6,640 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 1993: 8.48 ft, below flood stage; 4,680 cubic feet per secondAug 17, 1994: 15.22 ft, minor flooding; 13,700 cubic feet per secondOct 5, 1995: 13.30 ft, minor flooding; 10,600 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1997: 7.45 ft, below flood stage; 3,650 cubic feet per secondJan 8, 1998: 15.15 ft, minor flooding; 13,600 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 2000: 7.76 ft, below flood stage; 3,960 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 2001: 5.41 ft, below flood stage; 1,880 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 2002: 6.43 ft, below flood stage; 2,730 cubic feet per secondJul 2, 2003: 9.07 ft, action stage; 5,330 cubic feet per secondSep 8, 2004: 17.55 ft, moderate flooding; 23,000 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 2004: 13.64 ft, minor flooding; 11,700 cubic feet per secondJul 7, 2005: 9.36 ft, action stage; 5,640 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 2006: 6.72 ft, below flood stage; 2,990 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 2007: 6.28 ft, below flood stage; 2,600 cubic feet per secondAug 27, 2008: 10.38 ft, action stage; 6,760 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 2009: 6.81 ft, below flood stage; 3,050 cubic feet per secondDec 25, 2009: 9.01 ft, action stage; 5,230 cubic feet per secondDec 1, 2010: 9.66 ft, action stage; 5,970 cubic feet per secondSep 18, 2012: 5.00 ft, below flood stage; 1,730 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 2013: 13.72 ft, minor flooding; 11,800 cubic feet per secondDec 23, 2013: 6.01 ft, below flood stage; 2,470 cubic feet per secondOct 15, 2014: 8.76 ft, below flood stage; 5,040 cubic feet per secondFeb 3, 2016: 8.97 ft, below flood stage; 5,260 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 2017: 6.75 ft, below flood stage; 3,090 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 2018: 15.72 ft, minor flooding; 16,900 cubic feet per secondOct 11, 2018: 13.13 ft, minor flooding; 10,800 cubic feet per secondDec 28, 2018: 11.03 ft, minor flooding; 7,690 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 2019: 9.68 ft, action stage; 6,050 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 2019: 7.07 ft, below flood stage; 3,370 cubic feet per second Highest, 17.55 ft, Sep 8, 2004 1990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Catawba River near Pleasant Gardens 1980s: 1 1990s: 5 5 2000s: 2 2010s: 4 1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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, Catawba River near Pleasant Gardens
1Sep 8, 200417.55+6.55Moderate23,000
2May 30, 201815.72+4.72Minor16,900
3Aug 17, 199415.22+4.22Minor13,700
4Jan 8, 199815.15+4.15Minor13,600
5May 6, 201313.72+2.72Minor11,800
6Sep 17, 200413.64+2.64Minor11,700
7Feb 2, 198313.60+2.60Minor11,000
8Oct 5, 199513.30+2.30Minor10,600
9Oct 11, 201813.13+2.13Minor10,800
10Aug 25, 199011.14+0.14Minor7,830
11Oct 12, 199011.04+0.04Minor7,700
12Dec 28, 201811.03+0.03Minor7,690
13Nov 1, 198510.48−0.52Action6,980
14Aug 27, 200810.38−0.62Action6,760
15Apr 21, 199210.21−0.79Action6,640
16Feb 13, 19849.75−1.25Action6,090
17Apr 19, 20199.68−1.32Action6,050
18Dec 1, 20109.66−1.34Action5,970
19Mar 1, 19879.57−1.43Action5,880
20Aug 28, 19899.56−1.44Action5,870
21Jul 7, 20059.36−1.64Action5,640
22Jul 2, 20039.07−1.93Action5,330
23May 27, 19829.03−1.97Action4,480
24Dec 25, 20099.01−1.99Action5,230
25Feb 3, 20168.97−2.03Below flood stage5,260
26Oct 15, 20148.76−2.24Below flood stage5,040
27May 4, 19938.48−2.52Below flood stage4,680
28Mar 20, 20007.76−3.24Below flood stage3,960
29Mar 14, 19977.45−3.55Below flood stage3,650
30Feb 12, 19857.43−3.57Below flood stage3,640
31Jun 9, 20197.07−3.93Below flood stage3,370
32May 27, 20096.81−4.19Below flood stage3,050
33Mar 31, 20176.75−4.25Below flood stage3,090
34Jun 26, 20066.72−4.28Below flood stage2,990
35May 27, 19816.65−4.35Below flood stage2,600
36Sep 27, 20026.43−4.57Below flood stage2,730
37Jan 1, 20076.28−4.72Below flood stage2,600
38Dec 23, 20136.01−4.99Below flood stage2,470
39Mar 29, 20015.41−5.59Below flood stage1,880
40Sep 18, 20125.00−6.00Below flood stage1,730
41Jan 20, 19884.11−6.89Below flood stage1,060

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.

September 8, 2004: 17.55 ft here, moderate flooding

August 17, 1994: 15.22 ft here, minor flooding

May 6, 2013: 13.72 ft here, minor flooding

Gauges on the Catawba River

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

Flood gauges on the Catawba River
CatawbaSC23.024.66 ft, Feb 8, 20200
Rock HillSC15.024.15 ft, May 23, 19010
Cedar Creek Reservoir/Rocky Ck-Cedar Ck DamSC102.0106.62 ft, Sep 29, 20242
Great Falls Reservoir/Great Falls-Dearborn DamsSC102.0105.90 ft, Sep 29, 20240
Lake Hickory/Oxford DamNC101.0104.70 ft, Aug 30, 19400
Lake James/Linville DamNC102.0110.70 ft, Sep 26, 20241
Lake Rhodhiss DamNC104.0110.10 ft, Aug 30, 19401
Lookout Shoals Lake and DamNC103.0114.40 ft, Aug 30, 19407
Mountain Island Lake and DamNC103.0109.60 ft, Aug 30, 19403
Pleasant Gardens this gaugeNC11.017.55 ft, Sep 8, 20040

Other gauges in McDowell County

Flood gauges in McDowell County
Highway 2219.09.23 ft, Aug 21, 20180

McDowell County: every hazard · River floods across the country · North Carolina

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge PLGN7, 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.