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Little Tennessee River near NEEDMORE

Highest listed crest 13.06 ftFlood stage 11.0 ft44 crests since 1918

The Little Tennessee River near NEEDMORE crested above flood stage 5 times among the 44 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1918 to 2024. The highest, 13.06 ft on October 5, 1964, was moderate flooding, 2.06 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
13.06 ft
October 5, 1964; 22,100 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
11.0 ft
Major flooding from 16.0 ft
Crests at major
0
5 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
September 17, 2004
12.33 ft, minor flooding
Location
Swain 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, Little Tennessee River near NEEDMORE
Action stage7.531Sep 27, 2024The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)11.03Sep 17, 2004Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage13.02Oct 5, 1964Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage16.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

44 crests from 1918 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Little Tennessee River near NEEDMORE, 1918 to 2024 46810121416ft Flood stage 11.0 ftMajor 16.0 ft Oct 1, 1918: 13.00 ft, moderate floodingAug 30, 1940: 11.50 ft, minor floodingJan 7, 1946: 7.95 ft, action stage; 10,600 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 1947: 8.34 ft, action stage; 11,500 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1949: 11.10 ft, minor flooding; 20,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1953: 8.33 ft, action stage; 11,500 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 1954: 8.58 ft, action stage; 12,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 1957: 8.36 ft, action stage; 11,500 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1957: 8.77 ft, action stage; 12,700 cubic feet per secondOct 5, 1964: 13.06 ft, moderate flooding; 22,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1966: 9.84 ft, action stage; 15,000 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1967: 9.34 ft, action stage; 13,800 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1973: 9.32 ft, action stage; 13,700 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1974: 8.47 ft, action stage; 11,600 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 1976: 10.48 ft, action stage; 16,600 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 1976: 9.90 ft, action stage; 15,200 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1979: 10.93 ft, action stage; 17,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 1990: 10.74 ft, action stage; 17,100 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1994: 9.62 ft, action stage; 14,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 1995: 9.40 ft, action stage; 13,800 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 1996: 9.77 ft, action stage; 14,700 cubic feet per secondDec 1, 1996: 7.44 ft, below flood stage; 9,030 cubic feet per secondJan 8, 1998: 10.09 ft, action stage; 15,500 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 1999: 8.38 ft, action stage; 11,300 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 2000: 6.52 ft, below flood stage; 6,890 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 2001: 5.61 ft, below flood stage; 4,960 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 2002: 6.60 ft, below flood stage; 7,070 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 2003: 8.06 ft, action stage; 10,500 cubic feet per secondSep 8, 2004: 8.20 ft, action stage; 10,888 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 2004: 12.33 ft, minor flooding; 20,900 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 2005: 7.78 ft, action stage; 9,860 cubic feet per secondJan 18, 2006: 6.88 ft, below flood stage; 7,720 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 2007: 6.51 ft, below flood stage; 6,840 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 2008: 7.41 ft, below flood stage; 8,960 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 2009: 8.96 ft, action stage; 12,800 cubic feet per secondNov 11, 2009: 7.97 ft, action stage; 10,300 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 2011: 7.30 ft, below flood stage; 8,700 cubic feet per secondNov 29, 2011: 7.86 ft, action stage; 10,100 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 2013: 8.64 ft, action stage; 12,000 cubic feet per secondDec 23, 2013: 7.98 ft, action stage; 10,400 cubic feet per secondDec 2, 2015: 7.87 ft, action stage; 10,061 cubic feet per secondDec 25, 2015: 10.21 ft, action stage; 15,816 cubic feet per secondDec 29, 2015: 8.87 ft, action stage; 12,563 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 2024: 10.16 ft, action stage; 15,700 cubic feet per second Highest, 13.06 ft, Oct 5, 1964 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Little Tennessee River near NEEDMORE 1910s: 1 1920s: 0 1930s: 0 1940s: 2 2 1950s: 0 1960s: 1 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 1 2010s: 0 2020s: 0 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

Highest listed crests, Little Tennessee River near NEEDMORE
1Oct 5, 196413.06+2.06Moderate22,100
2Oct 1, 191813.00+2.00Moderate—
3Sep 17, 200412.33+1.33Minor20,900
4Aug 30, 194011.50+0.50Minor—
5Jun 16, 194911.10+0.10Minor20,200
6Mar 5, 197910.93−0.07Action17,600
7Feb 17, 199010.74−0.26Action17,100
8May 15, 197610.48−0.52Action16,600
9Dec 25, 201510.21−0.79Action15,816
10Sep 27, 202410.16−0.84Action15,700
11Jan 8, 199810.09−0.91Action15,500
12May 29, 19769.90−1.10Action15,200
13Feb 13, 19669.84−1.16Action15,000
14Jan 27, 19969.77−1.23Action14,700
15Mar 28, 19949.62−1.38Action14,400
16Feb 16, 19959.40−1.60Action13,800
17Jun 4, 19679.34−1.66Action13,800
18May 28, 19739.32−1.68Action13,700
19Sep 22, 20098.96−2.04Action12,800
20Dec 29, 20158.87−2.13Action12,563
21Apr 5, 19578.77−2.23Action12,700
22Jan 31, 20138.64−2.36Action12,000
23Jan 22, 19548.58−2.42Action12,200
24Apr 4, 19748.47−2.53Action11,600
25Mar 27, 19998.38−2.62Action11,300
26Feb 1, 19578.36−2.64Action11,500
27Jan 20, 19478.34−2.66Action11,500
28Feb 21, 19538.33−2.67Action11,500
29Sep 8, 20048.20−2.80Action10,888
30May 6, 20038.06−2.94Action10,500
31Dec 23, 20137.98−3.02Action10,400
32Nov 11, 20097.97−3.03Action10,300
33Jan 7, 19467.95−3.05Action10,600
34Dec 2, 20157.87−3.13Action10,061
35Nov 29, 20117.86−3.14Action10,100
36Jun 13, 20057.78−3.22Action9,860
37Dec 1, 19967.44−3.56Below flood stage9,030
38Mar 5, 20087.41−3.59Below flood stage8,960
39Mar 6, 20117.30−3.70Below flood stage8,700
40Jan 18, 20066.88−4.12Below flood stage7,720
41Sep 27, 20026.60−4.40Below flood stage7,070
42Apr 4, 20006.52−4.48Below flood stage6,890
43Jan 1, 20076.51−4.49Below flood stage6,840
44Jan 19, 20015.61−5.39Below flood stage4,960

The worst floods along the Little Tennessee River

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

September 17, 2004: 12.33 ft here, minor flooding

  • PrentissNC · Sep 17, 2004 · 15.92 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Little Tennessee River

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

Flood gauges on the Little Tennessee River
IOTLANC11.011.35 ft, Dec 24, 20150
NEEDMORE this gaugeNC11.013.06 ft, Oct 5, 19640
OttoNC17.018.14 ft, Sep 22, 20090
PrentissNC15.017.30 ft, Nov 4, 19640

Other gauges in Swain County

Flood gauges in Swain County
Deep Creek road near Bryson City6.07.34 ft, Jan 15, 20130
Contesky Dr, in Birdtown10.018.00 ft, Nov 19, 19062
EBCI Trout Farm9.011.60 ft, Jan 24, 20030
Everett St, in Bryson City10.015.96 ft, Aug 30, 19401

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge NEEN7, 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.