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Pigeon River above Old River Rd (NC 215), 1 SW Canton

Highest listed crest 26.96 ftFlood stage 10.0 ft36 crests since 1928

The Pigeon River above Old River Rd (NC 215), 1 SW Canton crested at major flood stage 5 times among the 36 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1928 to 2024. The highest, 26.96 ft on September 27, 2024, was major flooding, 16.96 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Pigeon River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
26.96 ft
September 27, 2024; 67,300 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
10.0 ft
Major flooding from 19.0 ft
Crests at major
5
22nd of 314 gauges in North Carolina
Most recent flood crest
September 27, 2024
26.96 ft, major flooding
Location
Haywood County
Near Waynesville (8.9 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Pigeon River above Old River Rd (NC 215), 1 SW Canton
Action stage8.016Dec 29, 2024The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)10.09Jan 9, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage15.02Aug 17, 1994Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage19.05Sep 27, 2024Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

36 crests from 1928 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Pigeon River above Old River Rd (NC 215), 1 SW Canton, 1928 to 2024 51015202530ft Flood stage 10.0 ftMajor 19.0 ft Aug 16, 1928: 16.40 ft, moderate flooding; 21,500 cubic feet per secondAug 30, 1940: 20.75 ft, major flooding; 51,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1984: 8.30 ft, action stage; 7,590 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 1990: 9.50 ft, action stage; 10,000 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1991: 9.48 ft, action stage; 9,960 cubic feet per secondAug 17, 1994: 15.31 ft, moderate flooding; 20,300 cubic feet per secondJan 15, 1995: 10.83 ft, minor flooding; 12,400 cubic feet per secondOct 5, 1995: 14.12 ft, minor flooding; 19,500 cubic feet per secondNov 8, 1996: 9.68 ft, action stageJan 8, 1998: 12.96 ft, minor flooding; 16,200 cubic feet per secondOct 8, 1999: 9.03 ft, action stageMay 6, 2003: 7.82 ft, below flood stageSep 8, 2004: 20.70 ft, major flooding; 46,504 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 2004: 22.80 ft, major flooding; 48,000 cubic feet per secondNov 29, 2005: 8.99 ft, action stage; 8,580 cubic feet per secondAug 26, 2008: 10.38 ft, minor flooding; 11,100 cubic feet per secondSep 21, 2009: 8.26 ft, action stage; 7,160 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 2010: 7.77 ft, below flood stage; 6,360 cubic feet per secondNov 30, 2010: 8.22 ft, action stage; 7,100 cubic feet per secondNov 28, 2011: 10.61 ft, minor flooding; 11,600 cubic feet per secondJan 17, 2013: 7.77 ft, below flood stageJan 30, 2013: 9.15 ft, action stageApr 12, 2013: 8.50 ft, action stageMay 5, 2013: 9.47 ft, action stage; 9,330 cubic feet per secondDec 23, 2013: 6.49 ft, below flood stage; 4,480 cubic feet per secondNov 19, 2015: 9.75 ft, action stage; 9,915 cubic feet per secondDec 24, 2015: 10.10 ft, minor flooding; 10,598 cubic feet per secondDec 29, 2015: 11.56 ft, minor flooding; 13,700 cubic feet per secondJan 23, 2017: 8.05 ft, action stage; 6,820 cubic feet per secondOct 23, 2017: 9.83 ft, action stage; 10,000 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 2019: 9.94 ft, action stage; 10,500 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 2020: 11.98 ft, minor flooding; 14,900 cubic feet per secondAug 18, 2021: 19.60 ft, major flooding; 37,100 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 2024: 11.14 ft, minor flooding; 12,758 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 2024: 26.96 ft, major flooding; 67,300 cubic feet per secondDec 29, 2024: 8.90 ft, action stage; 7,750 cubic feet per second Highest, 26.96 ft, Sep 27, 2024 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Pigeon River above Old River Rd (NC 215), 1 SW Canton 1920s: 1 1930s: 0 1940s: 1 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 4 4 2000s: 3 2010s: 3 2020s: 4 1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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.
  3. 2 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 18.30 ft on Jun 15, 1876; 15.44 ft on Jun 16, 1949.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Pigeon River above Old River Rd (NC 215), 1 SW Canton
1Sep 27, 202426.96+16.96Major67,300
2Sep 17, 200422.80+12.80Major48,000
3Aug 30, 194020.75+10.75Major51,600
4Sep 8, 200420.70+10.70Major46,504
5Aug 18, 202119.60+9.60Major37,100
6Aug 16, 192816.40+6.40Moderate21,500
7Aug 17, 199415.31+5.31Moderate20,300
8Oct 5, 199514.12+4.12Minor19,500
9Jan 8, 199812.96+2.96Minor16,200
10Apr 13, 202011.98+1.98Minor14,900
11Dec 29, 201511.56+1.56Minor13,700
12Jan 9, 202411.14+1.14Minor12,758
13Jan 15, 199510.83+0.83Minor12,400
14Nov 28, 201110.61+0.61Minor11,600
15Aug 26, 200810.38+0.38Minor11,100
16Dec 24, 201510.10+0.10Minor10,598
17Apr 19, 20199.94−0.06Action10,500
18Oct 23, 20179.83−0.17Action10,000
19Nov 19, 20159.75−0.25Action9,915
20Nov 8, 19969.68−0.32Action—
21Feb 16, 19909.50−0.50Action10,000
22Mar 29, 19919.48−0.52Action9,960
23May 5, 20139.47−0.53Action9,330
24Jan 30, 20139.15−0.85Action—
25Oct 8, 19999.03−0.97Action—
26Nov 29, 20058.99−1.01Action8,580
27Dec 29, 20248.90−1.10Action7,750
28Apr 12, 20138.50−1.50Action—
29Feb 13, 19848.30−1.70Action7,590
30Sep 21, 20098.26−1.74Action7,160
31Nov 30, 20108.22−1.78Action7,100
32Jan 23, 20178.05−1.95Action6,820
33May 6, 20037.82−2.18Below flood stage—
34Jan 25, 20107.77−2.23Below flood stage6,360
35Jan 17, 20137.77−2.23Below flood stage—
36Dec 23, 20136.49−3.51Below flood stage4,480

The worst floods along the Pigeon River

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

September 27, 2024: 26.96 ft here, major flooding

  • NewportTN · Sep 27, 2024 · 29.73 ft · Major · its highest

September 17, 2004: 22.80 ft here, major flooding

August 30, 1940: 20.75 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Pigeon River

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

Flood gauges on the Pigeon River
Old River Rd (NC 215), 1 SW Canton this gaugeNC10.026.96 ft, Sep 27, 20245
Jonathans Ck, 4 NW CrabtreeNC13.018.00 ft, Jun 2, 18760
NewportTN8.029.73 ft, Sep 27, 202415

Other gauges in Haywood County

Flood gauges in Haywood County
Canton8.516.03 ft, Aug 17, 20213
(W Fork) Abv Lake Logan9.010.83 ft, Sep 17, 20040
(W Fork) nr Retreat10.014.15 ft, Sep 17, 20040
Jonathans Ck, 4 NW Crabtree13.018.00 ft, Jun 2, 18760
Bethel10.016.27 ft, Sep 17, 20041

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CTPN7, 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.