Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

South Fork Catawba River near Laboratory

Highest listed crest 11.70 ftFlood stage 10.0 ft16 crests since 1929

The South Fork Catawba River near Laboratory crested above flood stage 2 times among the 16 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1929 to 2013. The highest, 11.70 ft on October 1, 1929, was minor flooding, 1.70 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
11.70 ft
October 1, 1929; 9,920 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
10.0 ft
Major flooding from 30.0 ft
Crests at major
0
2 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
August 10, 1970
10.61 ft, minor flooding
Location
Lincoln County
Near Lincolnton (4.1 mi), Gastonia (12.7 mi), Kings Mountain (13.8 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, South Fork Catawba River near Laboratory
Action stage8.05Mar 20, 2003The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)10.02Aug 10, 1970Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage18.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage30.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

16 crests from 1929 to 2013. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the South Fork Catawba River near Laboratory, 1929 to 2013 51015202530ft Flood stage 10.0 ftMajor 30.0 ft Oct 1, 1929: 11.70 ft, minor flooding; 9,920 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1952: 8.74 ft, action stage; 5,030 cubic feet per secondJan 23, 1954: 7.58 ft, below flood stage; 3,950 cubic feet per secondOct 16, 1964: 9.10 ft, action stage; 5,430 cubic feet per secondAug 10, 1970: 10.61 ft, minor flooding; 8,450 cubic feet per secondOct 16, 1971: 8.60 ft, action stage; 5,730 cubic feet per secondOct 9, 1976: 8.39 ft, action stage; 5,460 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1987: 7.70 ft, below flood stage; 4,550 cubic feet per secondOct 13, 1990: 7.74 ft, below flood stage; 4,610 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 1995: 7.23 ft, below flood stage; 3,970 cubic feet per secondJan 28, 1998: 5.35 ft, below flood stage; 1,990 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 2003: 9.06 ft, action stage; 6,330 cubic feet per secondSep 8, 2004: 6.87 ft, below flood stage; 3,540 cubic feet per secondNov 12, 2009: 5.02 ft, below flood stage; 1,630 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 2010: 6.70 ft, below flood stage; 3,350 cubic feet per secondJul 28, 2013: 7.25 ft, below flood stage Highest, 11.70 ft, Oct 1, 1929 1940196019802000

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, South Fork Catawba River near Laboratory 1920s: 1 1 1930s: 0 1940s: 0 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 1 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 2010s: 0 1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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, South Fork Catawba River near Laboratory
1Oct 1, 192911.70+1.70Minor9,920
2Aug 10, 197010.61+0.61Minor8,450
3Oct 16, 19649.10−0.90Action5,430
4Mar 20, 20039.06−0.94Action6,330
5Mar 4, 19528.74−1.26Action5,030
6Oct 16, 19718.60−1.40Action5,730
7Oct 9, 19768.39−1.61Action5,460
8Oct 13, 19907.74−2.26Below flood stage4,610
9Mar 1, 19877.70−2.30Below flood stage4,550
10Jan 23, 19547.58−2.42Below flood stage3,950
11Jul 28, 20137.25−2.75Below flood stage—
12Feb 17, 19957.23−2.77Below flood stage3,970
13Sep 8, 20046.87−3.13Below flood stage3,540
14Jan 25, 20106.70−3.30Below flood stage3,350
15Jan 28, 19985.35−4.65Below flood stage1,990
16Nov 12, 20095.02−4.98Below flood stage1,630

Gauges on the South Fork Catawba River

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

Flood gauges on the South Fork Catawba River
HENRY FORKNC20.029.20 ft, Aug 13, 19400
Laboratory this gaugeNC10.011.70 ft, Oct 1, 19290

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge LABN7, 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.