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Yadkin River at Elkin

Highest listed crest 37.50 ftFlood stage 18.0 ft60 crests since 1916

The Yadkin River at Elkin crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 60 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1916 to 2024. The highest, 37.50 ft on August 16, 1940, was major flooding, 19.50 feet above flood stage. 4 other gauges on the Yadkin River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 2 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
37.50 ft
August 16, 1940
Flood stage
18.0 ft
Major flooding from 25.0 ft
Crests at major
2
55th of 314 gauges in North Carolina
Most recent flood crest
September 27, 2024
24.11 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Yadkin 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, Yadkin River at Elkin
Action stage16.016Jun 20, 2023The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)18.017May 28, 2020Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage21.011Sep 27, 2024Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage25.02Aug 16, 1940Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

60 crests from 1916 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Yadkin River at Elkin, 1916 to 2024 010203040ft Flood stage 18.0 ftMajor 25.0 ft Jul 8, 1916: 36.00 ft, major floodingAug 16, 1940: 37.50 ft, major floodingMar 22, 1965: 15.66 ft, below flood stageFeb 13, 1966: 18.59 ft, minor floodingAug 10, 1970: 23.52 ft, moderate flooding; 24,700 cubic feet per secondSep 19, 1971: 19.38 ft, minor flooding; 18,500 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1972: 22.64 ft, moderate flooding; 24,500 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 1973: 17.33 ft, action stage; 16,000 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1974: 18.73 ft, minor flooding; 18,200 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1975: 19.56 ft, minor flooding; 19,500 cubic feet per secondOct 18, 1975: 20.83 ft, minor flooding; 21,500 cubic feet per secondOct 9, 1976: 19.70 ft, minor flooding; 19,800 cubic feet per secondNov 7, 1977: 21.09 ft, moderate flooding; 21,900 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 1979: 20.81 ft, minor flooding; 21,500 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1980: 16.13 ft, action stage; 14,500 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 1983: 24.88 ft, moderate flooding; 29,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1984: 16.53 ft, action stage; 15,100 cubic feet per secondAug 18, 1985: 15.24 ft, below flood stage; 13,400 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1987: 17.04 ft, action stage; 15,800 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 1989: 16.28 ft, action stage; 14,800 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1991: 16.64 ft, action stage; 15,200 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1992: 21.32 ft, moderate flooding; 22,300 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1993: 19.03 ft, minor flooding; 18,700 cubic feet per secondAug 17, 1994: 22.80 ft, moderate flooding; 29,100 cubic feet per secondJan 15, 1995: 16.76 ft, action stage; 15,400 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1996: 17.45 ft, action stage; 16,400 cubic feet per secondAug 12, 1996: 18.97 ft, minor flooding; 18,630 cubic feet per secondDec 1, 1996: 15.50 ft, below flood stage; 13,720 cubic feet per secondJan 28, 1998: 17.20 ft, action stage; 16,050 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1998: 18.38 ft, minor flooding; 17,740 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 2000: 7.25 ft, below flood stage; 4,930 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 2001: 9.85 ft, below flood stage; 7,450 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 2003: 13.23 ft, below flood stage; 11,200 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 2003: 16.07 ft, action stage; 14,400 cubic feet per secondSep 8, 2004: 19.89 ft, minor flooding; 20,800 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 2005: 12.35 ft, below flood stage; 10,100 cubic feet per secondOct 8, 2005: 16.99 ft, action stage; 15,500 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 2007: 13.13 ft, below flood stage; 11,000 cubic feet per secondAug 27, 2008: 10.75 ft, below flood stage; 8,380 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 2009: 12.95 ft, below flood stage; 10,800 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 2010: 18.84 ft, minor flooding; 18,690 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 2011: 18.51 ft, minor flooding; 18,100 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 2012: 13.83 ft, below flood stage; 11,800 cubic feet per secondJul 5, 2013: 17.09 ft, action stage; 15,700 cubic feet per secondDec 23, 2013: 14.08 ft, below flood stage; 12,000 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 2015: 15.99 ft, below flood stage; 14,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 3, 2016: 17.63 ft, action stage; 16,500 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 2017: 19.62 ft, minor flooding; 20,202 cubic feet per secondFeb 11, 2018: 17.35 ft, action stage; 16,100 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 2018: 17.74 ft, action stage; 16,700 cubic feet per secondOct 11, 2018: 21.02 ft, moderate flooding; 23,200 cubic feet per secondDec 28, 2018: 19.21 ft, minor flooding; 19,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 2020: 20.18 ft, minor flooding; 21,400 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2020: 18.40 ft, minor flooding; 17,800 cubic feet per secondOct 29, 2020: 22.52 ft, moderate flooding; 27,300 cubic feet per secondNov 12, 2020: 21.81 ft, moderate flooding; 25,100 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 2023: 16.33 ft, action stage; 14,700 cubic feet per secondDec 27, 2023: 12.50 ft, below flood stage; 10,300 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 2024: 21.09 ft, moderate flooding; 23,400 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 2024: 24.11 ft, moderate flooding; 33,300 cubic feet per second Highest, 37.50 ft, Aug 16, 1940 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Yadkin River at Elkin 1910s: 1 1920s: 0 1930s: 0 1940s: 1 1950s: 0 1960s: 1 1970s: 9 9 1980s: 1 1990s: 5 2000s: 1 2010s: 5 2020s: 6 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

The 50 highest of 60 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Yadkin River at Elkin
1Aug 16, 194037.50+19.50Major—
2Jul 8, 191636.00+18.00Major—
3Apr 10, 198324.88+6.88Moderate29,100
4Sep 27, 202424.11+6.11Moderate33,300
5Aug 10, 197023.52+5.52Moderate24,700
6Aug 17, 199422.80+4.80Moderate29,100
7Jun 21, 197222.64+4.64Moderate24,500
8Oct 29, 202022.52+4.52Moderate27,300
9Nov 12, 202021.81+3.81Moderate25,100
10Apr 21, 199221.32+3.32Moderate22,300
11Nov 7, 197721.09+3.09Moderate21,900
12Jan 10, 202421.09+3.09Moderate23,400
13Oct 11, 201821.02+3.02Moderate23,200
14Oct 18, 197520.83+2.83Minor21,500
15Sep 22, 197920.81+2.81Minor21,500
16Feb 7, 202020.18+2.18Minor21,400
17Sep 8, 200419.89+1.89Minor20,800
18Oct 9, 197619.70+1.70Minor19,800
19Apr 24, 201719.62+1.62Minor20,202
20Mar 14, 197519.56+1.56Minor19,500
21Sep 19, 197119.38+1.38Minor18,500
22Dec 28, 201819.21+1.21Minor19,400
23Mar 24, 199319.03+1.03Minor18,700
24Aug 12, 199618.97+0.97Minor18,630
25Jan 25, 201018.84+0.84Minor18,690
26Apr 4, 197418.73+0.73Minor18,200
27Feb 13, 196618.59+0.59Minor—
28Mar 6, 201118.51+0.51Minor18,100
29May 28, 202018.40+0.40Minor17,800
30Apr 17, 199818.38+0.38Minor17,740
31Sep 17, 201817.74−0.26Action16,700
32Feb 3, 201617.63−0.37Action16,500
33Jan 19, 199617.45−0.55Action16,400
34Feb 11, 201817.35−0.65Action16,100
35Apr 27, 197317.33−0.67Action16,000
36Jan 28, 199817.20−0.80Action16,050
37Jul 5, 201317.09−0.91Action15,700
38Mar 1, 198717.04−0.96Action15,800
39Oct 8, 200516.99−1.01Action15,500
40Jan 15, 199516.76−1.24Action15,400
41Mar 29, 199116.64−1.36Action15,200
42Feb 14, 198416.53−1.47Action15,100
43Jun 20, 202316.33−1.67Action14,700
44Sep 22, 198916.28−1.72Action14,800
45Apr 9, 198016.13−1.87Action14,500
46Apr 11, 200316.07−1.93Action14,400
47Apr 20, 201515.99−2.01Below flood stage14,300
48Mar 22, 196515.66−2.34Below flood stage—
49Dec 1, 199615.50−2.50Below flood stage13,720
50Aug 18, 198515.24−2.76Below flood stage13,400

The worst floods along the Yadkin River

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

August 16, 1940: 37.50 ft here, major flooding

  • WilkesboroNC · Aug 14, 1940 · 37.60 ft · Major · its highest
  • Yadkin CollegeNC · Aug 15, 1940 · 33.75 ft · Major
  • PattersonNC · Aug 13, 1940 · 12.70 ft · Major
  • EnonNC · Aug 15, 1940 · 35.80 ft · Moderate · its highest

July 8, 1916: 36.00 ft here, major flooding

April 10, 1983: 24.88 ft here, moderate flooding

  • EnonNC · Apr 10, 1983 · 27.71 ft · Minor
  • WilkesboroNC · Apr 10, 1983 · 16.22 ft · Minor
  • PattersonNC · Apr 9, 1983 · 5.41 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Yadkin River

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

Flood gauges on the Yadkin River
PattersonNC5.012.80 ft, Aug 7, 19732
WilkesboroNC14.037.60 ft, Aug 14, 19402
Elkin this gaugeNC18.037.50 ft, Aug 16, 19402
EnonNC24.035.80 ft, Aug 15, 19400
Yadkin CollegeNC18.036.30 ft, Jul 1, 19165

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge ELKN7, 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.