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Yadkin River at Wilkesboro

Highest listed crest 37.60 ftFlood stage 14.0 ft43 crests since 1940

The Yadkin River at Wilkesboro crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 43 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1940 to 2024. The highest, 37.60 ft on August 14, 1940, was major flooding, 23.60 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
37.60 ft
August 14, 1940; 160,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
14.0 ft
Major flooding from 22.0 ft
Crests at major
2
55th of 314 gauges in North Carolina
Most recent flood crest
September 27, 2024
17.50 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Wilkes 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 Wilkesboro
Action stage12.02Nov 12, 2020The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)14.017Jan 9, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage17.05Sep 27, 2024Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage22.02Sep 18, 1945Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

43 crests from 1940 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Yadkin River at Wilkesboro, 1940 to 2024 010203040ft Flood stage 14.0 ftMajor 22.0 ft Aug 14, 1940: 37.60 ft, major flooding; 160,000 cubic feet per secondSep 6, 1942: 16.04 ft, minor floodingSep 30, 1944: 14.77 ft, minor floodingSep 18, 1945: 22.45 ft, major flooding; 23,200 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1947: 17.55 ft, moderate floodingDec 7, 1950: 16.77 ft, minor floodingMar 11, 1952: 17.12 ft, moderate floodingFeb 21, 1953: 15.10 ft, minor floodingJan 22, 1954: 15.49 ft, minor floodingFeb 21, 1954: 14.24 ft, minor floodingMar 14, 1955: 14.20 ft, minor floodingApr 5, 1957: 18.50 ft, moderate flooding; 15,500 cubic feet per secondDec 29, 1958: 15.61 ft, minor floodingSep 30, 1959: 18.30 ft, moderate flooding; 15,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 1960: 15.48 ft, minor floodingAug 10, 1970: 15.66 ft, minor flooding; 12,700 cubic feet per secondOct 17, 1975: 15.40 ft, minor flooding; 10,400 cubic feet per secondNov 6, 1977: 15.52 ft, minor flooding; 11,800 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 1983: 16.22 ft, minor flooding; 12,800 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1993: 11.12 ft, below flood stage; 8,900 cubic feet per secondAug 17, 1994: 15.52 ft, minor flooding; 12,400 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1998: 13.26 ft, action stage; 10,400 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 2000: 5.78 ft, below flood stage; 3,490 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 2001: 5.47 ft, below flood stage; 3,190 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 2003: 8.88 ft, below flood stage; 6,590 cubic feet per secondSep 9, 2004: 8.35 ft, below flood stage; 6,050 cubic feet per secondJan 14, 2005: 7.38 ft, below flood stage; 5,030 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 2006: 7.15 ft, below flood stage; 4,800 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 2007: 7.44 ft, below flood stage; 5,080 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 2008: 7.19 ft, below flood stage; 4,840 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 2009: 9.56 ft, below flood stage; 7,180 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 2010: 11.92 ft, below flood stage; 9,340 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 2011: 11.10 ft, below flood stage; 8,690 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 2012: 9.11 ft, below flood stage; 6,750 cubic feet per secondJul 5, 2013: 8.75 ft, below flood stage; 6,520 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 2015: 7.63 ft, below flood stage; 5,280 cubic feet per secondFeb 3, 2016: 11.11 ft, below flood stage; 8,700 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 2017: 10.04 ft, below flood stage; 7,640 cubic feet per secondOct 11, 2018: 14.05 ft, minor flooding; 11,400 cubic feet per secondOct 29, 2020: 15.86 ft, minor flooding; 13,100 cubic feet per secondNov 12, 2020: 12.70 ft, action stage; 10,200 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 2024: 14.12 ft, minor flooding; 11,500 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 2024: 17.50 ft, moderate flooding; 14,453 cubic feet per second Highest, 37.60 ft, Aug 14, 1940 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Yadkin River at Wilkesboro 1940s: 5 1950s: 9 9 1960s: 1 1970s: 3 1980s: 1 1990s: 1 2000s: 0 2010s: 1 2020s: 3 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Yadkin River at Wilkesboro
1Aug 14, 194037.60+23.60Major160,000
2Sep 18, 194522.45+8.45Major23,200
3Apr 5, 195718.50+4.50Moderate15,500
4Sep 30, 195918.30+4.30Moderate15,200
5Jun 14, 194717.55+3.55Moderate—
6Sep 27, 202417.50+3.50Moderate14,453
7Mar 11, 195217.12+3.12Moderate—
8Dec 7, 195016.77+2.77Minor—
9Apr 10, 198316.22+2.22Minor12,800
10Sep 6, 194216.04+2.04Minor—
11Oct 29, 202015.86+1.86Minor13,100
12Aug 10, 197015.66+1.66Minor12,700
13Dec 29, 195815.61+1.61Minor—
14Nov 6, 197715.52+1.52Minor11,800
15Aug 17, 199415.52+1.52Minor12,400
16Jan 22, 195415.49+1.49Minor—
17Feb 5, 196015.48+1.48Minor—
18Oct 17, 197515.40+1.40Minor10,400
19Feb 21, 195315.10+1.10Minor—
20Sep 30, 194414.77+0.77Minor—
21Feb 21, 195414.24+0.24Minor—
22Mar 14, 195514.20+0.20Minor—
23Jan 9, 202414.12+0.12Minor11,500
24Oct 11, 201814.05+0.05Minor11,400
25Apr 17, 199813.26−0.74Action10,400
26Nov 12, 202012.70−1.30Action10,200
27Jan 25, 201011.92−2.08Below flood stage9,340
28Mar 23, 199311.12−2.88Below flood stage8,900
29Feb 3, 201611.11−2.89Below flood stage8,700
30Mar 6, 201111.10−2.90Below flood stage8,690
31Apr 24, 201710.04−3.96Below flood stage7,640
32May 26, 20099.56−4.44Below flood stage7,180
33May 14, 20129.11−4.89Below flood stage6,750
34Jun 19, 20038.88−5.12Below flood stage6,590
35Jul 5, 20138.75−5.25Below flood stage6,520
36Sep 9, 20048.35−5.65Below flood stage6,050
37Apr 19, 20157.63−6.37Below flood stage5,280
38Jan 1, 20077.44−6.56Below flood stage5,080
39Jan 14, 20057.38−6.62Below flood stage5,030
40Feb 14, 20087.19−6.81Below flood stage4,840
41Jun 17, 20067.15−6.85Below flood stage4,800
42Mar 20, 20005.78−8.22Below flood stage3,490
43Mar 30, 20015.47−8.53Below flood stage3,190

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 14, 1940: 37.60 ft here, major flooding

  • ElkinNC · Aug 16, 1940 · 37.50 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

September 18, 1945: 22.45 ft here, major flooding

April 5, 1957: 18.50 ft here, moderate flooding

  • PattersonNC · Apr 5, 1957 · 6.30 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
Wilkesboro this gaugeNC14.037.60 ft, Aug 14, 19402
ElkinNC18.037.50 ft, Aug 16, 19402
EnonNC24.035.80 ft, Aug 15, 19400
Yadkin CollegeNC18.036.30 ft, Jul 1, 19165

Other gauges in Wilkes County

Flood gauges in Wilkes County
S.R. 10029.510.70 ft, Sep 26, 20240
Elkville12.022.00 ft, Aug 13, 19400

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge WKSN7, 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.