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Broad River in NC/SC near Gaffney

Highest listed crest 19.80 ftFlood stage 16.0 ft41 crests since 1940

The Broad River in NC/SC near Gaffney crested above flood stage 3 times among the 41 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1940 to 2013. The highest, 19.80 ft on August 14, 1940, was minor flooding, 3.80 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
19.80 ft
August 14, 1940; 119,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
16.0 ft
Major flooding from 24.0 ft
Crests at major
0
3 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
May 6, 2013
16.76 ft, minor flooding
Location
Cherokee County
Near Gaffney (5.2 mi), Shelby (14.0 mi)
Identifiers
NWS BRGS1
USGS 02153500; out of service

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Broad River in NC/SC near Gaffney
Action stage14.05Oct 13, 1990The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)16.03May 6, 2013Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage21.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage24.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

41 crests from 1940 to 2013. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Broad River in NC/SC near Gaffney, 1940 to 2013 10152025ft Flood stage 16.0 ftMajor 24.0 ft Aug 14, 1940: 19.80 ft, minor flooding; 119,000 cubic feet per secondJul 17, 1941: 11.43 ft, below flood stage; 26,000 cubic feet per secondJan 28, 1943: 12.40 ft, below flood stage; 38,400 cubic feet per secondSep 18, 1945: 15.40 ft, action stage; 61,600 cubic feet per secondJan 7, 1946: 13.40 ft, below flood stage; 43,400 cubic feet per secondNov 29, 1948: 12.50 ft, below flood stage; 35,700 cubic feet per secondAug 30, 1949: 12.40 ft, below flood stage; 35,000 cubic feet per secondDec 21, 1951: 11.50 ft, below flood stage; 29,000 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1952: 13.50 ft, below flood stage; 44,200 cubic feet per secondJan 23, 1954: 13.30 ft, below flood stage; 41,000 cubic feet per secondNov 19, 1957: 11.70 ft, below flood stage; 31,000 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 1958: 12.70 ft, below flood stage; 37,900 cubic feet per secondSep 30, 1959: 12.80 ft, below flood stage; 38,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 1960: 12.10 ft, below flood stage; 37,200 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 1963: 12.03 ft, below flood stage; 41,800 cubic feet per secondOct 6, 1964: 15.61 ft, action stage; 67,100 cubic feet per secondAug 24, 1966: 11.83 ft, below flood stage; 33,800 cubic feet per secondAug 10, 1970: 13.50 ft, below flood stageOct 16, 1971: 13.43 ft, below flood stage; 46,900 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 1972: 12.80 ft, below flood stageMay 28, 1973: 13.30 ft, below flood stageApr 5, 1974: 12.30 ft, below flood stage; 34,400 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1975: 14.60 ft, action stage; 55,300 cubic feet per secondOct 10, 1976: 17.20 ft, minor flooding; 84,900 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1977: 13.90 ft, below flood stageJan 26, 1978: 12.40 ft, below flood stageFeb 25, 1979: 11.50 ft, below flood stageJun 26, 1980: 11.50 ft, below flood stageJan 4, 1982: 11.84 ft, below flood stage; 33,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1984: 12.66 ft, below flood stage; 39,990 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1987: 15.09 ft, action stage; 65,800 cubic feet per secondOct 2, 1989: 13.00 ft, below flood stageOct 13, 1990: 15.97 ft, action stageMar 3, 1991: 12.31 ft, below flood stageMar 24, 1993: 12.58 ft, below flood stageJan 28, 1996: 11.99 ft, below flood stageDec 1, 2010: 11.07 ft, below flood stage; 16,200 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 2011: 10.90 ft, below flood stage; 27,500 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 2012: 10.97 ft, below flood stageJan 18, 2013: 13.86 ft, below flood stageMay 6, 2013: 16.76 ft, minor flooding; 79,331 cubic feet per second Highest, 19.80 ft, Aug 14, 1940 19401950196019701980199020002010

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Broad River in NC/SC near Gaffney 1940s: 1 1 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 1 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 2010s: 1 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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, Broad River in NC/SC near Gaffney
1Aug 14, 194019.80+3.80Minor119,000
2Oct 10, 197617.20+1.20Minor84,900
3May 6, 201316.76+0.76Minor79,331
4Oct 13, 199015.97−0.03Action—
5Oct 6, 196415.61−0.39Action67,100
6Sep 18, 194515.40−0.60Action61,600
7Mar 1, 198715.09−0.91Action65,800
8Mar 15, 197514.60−1.40Action55,300
9Mar 30, 197713.90−2.10Below flood stage—
10Jan 18, 201313.86−2.14Below flood stage—
11Mar 4, 195213.50−2.50Below flood stage44,200
12Aug 10, 197013.50−2.50Below flood stage—
13Oct 16, 197113.43−2.57Below flood stage46,900
14Jan 7, 194613.40−2.60Below flood stage43,400
15Jan 23, 195413.30−2.70Below flood stage41,000
16May 28, 197313.30−2.70Below flood stage—
17Oct 2, 198913.00−3.00Below flood stage—
18Sep 30, 195912.80−3.20Below flood stage38,600
19Jun 12, 197212.80−3.20Below flood stage—
20Apr 28, 195812.70−3.30Below flood stage37,900
21Feb 14, 198412.66−3.34Below flood stage39,990
22Mar 24, 199312.58−3.42Below flood stage—
23Nov 29, 194812.50−3.50Below flood stage35,700
24Jan 28, 194312.40−3.60Below flood stage38,400
25Aug 30, 194912.40−3.60Below flood stage35,000
26Jan 26, 197812.40−3.60Below flood stage—
27Mar 3, 199112.31−3.69Below flood stage—
28Apr 5, 197412.30−3.70Below flood stage34,400
29Feb 6, 196012.10−3.90Below flood stage37,200
30Mar 13, 196312.03−3.97Below flood stage41,800
31Jan 28, 199611.99−4.01Below flood stage—
32Jan 4, 198211.84−4.16Below flood stage33,900
33Aug 24, 196611.83−4.17Below flood stage33,800
34Nov 19, 195711.70−4.30Below flood stage31,000
35Dec 21, 195111.50−4.50Below flood stage29,000
36Feb 25, 197911.50−4.50Below flood stage—
37Jun 26, 198011.50−4.50Below flood stage—
38Jul 17, 194111.43−4.57Below flood stage26,000
39Dec 1, 201011.07−4.93Below flood stage16,200
40May 15, 201210.97−5.03Below flood stage—
41Mar 7, 201110.90−5.10Below flood stage27,500

The worst floods along the Broad River in NC/SC

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Broad River in NC/SC that crested above flood stage within a week.

October 10, 1976: 17.20 ft here, minor flooding

  • CARLISLESC · Oct 10, 1976 · 31.51 ft · Minor · its highest

Gauges on the Broad River in NC/SC

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

Flood gauges on the Broad River in NC/SC
Gaffney this gaugeSC16.019.80 ft, Aug 14, 19400
Ninety Nine Islands DamSC108.0108.41 ft, Sep 28, 20240
Neal Shoals ReservoirSC340.0340.91 ft, Feb 8, 20200
CARLISLESC30.031.51 ft, Oct 10, 19760
AlstonSC20.029.48 ft, Sep 30, 20240

Other gauges in Cherokee County

Flood gauges in Cherokee County
Gaston Shoals Reservoir and Dam, 5 WNW Blacksburg104.8108.60 ft, Aug 16, 19280
Shelby Hwy (SC 18), 4 W Blacksburg16.026.23 ft, Sep 28, 20241
Ninety Nine Islands Dam108.0108.41 ft, Sep 28, 20240
Possum Trot Rd, 5 E Blacksburg13.513.62 ft, Dec 30, 20150

Cherokee County: every hazard · River floods across the country · South Carolina

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BRGS1, 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.