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Elk River near Prospect

Highest listed crest 40.90 ftFlood stage 25.0 ft83 crests since 1902

The Elk River near Prospect crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 83 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1902 to 2024. The highest, 40.90 ft on March 1, 1902, was major flooding, 15.90 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
40.90 ft
March 1, 1902
Flood stage
25.0 ft
Major flooding from 40.0 ft
Crests at major
2
32nd of 100 gauges in Tennessee
Most recent flood crest
February 25, 2022
26.81 ft, minor flooding
Location
Giles County
Tennessee

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Elk River near Prospect
Action stage22.06Dec 27, 2015The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)25.051Feb 25, 2022Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage37.03Mar 14, 1975Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage40.02Mar 17, 1973Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

83 crests from 1902 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Elk River near Prospect, 1902 to 2024 1020304050ft Flood stage 25.0 ftMajor 40.0 ft Mar 1, 1902: 40.90 ft, major floodingMar 4, 1934: 31.12 ft, minor flooding; 42,100 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1935: 25.87 ft, minor flooding; 28,200 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1936: 26.65 ft, minor flooding; 29,900 cubic feet per secondJan 3, 1937: 31.85 ft, minor flooding; 43,200 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1938: 18.36 ft, below flood stage; 16,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 1939: 31.74 ft, minor flooding; 41,900 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 1940: 19.59 ft, below flood stage; 17,700 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1941: 18.46 ft, below flood stage; 16,200 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1942: 19.00 ft, below flood stage; 16,900 cubic feet per secondDec 29, 1942: 22.10 ft, action stage; 21,000 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1944: 32.21 ft, minor flooding; 43,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 1945: 33.01 ft, minor flooding; 46,000 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 1946: 33.20 ft, minor flooding; 46,600 cubic feet per secondJan 3, 1947: 27.97 ft, minor flooding; 31,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1948: 38.17 ft, moderate flooding; 100,000 cubic feet per secondJan 6, 1949: 34.00 ft, minor flooding; 58,700 cubic feet per secondJan 7, 1950: 32.32 ft, minor flooding; 47,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 2, 1951: 33.66 ft, minor flooding; 56,200 cubic feet per secondJan 28, 1952: 30.32 ft, minor flooding; 37,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1953: 28.67 ft, minor flooding; 32,000 cubic feet per secondJan 23, 1954: 31.63 ft, minor flooding; 43,600 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1955: 38.98 ft, moderate flooding; 104,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 1956: 30.05 ft, minor flooding; 36,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 2, 1957: 34.85 ft, minor flooding; 65,600 cubic feet per secondNov 19, 1957: 33.25 ft, minor flooding; 53,200 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 1959: 19.38 ft, below flood stage; 17,400 cubic feet per secondDec 20, 1959: 23.81 ft, action stage; 23,400 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 1961: 33.86 ft, minor flooding; 57,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 1962: 30.85 ft, minor flooding; 39,900 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 1963: 34.26 ft, minor flooding; 60,800 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1964: 29.47 ft, minor flooding; 34,600 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 1965: 30.23 ft, minor flooding; 37,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1966: 19.01 ft, below flood stage; 17,000 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 1967: 28.80 ft, minor flooding; 32,400 cubic feet per secondJan 12, 1968: 26.33 ft, minor flooding; 27,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 1969: 26.46 ft, minor flooding; 27,300 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 1969: 33.54 ft, minor flooding; 55,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 1971: 26.69 ft, minor flooding; 27,700 cubic feet per secondJan 3, 1972: 22.34 ft, action stage; 21,400 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1973: 40.12 ft, major flooding; 117,000 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 1974: 36.43 ft, minor flooding; 79,600 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1975: 37.06 ft, moderate flooding; 84,400 cubic feet per secondOct 18, 1975: 31.08 ft, minor flooding; 42,000 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1977: 31.30 ft, minor flooding; 43,100 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1978: 29.24 ft, minor flooding; 34,300 cubic feet per secondJan 2, 1979: 29.14 ft, minor flooding; 34,100 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1980: 32.90 ft, minor flooding; 51,000 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1981: 13.39 ft, below flood stage; 10,600 cubic feet per secondJan 5, 1982: 26.63 ft, minor flooding; 27,600 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1983: 33.51 ft, minor flooding; 55,200 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 1984: 28.61 ft, minor flooding; 31,800 cubic feet per secondNov 29, 1985: 22.18 ft, action stage; 21,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 1986: 19.28 ft, below flood stage; 17,300 cubic feet per secondDec 10, 1987: 29.16 ft, minor flooding; 33,500 cubic feet per secondJan 21, 1988: 21.53 ft, below flood stage; 20,200 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1989: 32.19 ft, minor flooding; 46,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 1991: 34.20 ft, minor flooding; 103,000 cubic feet per secondDec 2, 1991: 30.32 ft, minor flooding; 60,700 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1993: 20.38 ft, below flood stage; 23,200 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1994: 29.48 ft, minor flooding; 54,900 cubic feet per secondSep 23, 2003: 10.41 ft, below flood stage; 8,720 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 2004: 29.04 ft, minor flooding; 51,700 cubic feet per secondDec 8, 2004: 25.53 ft, minor flooding; 35,200 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 2006: 25.60 ft, minor flooding; 35,400 cubic feet per secondJan 6, 2007: 16.57 ft, below flood stage; 16,800 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 2008: 19.41 ft, below flood stage; 21,500 cubic feet per secondDec 12, 2008: 20.16 ft, below flood stage; 22,800 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 2010: 24.30 ft, action stage; 31,600 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2011: 27.14 ft, minor flooding; 40,900 cubic feet per secondJan 12, 2012: 18.37 ft, below flood stage; 19,700 cubic feet per secondJan 17, 2013: 20.66 ft, below flood stage; 24,900 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2014: 17.95 ft, below flood stage; 20,200 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 2015: 18.90 ft, below flood stage; 21,800 cubic feet per secondDec 27, 2015: 24.22 ft, action stage; 32,600 cubic feet per secondJan 23, 2017: 12.86 ft, below flood stage; 12,500 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 2018: 28.04 ft, minor flooding; 46,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 2019: 32.31 ft, minor flooding; 78,143 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 2020: 27.06 ft, minor flooding; 41,900 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 2021: 26.22 ft, minor flooding; 38,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 2022: 26.81 ft, minor flooding; 40,700 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 2023: 19.97 ft, below flood stage; 23,700 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 2024: 20.91 ft, below flood stage; 25,400 cubic feet per second Highest, 40.90 ft, Mar 1, 1902 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Elk River near Prospect 1900s: 1 1910s: 0 1920s: 0 1930s: 5 1940s: 6 1950s: 9 9 1960s: 9 1970s: 8 1980s: 6 1990s: 3 2000s: 3 2010s: 3 2020s: 3 1900s1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 83 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Elk River near Prospect
1Mar 1, 190240.90+15.90Major—
2Mar 17, 197340.12+15.12Major117,000
3Mar 22, 195538.98+13.98Moderate104,000
4Feb 14, 194838.17+13.17Moderate100,000
5Mar 14, 197537.06+12.06Moderate84,400
6Jan 11, 197436.43+11.43Minor79,600
7Feb 2, 195734.85+9.85Minor65,600
8Mar 13, 196334.26+9.26Minor60,800
9Feb 20, 199134.20+9.20Minor103,000
10Jan 6, 194934.00+9.00Minor58,700
11Mar 9, 196133.86+8.86Minor57,600
12Feb 2, 195133.66+8.66Minor56,200
13Dec 31, 196933.54+8.54Minor55,300
14Apr 6, 198333.51+8.51Minor55,200
15Nov 19, 195733.25+8.25Minor53,200
16Jan 9, 194633.20+8.20Minor46,600
17Feb 22, 194533.01+8.01Minor46,000
18Mar 21, 198032.90+7.90Minor51,000
19Jan 7, 195032.32+7.32Minor47,300
20Feb 24, 201932.31+7.31Minor78,143
21Mar 30, 194432.21+7.21Minor43,400
22Mar 6, 198932.19+7.19Minor46,700
23Jan 3, 193731.85+6.85Minor43,200
24Feb 16, 193931.74+6.74Minor41,900
25Jan 23, 195431.63+6.63Minor43,600
26Apr 5, 197731.30+6.30Minor43,100
27Mar 4, 193431.12+6.12Minor42,100
28Oct 18, 197531.08+6.08Minor42,000
29Feb 28, 196230.85+5.85Minor39,900
30Jan 28, 195230.32+5.32Minor37,700
31Dec 2, 199130.32+5.32Minor60,700
32Mar 27, 196530.23+5.23Minor37,400
33Feb 5, 195630.05+5.05Minor36,600
34Mar 28, 199429.48+4.48Minor54,900
35Mar 16, 196429.47+4.47Minor34,600
36May 9, 197829.24+4.24Minor34,300
37Dec 10, 198729.16+4.16Minor33,500
38Jan 2, 197929.14+4.14Minor34,100
39Feb 7, 200429.04+4.04Minor51,700
40May 15, 196728.80+3.80Minor32,400
41Feb 13, 195328.67+3.67Minor32,000
42May 4, 198428.61+3.61Minor31,800
43Mar 2, 201828.04+3.04Minor46,600
44Jan 3, 194727.97+2.97Minor31,200
45Apr 29, 201127.14+2.14Minor40,900
46Feb 7, 202027.06+2.06Minor41,900
47Feb 25, 202226.81+1.81Minor40,700
48Feb 23, 197126.69+1.69Minor27,700
49Apr 7, 193626.65+1.65Minor29,900
50Jan 5, 198226.63+1.63Minor27,600

The worst floods along the Elk River

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

March 17, 1973: 40.12 ft here, major flooding

  • PelhamTN · Mar 16, 1973 · 14.08 ft · Minor · its highest

Gauges on the Elk River

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

Flood gauges on the Elk River
PelhamTN14.014.08 ft, Mar 16, 19730
Prospect this gaugeTN25.040.90 ft, Mar 1, 19022

Other gauges in Giles County

Flood gauges in Giles County
Pulaski20.024.04 ft, Apr 28, 20110

Giles County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Tennessee

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge PSPT1, 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.