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Hiwassee River at Charleston

Highest listed crest 34.00 ftFlood stage 22.0 ft5 crests since 1886

The Hiwassee River at Charleston crested above flood stage 3 times among the 5 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1886 to 2013. The highest, 34.00 ft on March 31, 1886, was minor flooding, 12.00 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
34.00 ft
March 31, 1886
Flood stage
22.0 ft
No major stage set
Crests at major
0
3 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
September 17, 2004
22.54 ft, minor flooding
Location
Bradley County
Near Cleveland (10.0 mi), Athens (14.3 mi)
Identifiers
NWS CHLT1
No USGS station

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Hiwassee River at Charleston
Action stage20.50—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)22.03Sep 17, 2004Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat

Every listed crest

5 crests from 1886 to 2013. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Hiwassee River at Charleston, 1886 to 2013 1520253035ft Flood stage 22.0 ft Mar 31, 1886: 34.00 ft, minor floodingMar 28, 1994: 29.42 ft, minor floodingSep 17, 2004: 22.54 ft, minor floodingJan 7, 2009: 19.94 ft, below flood stageJan 16, 2013: 20.38 ft, below flood stage Highest, 34.00 ft, Mar 31, 1886 190019201940196019802000

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Hiwassee River at Charleston 1880s: 1 1 1890s: 0 1900s: 0 1910s: 0 1920s: 0 1930s: 0 1940s: 0 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 1 2000s: 1 2010s: 0 1880s1890s1900s1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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, Hiwassee River at Charleston
1Mar 31, 188634.00+12.00Minor—
2Mar 28, 199429.42+7.42Minor—
3Sep 17, 200422.54+0.54Minor—
4Jan 16, 201320.38−1.62Below flood stage—
5Jan 7, 200919.94−2.06Below flood stage—

Gauges on the Hiwassee River

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Hiwassee River
Charleston this gaugeTN22.034.00 ft, Mar 31, 18860
Riverside Drive near HiawasseeGA10.011.22 ft, May 30, 20180
Streak Hill Road near HiawasseeGA9.012.38 ft, May 30, 20180

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CHLT1, 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.