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Little River (TN) at Townsend

Highest listed crest 15.75 ftFlood stage 7.0 ft38 crests since 1964

The Little River (TN) at Townsend crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 38 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1964 to 2024. The highest, 15.75 ft on March 27, 1994, was major flooding, 8.75 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Little River (TN) crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
15.75 ft
March 27, 1994; 27,100 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
7.0 ft
Major flooding from 15.0 ft
Crests at major
1
40th of 100 gauges in Tennessee
Most recent flood crest
January 9, 2024
8.93 ft, minor flooding
Location
Blount County
Tennessee
Identifiers
NWS TWNT1
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, Little River (TN) at Townsend
Action stage6.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)7.032Jan 9, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage11.05Feb 6, 2020Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage15.01Mar 27, 1994Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

38 crests from 1964 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Little River (TN) at Townsend, 1964 to 2024 6810121416ft Flood stage 7.0 ftMajor 15.0 ft Apr 7, 1964: 10.42 ft, minor flooding; 11,400 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 1965: 11.65 ft, moderate flooding; 14,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1966: 11.48 ft, moderate flooding; 13,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 2, 1969: 7.72 ft, minor flooding; 6,130 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 1969: 9.45 ft, minor flooding; 9,360 cubic feet per secondJul 19, 1971: 10.44 ft, minor flooding; 11,500 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1973: 12.30 ft, moderate flooding; 16,000 cubic feet per secondNov 28, 1973: 7.31 ft, minor flooding; 5,500 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1975: 8.83 ft, minor flooding; 8,130 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1977: 9.96 ft, minor flooding; 10,400 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 1978: 7.42 ft, minor flooding; 5,620 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1979: 10.58 ft, minor flooding; 11,800 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1980: 7.38 ft, minor flooding; 5,560 cubic feet per secondJan 4, 1982: 8.25 ft, minor flooding; 7,050 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1984: 8.61 ft, minor flooding; 7,530 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 1985: 9.73 ft, minor flooding; 9,740 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 1989: 7.65 ft, minor flooding; 5,870 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1990: 9.75 ft, minor flooding; 9,780 cubic feet per secondDec 23, 1990: 7.67 ft, minor flooding; 5,900 cubic feet per secondDec 1, 1991: 8.34 ft, minor flooding; 7,040 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 1994: 15.75 ft, major flooding; 27,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 1995: 7.10 ft, minor flooding; 5,260 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 1996: 9.38 ft, minor flooding; 9,410 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1997: 8.71 ft, minor flooding; 8,050 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 1998: 9.04 ft, minor flooding; 8,710 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 2003: 12.00 ft, moderate flooding; 15,600 cubic feet per secondJan 18, 2006: 7.43 ft, minor flooding; 5,800 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 2009: 7.98 ft, minor floodingNov 30, 2010: 7.09 ft, minor flooding; 5,240 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 2013: 8.07 ft, minor floodingJan 31, 2013: 8.50 ft, minor floodingJan 11, 2014: 7.81 ft, minor flooding; 6,460 cubic feet per secondOct 14, 2014: 8.59 ft, minor flooding; 7,860 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 2020: 11.33 ft, moderate flooding; 13,800 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 2020: 9.71 ft, minor flooding; 10,100 cubic feet per secondAug 17, 2021: 8.20 ft, minor flooding; 7,150 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 2022: 7.26 ft, minor flooding; 5,520 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 2024: 8.93 ft, minor flooding; 8,510 cubic feet per second Highest, 15.75 ft, Mar 27, 1994 197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Little River (TN) at Townsend 1960s: 5 1970s: 7 1980s: 5 1990s: 8 8 2000s: 3 2010s: 5 2020s: 5 1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Little River (TN) at Townsend
1Mar 27, 199415.75+8.75Major27,100
2Mar 16, 197312.30+5.30Moderate16,000
3May 6, 200312.00+5.00Moderate15,600
4Mar 26, 196511.65+4.65Moderate14,300
5Feb 13, 196611.48+4.48Moderate13,900
6Feb 6, 202011.33+4.33Moderate13,800
7Mar 4, 197910.58+3.58Minor11,800
8Jul 19, 197110.44+3.44Minor11,500
9Apr 7, 196410.42+3.42Minor11,400
10Apr 5, 19779.96+2.96Minor10,400
11Mar 17, 19909.75+2.75Minor9,780
12Feb 1, 19859.73+2.73Minor9,740
13Apr 13, 20209.71+2.71Minor10,100
14Dec 30, 19699.45+2.45Minor9,360
15Jan 26, 19969.38+2.38Minor9,410
16Apr 19, 19989.04+2.04Minor8,710
17Jan 9, 20248.93+1.93Minor8,510
18Mar 30, 19758.83+1.83Minor8,130
19Mar 3, 19978.71+1.71Minor8,050
20May 8, 19848.61+1.61Minor7,530
21Oct 14, 20148.59+1.59Minor7,860
22Jan 31, 20138.50+1.50Minor—
23Dec 1, 19918.34+1.34Minor7,040
24Jan 4, 19828.25+1.25Minor7,050
25Aug 17, 20218.20+1.20Minor7,150
26Jan 16, 20138.07+1.07Minor—
27Sep 27, 20097.98+0.98Minor—
28Jan 11, 20147.81+0.81Minor6,460
29Feb 2, 19697.72+0.72Minor6,130
30Dec 23, 19907.67+0.67Minor5,900
31Sep 22, 19897.65+0.65Minor5,870
32Jan 18, 20067.43+0.43Minor5,800
33Jan 25, 19787.42+0.42Minor5,620
34Mar 21, 19807.38+0.38Minor5,560
35Nov 28, 19737.31+0.31Minor5,500
36Feb 23, 20227.26+0.26Minor5,520
37Feb 16, 19957.10+0.10Minor5,260
38Nov 30, 20107.09+0.09Minor5,240

The worst floods along the Little River (TN)

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

March 27, 1994: 15.75 ft here, major flooding

  • MaryvilleTN · Mar 28, 1994 · 27.95 ft · Major

March 16, 1973: 12.30 ft here, moderate flooding

  • MaryvilleTN · Mar 16, 1973 · 22.84 ft · Moderate

May 6, 2003: 12.00 ft here, moderate flooding

  • MaryvilleTN · May 6, 2003 · 24.42 ft · Major

Gauges on the Little River (TN)

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

Flood gauges on the Little River (TN)
Townsend this gaugeTN7.015.75 ft, Mar 27, 19941
MaryvilleTN18.031.00 ft, Feb 25, 18756

Other gauges in Blount County

Flood gauges in Blount County
Maryville18.031.00 ft, Feb 25, 18756

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge TWNT1, 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.