Skip to content
WNCWEATHER.COM

35.6858° N, 82.0603° W

Catawba R nr Pleasant Gardens, NC

River gauge

River
Catawba River
USGS site
02137727
NWPS ID
PLGN7
County
McDowell

Retrieved

YanceyBurkeRutherfordMitchellBuncombeAveryPolkHendersonMadisonPleasant Gardens25 miN
Pleasant GardensCounty seatRiver gauge

Below action stage

Stage
1.19ft
Discharge
91cfs
Forecast crest

None issued

Headroom
7.8ft

to action stage

Last reading . The river is below the level at which any action is recommended.

Stage trend

Past 7 days of observed stage, with flood category thresholds

Solid line is observed stage. Dashed horizontal lines are flood category thresholds.

2004 crested at 17.6 ft; 2018 crested at 15.7 ft; 1994 crested at 15.2 ft — above the range of this chart.

Catawba R nr Pleasant Gardens, NC. Latest observed stage 1.19 feet at Sep 15, 2026, 10:45 AM.

Rainfall context

Forecast precipitation at this gauge, so a rising river has a visible cause

Next 24 hours
0.09in
Next 72 hours
0.09in

These are forecast totals at the gauge location, not basin-integrated totals upstream. Rain falling higher in the watershed will reach this gauge on a delay that varies by river.

Downstream communities

  • Marion — first affected
  • Lake James
  • Morganton

Nearby gauges

Stage and discharge from the U.S. Geological Survey (site 02137727). Flood categories and forecasts from the National Water Prediction Service (PLGN7).