Catawba River at Lookout Shoals
North Carolina · Fishing & wading
Measured at USGS 0214244102 — CATAWBA RIVER BL LOOKOUT SHOALS DAM NR SHARON, NC
Reading taken Jul 28, 10:30 PM UTC
Low and clear — wadeable, and fish will be spooky
At 838 CFS, this gauge is running 50% of normal for late July — below the 1,690 CFS median USGS has recorded for this date across 10 years of record (2016–2026).
Data-derived guidance from USGS and NWS published values — not official advice, and not a safety assessment.
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12 months of flow at Lookout Shoals
Daily values from USGS gauge 0214244102. Provisional data, subject to revision.
About Catawba River at Lookout Shoals
This gauge sits on Catawba River at Lookout Shoals, North Carolina, immediately below Lake Hickory. Flow here is controlled by releases from the dam, so it can change by hundreds of CFS within an hour with no rain anywhere in the basin — check it before you go, not the day before.
Raw CFS means little on its own, so every reading on this page is shown against the USGS median for the same calendar day — 1,690 CFS for late July, from 10 years of record.
Reservoir feeding this stretch
Flow at this gauge is set by releases from Lake Hickory. A full pool usually means more water is on its way down.
Catawba River at Lookout Shoals — common questions
What is the current flow on Catawba River at Lookout Shoals?
As of the last reading on this page, Catawba River at Lookout Shoals was running 838 CFS at a gage height of 12.97 ft, or 50% of the USGS median for this date. The number updates automatically from USGS gauge 0214244102, which reports every 15 to 60 minutes.
Is that high or low for this time of year?
The USGS median flow for late July at this gauge is 1,690 CFS, calculated from 10 years of record (2016–2026). Comparing today's reading against that median is the only way a raw CFS number tells you anything — 200 CFS is a drought on one river and a flood on another.
How often does this reading update?
USGS transmits from this gauge every 15 to 60 minutes. This page bakes in the most recent reading when it is rebuilt, then refreshes live from USGS when you open it. Readings are provisional and subject to revision by USGS.
Is Catawba River at Lookout Shoals wadeable right now?
That depends on the reach and on your own judgement — riverlvl will not tell you the water is safe to stand in. What it will tell you is whether today's flow is unusually high or low for the date, against a seasonal median of 1,690 CFS, which is the single most useful input to that decision. On a dam tailwater like this one, the bigger risk is a sudden generation release, which can raise the river several feet with little warning.
How do releases from Lake Hickory affect this stretch?
Directly and quickly. When the dam generates or spills, flow at this gauge climbs — often within an hour, often by an order of magnitude. The reservoir level itself is tracked on lakelvl.com, and the link on this page goes straight to it, so you can see whether the pool is high enough that releases are likely.
Where does this data come from?
Flow and gage height are public-domain USGS data from gauge 0214244102. riverlvl adds the seasonal comparison and plain-English summary; it is not an official source and does not issue warnings.