Chattahoochee River at Helen
Georgia · Tubing & floating
Measured at USGS 02330450 — CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER AT HELEN, GA · NWS forecast point HDCG1
Reading taken Jul 28, 11:00 PM UTC
Running thin — a slow, scrapey float
At 48 CFS, this gauge is running 74% of normal for late July — below the 65 CFS median USGS has recorded for this date across 45 years of record (1981–2026).
Data-derived guidance from USGS and NWS published values — not official advice, and not a safety assessment.
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Flood stages at Helen
Official National Weather Service categories for gauge HDCG1, issued by WFO FFC. Impact statements are the NWS's own wording for this location, reproduced verbatim.
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Major flood 11.0 ft
- 11.0 ft Major flooding begins in the Helen area with numerous homes...businesses...motels and roads affected. The water will be around two feet deep in the restaurant at Castle Inn and over portions of Edelweiss Strasse. The Helendorf River Inn will be flooded with 3 feet of water. The Hamby Street...Edelweiss Strasse and Brucken Strasse bridges form obstacles and act like dams causing some backwater and erosion eddies to the sides of the bridges. County officials will have them closed.
- 12.0 ft Near record flooding occurs. A catastrophic and massive flood event will affect numerous homes...businesses...motels and roads in Helen. The flood waters will be 2 to 4 feet deep in many structures and cause widespread inundation of the infrastructure. The Hamby Street...Edelweiss Strasse and Brucken Strasse bridges will be under water. Transportation in and out of Helen will be extremely difficult due to road closures.
- 13.0 ft Record flooding never seen before will affect Helen. A catastrophic and massive flood event will continue to affect numerous homes...businesses...motels and roads in Helen. The flood waters will be 3 to 5 feet deep in many structures and cause widespread inundation of the infrastructure. The Hamby Street...Edelweiss Strasse and Brucken Strasse bridges will be under 1 to 2 feet of water. Transportation in and out of Helen will be almost impossible due to road closures.
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Moderate flood 8.0 ft
- 8.0 ft Moderate flooding begins upstream and downstream from the gage on Main Street. The water level will be around two feet deep on the concrete patio of the restaurant at Castle Inn and the parking lot behind it. The water level reaches the bottom of the Edelweiss Strasse bridge...the floors of the Helendorf River Inn...and the concrete foundation of the condominiums on Edelweiss Strasse. The landing area adjacent to the Tubing Company off of Edelweiss Strasse will be under two feet of water.
- 9.0 ft Significant flooding continues upstream and downstream from the gage on Main Street. The water level reaches the floor of the restaurant building at Castle Inn and will be around one foot deep in the Helendorf River Inn and over the concrete foundation of the condominiums on Edelweiss Strasse. The landing area adjacent to the Tubing Company off of Edelweiss Strasse will be under 3 feet of water. The water level will reach the bottom of the first Brucken Strasse bridge downstream from the gage.
- 10.0 ft Significant flooding expands in Helen. The water will be around one foot deep in the restaurant building at Castle Inn and over portions of Edelweiss Strasse. The Helendorf River Inn will be flooded with two feet of water. The Hamby Street...Edelweiss Strasse and Brucken Strasse bridges begin to form obstacles and act like dams causing some backwater and erosion eddies to the sides of the bridges. County officials will likely have them closed. Several homes near the river will begin to flood.
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Minor flood 6.0 ft
- 6.0 ft Flood stage is reached. Minor flooding will occur of yards of some homes on the left bank downstream from the gage on Main Street. The water level will reach the concrete patio of the restaurant at Castle Inn and the parking lot behind it. Portions of the sidewalk under the bridge and the parking lot behind a Tubing Company off of Poplar Stump Road upstream from the gage will be under one to two feet of water. The landing area adjacent to the Tubing Company off of Edelweiss Strasse will begin to flood.
- 7.0 ft Minor flooding continues in the yards of some homes on the left bank downstream from the gage on Main Street. The water level will be around one foot deep on the concrete patio of the restaurant at Castle Inn and the parking lot behind it. Portions of the sidewalk under the bridge and the parking lot behind a Tubing Company off of Poplar Stump Road upstream from the gage will be under 3 feet of water. The landing area adjacent to the Tubing Company off of Edelweiss Strasse will be under one foot of water.
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Action 4.0 ft · 1,600 CFS
- 4.0 ft Bankfull conditions are reached in low lying areas of the river upstream and downstream from the gage on Main Street. The water level will reach the sidewalk under the bridge in front of the concrete patio of the restaurant at Castle Inn on the left bank adjacent to the gage. The rock parking lot behind a Tubing Company off of Poplar Stump Road upstream from the gage will begin to flood.
- 5.0 ft Bankfull conditions expand along the river upstream and downstream from the gage on Main Street. The water level will be around one foot deep on a portion of the sidewalk under the bridge in front of the concrete patio of the restaurant at Castle Inn. A portion of the rock parking lot behind a Tubing Company off of Poplar Stump Road upstream from the gage will be under one foot of water.
- Right now 0.48 ft
12 months of flow at Helen
Daily values from USGS gauge 02330450. Provisional data, subject to revision.
Highest crests on record at Helen
| Stage | Flow | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 12.00 ft | 10,500 CFS | Aug 23, 1967 |
| 11.00 ft | — | Apr 16, 1946 |
| 10.00 ft | — | Mar 11, 1952 |
| 10.00 ft | — | Mar 12, 1963 |
| 7.30 ft | — | May 28, 1973 |
| 6.75 ft | — | Sep 17, 2004 |
| 6.44 ft | 5,132 CFS | May 30, 2018 |
| 6.01 ft | 3,966 CFS | Aug 26, 2008 |
| 5.94 ft | 3,850 CFS | Mar 17, 1990 |
| 5.90 ft | — | Mar 17, 1996 |
Historical crests published by the National Weather Service for this gauge.
About Chattahoochee River at Helen
This gauge measures Chattahoochee River at Helen, Georgia — the reading paddlers, anglers and outfitters on this stretch check before committing to a shuttle.
Highest-volume tubing town in the Southeast.
Raw CFS means little on its own, so every reading on this page is shown against the USGS median for the same calendar day — 65 CFS for late July, from 45 years of record.
Because the National Weather Service also operates a forecast point here, the page carries the official flood-category ladder and the NWS's own stage-by-stage impact statements.
Chattahoochee River at Helen — common questions
What is the current flow on Chattahoochee River at Helen?
As of the last reading on this page, Chattahoochee River at Helen was running 48 CFS at a gage height of 0.48 ft, or 74% of the USGS median for this date. The number updates automatically from USGS gauge 02330450, 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 65 CFS, calculated from 45 years of record (1981–2026). 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.
What flow is good for tubing Chattahoochee River?
riverlvl does not publish a recommended tubing range — that call belongs to the outfitters and the local authorities who know this stretch. What this page gives you is the objective input: today's flow, the seasonal median for the same date, and where the reading sits in the 12-month record. Local outfitters generally publish their own cutoffs, and they close when the river is up.
Does rain upstream change this reading quickly?
Yes. This is a free-flowing gauge, so it responds directly to rain in the basin upstream. Flashy rises of several feet in a few hours are normal on rivers like this after a heavy storm, which is why the reading is worth checking the morning you go.
What does gage height mean versus CFS?
Gage height is how high the water surface is above the gauge's own zero point, in feet — a local measure, not depth and not elevation. CFS is cubic feet per second, the volume of water moving past the gauge. Flood stages are set in gage height; float and paddling conditions are usually discussed in CFS.