Chattahoochee River at Helen
River flow & level · USGS gauge 02330450 · Georgia · drains 45 sq mi
Latest reading Oct 26, 6:00 PM · streamflow
The Chattahoochee River at Helen is running 38.3 cfs, 60% of the median flow for October 26 (64.0 cfs, 45 years). Gage height is 0.37 ft, 5.6 ft below flood stage (6.0 ft). Flow is down 2% from 24 hours ago.
Streamflow
cubic feet per secondReadingNormal range for the date (25th–75th pct.)Median for the date
Gage height & flood stages
ft above gauge datumAction (4.0 ft) is 3.6 ft above the latest reading, off this chartMinor (6.0 ft) is 5.6 ft above the latest reading, off this chartModerate (8.0 ft) is 7.6 ft above the latest reading, off this chartMajor (11.0 ft) is 10.6 ft above the latest reading, off this chart
Action (4.0 ft) is 3.6 ft above the latest reading, off this chartMinor (6.0 ft) is 5.6 ft above the latest reading, off this chartModerate (8.0 ft) is 7.6 ft above the latest reading, off this chartMajor (11.0 ft) is 10.6 ft above the latest reading, off this chart
Action (4.0 ft) is 3.6 ft above the latest reading, off this chartMinor (6.0 ft) is 5.6 ft above the latest reading, off this chartModerate (8.0 ft) is 7.6 ft above the latest reading, off this chartMajor (11.0 ft) is 10.6 ft above the latest reading, off this chart
ReadingNormal range for the date (25th–75th pct.)Median for the date
Chattahoochee River at Helen fishing report & conditions
updated Oct 26, 6:49 PM ETWater 57°F, flow 60% of normal, flow steady, calm wind — good fall fishing day (7/10), best window 7:53 AM–8:53 AM (moonset near sunrise).
Water 57°F, flow 60% of normal, flow steady, calm wind, pressure steady — good fall fishing day (7/10), best window 7:08 PM–8:08 PM (moonrise near sunset).
- Water temp57°Fmeasured Oct 26, 6:00 PM · this gauge
- Air temphigh 75°F / low 47°FSunny
- WindCalm1–2 mph 6 AM–6 PM, gusts to 6
- Flow60% of normalFlow steady (-2% in 24 h)
Official Georgia fishing forecast: Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division — Lake & river fishing forecasts
Best fishing times today
Today is a good fishing day (solunar + local conditions)
7/10
Full moon · 99% lit · New moon Mon, Nov 9 · Sunrise 7:50 AM · Sunset 6:46 PM
Major fishing times
- Moon overhead12:15 AM–2:15 AM
- Moon underfoot12:42 PM–2:42 PM
Minor fishing times
- Moonset7:53 AM–8:53 AMSunrise
- Moonrise6:24 PM–7:24 PMSunset
Fishing times for the next 7 days
| TodayOct 26 | 7/10Good | Major 12:15 AM–2:15 AM · 12:42 PM–2:42 PM Minor 7:53 AM–8:53 AM · 6:24 PM–7:24 PM Calm wind 1–2 mph |
|---|---|---|
| TueOct 27 | 5/10Fair | Major 1:11 AM–3:11 AM · 1:40 PM–3:40 PM Minor 9:07 AM–10:07 AM · 7:08 PM–8:08 PM Calm wind 0–4 mph · pressure steady |
| WedOct 28 | 4/10Fair | Major 2:11 AM–4:11 AM · 2:43 PM–4:43 PM Minor 10:21 AM–11:21 AM · 8:02 PM–9:02 PM Light wind 2–6 mph · pressure steady |
| ThuOct 29 | 4/10Fair | Major 3:15 AM–5:15 AM · 3:48 PM–5:48 PM Minor 11:30 AM–12:30 PM · 9:06 PM–10:06 PM Calm wind 2–4 mph |
| FriOct 30 | 3/10Poor | Major 4:20 AM–6:20 AM · 4:51 PM–6:51 PM Minor 12:30 PM–1:30 PM · 10:15 PM–11:15 PM Calm wind 0–4 mph |
| SatOct 31 | 5/10Fair | Major 5:22 AM–7:22 AM · 5:51 PM–7:51 PM Minor 1:21 PM–2:21 PM · 11:27 PM–12:27 AM Light wind 1–6 mph |
| SunNov 1 | 5/10Fair | Major 5:20 AM–7:20 AM · 5:47 PM–7:47 PM Minor 1:02 PM–2:02 PM · 11:38 PM–12:38 AM Light wind 2–5 mph |
How this rating works
Solunar theory says fish feed more when the moon is overhead or underfoot (major periods, about 2 hours) and around moonrise and moonset (minor periods, about 1 hour). On a lake or river there is no tide, so instead of tide changes we score the local conditions anglers watch: the barometric pressure trend, the wind, whether the river is steady, and the water temperature where it is measured.
| Base | every day starts at 1 | 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Sunrise / sunset | a period overlaps sunrise or sunset ±1 h: major +2, minor +1 (max 3) (Moonset × sunrise +1; Moonrise × sunset +1) | 2 |
| Moon phase | within 2 days of a new or full moon +2, within 4 days +1 (today: 0.5 days) | 2 |
| Local conditions | pressure 6 AM→6 PM: falling +2, steady or slowly rising +1, rising fast 0 · daytime wind 4–15 mph +1, over 20 mph (or gusts over 30) −1 · flow within ±15% in 24 h +1, rising over 25% −1 · water 55–75°F +1, below 45°F or above 85°F −1 (0 to 4 in total)
| 2 |
| Today | 7, rounded | 7/10 |
1–3 poor · 4–5 fair · 6–7 good · 8–10 excellent. Pressure and wind are the NOAA National Weather Service hourly forecast for this spot; the level/flow trend is the latest 24 hours of readings on this page; water temperature measured at this gauge. Days 2–7 score sun, moon, forecast pressure and forecast wind only (level and water temperature aren’t forecast). Solunar times are a rule of thumb, not a guarantee.
Solunar periods calculated for 34.70, -83.73 (moon times from astronomical equations, Chattahoochee River at Helen local time).
Best fishing times today
Today is a good fishing day (solunar + local conditions)
7/10
Waning gibbous · 97% lit · New moon Mon, Nov 9 · Sunrise 7:51 AM · Sunset 6:45 PM
Major fishing times
- Moon overhead1:11 AM–3:11 AM
- Moon underfoot1:40 PM–3:40 PM
Minor fishing times
- Moonset9:07 AM–10:07 AM
- Moonrise7:08 PM–8:08 PMSunset
Fishing times for the next 7 days
| TodayOct 27 | 7/10Good | Major 1:11 AM–3:11 AM · 1:40 PM–3:40 PM Minor 9:07 AM–10:07 AM · 7:08 PM–8:08 PM Calm wind 0–4 mph · pressure steady |
|---|---|---|
| WedOct 28 | 4/10Fair | Major 2:11 AM–4:11 AM · 2:43 PM–4:43 PM Minor 10:21 AM–11:21 AM · 8:02 PM–9:02 PM Light wind 2–6 mph · pressure steady |
| ThuOct 29 | 4/10Fair | Major 3:15 AM–5:15 AM · 3:48 PM–5:48 PM Minor 11:30 AM–12:30 PM · 9:06 PM–10:06 PM Calm wind 2–4 mph |
| FriOct 30 | 3/10Poor | Major 4:20 AM–6:20 AM · 4:51 PM–6:51 PM Minor 12:30 PM–1:30 PM · 10:15 PM–11:15 PM Calm wind 0–4 mph |
| SatOct 31 | 5/10Fair | Major 5:22 AM–7:22 AM · 5:51 PM–7:51 PM Minor 1:21 PM–2:21 PM · 11:27 PM–12:27 AM Light wind 1–6 mph |
| SunNov 1 | 5/10Fair | Major 5:20 AM–7:20 AM · 5:47 PM–7:47 PM Minor 1:02 PM–2:02 PM · 11:38 PM–12:38 AM Light wind 2–5 mph |
| MonNov 2 | 4/10Fair | Major 6:12 AM–8:12 AM · 6:37 PM–8:37 PM Minor 1:37 PM–2:37 PM Calm wind 0–4 mph |
How this rating works
Solunar theory says fish feed more when the moon is overhead or underfoot (major periods, about 2 hours) and around moonrise and moonset (minor periods, about 1 hour). On a lake or river there is no tide, so instead of tide changes we score the local conditions anglers watch: the barometric pressure trend, the wind, whether the river is steady, and the water temperature where it is measured.
| Base | every day starts at 1 | 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Sunrise / sunset | a period overlaps sunrise or sunset ±1 h: major +2, minor +1 (max 3) (Moonrise × sunset +1) | 1 |
| Moon phase | within 2 days of a new or full moon +2, within 4 days +1 (today: 1.5 days) | 2 |
| Local conditions | pressure 6 AM→6 PM: falling +2, steady or slowly rising +1, rising fast 0 · daytime wind 4–15 mph +1, over 20 mph (or gusts over 30) −1 · flow within ±15% in 24 h +1, rising over 25% −1 · water 55–75°F +1, below 45°F or above 85°F −1 (0 to 4 in total)
| 3 |
| Today | 7, rounded | 7/10 |
1–3 poor · 4–5 fair · 6–7 good · 8–10 excellent. Pressure and wind are the NOAA National Weather Service hourly forecast for this spot; the level/flow trend is the latest 24 hours of readings on this page; water temperature measured at this gauge. Days 2–7 score sun, moon, forecast pressure and forecast wind only (level and water temperature aren’t forecast). Solunar times are a rule of thumb, not a guarantee.
Solunar periods calculated for 34.70, -83.73 (moon times from astronomical equations, Chattahoochee River at Helen local time).
Weather & wind at Chattahoochee River at Helen
air temperature, not water3-day forecast
- Tonight47°Partly CloudyWind 0 mphRain 0%
- Tuesday75° / 49°SunnyWind NE 0 to 5 mphRain 0%
- Wednesday71° / 50°Partly SunnyWind E 0 to 5 mphRain 0%
NOAA National Weather Service forecast for 34.701, -83.729 (grid FFC), issued Oct 26, 5:57 PM local time. High / low are air temperatures; water temperature is in the fishing section above. The “Air temp & weather” tile at the top refreshes live.
Flood stages
NOAA NWS gauge HDCG1- Action stage4 ft+3.6 ft from now
- Minor stage6 ft+5.6 ft from now
- Moderate stage8 ft+7.6 ft from now
- Major stage11 ft+10.6 ft from now
- Record crest12 ft1967
October 26 in history
45 years of flow records- Today38.3 cfs
- Same date last year40.2 cfs2025
- Median64.0 cfs
- Normal range45.0 cfs – 108 cfs25th–75th percentile
- Highest since 1982598 cfs1998
- Lowest since 198222.3 cfs2017
Last 10 days
| Date | Mean flow (cfs) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Mon Oct 26 (today) | 38.3 | -2% |
| Sun Oct 25 | 39.0 | +0% |
| Sat Oct 24 | 38.9 | -1% |
| Fri Oct 23 | 39.2 | -1% |
| Thu Oct 22 | 39.4 | -2% |
| Wed Oct 21 | 40.1 | -2% |
| Tue Oct 20 | 40.9 | -0% |
| Mon Oct 19 | 41.1 | -1% |
| Sun Oct 18 | 41.6 | -2% |
| Sat Oct 17 | 42.3 | -4% |
Daily mean of all readings that day; today is the average so far.
Nearby lakes & rivers
- Lake Chatuge22 mi · Lake1,918.84 ft−7.06 ft vs summer pool
- Chattooga River near Clayton25 mi · River169 cfs54% of normal
- Lake Nottely27 mi · Lake1,763.34 ft−13.56 ft vs summer pool
- Nantahala Lake33 mi · Lake2,993.00 ft−19.20 ft vs normal full pond
- Blue Ridge Lake34 mi · Lake1,671.36 ft−15.54 ft vs summer pool
- Queens Creek Lake40 mi · Lake3,016.30 ft−7.90 ft vs normal full pond
About this data
- Gauge
- USGS 02330450 — Chattahoochee River At Helen, Ga
- Location
- 34.7010, -83.7292 · Georgia
- Drainage area
- 45 sq mi
- Measures
- Streamflow (discharge), cubic feet per second
- Daily statistics
- 1982–2026 (approved daily values)
- Latest reading
- Oct 26, 6:00 PM local time (provisional)
- Page built
- Oct 26, 2026 6:49 PM ET
- Flood stages
- NWS gauge HDCG1 — National Water Prediction Service
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Water Data for the Nation (USGS monitoring location page). Readings every 15–60 minutes; the newest values are provisional. Percentiles compare today’s reading with every past year’s daily mean for the same calendar date. Weather: NOAA National Weather Service.