Southeastern US - Waterfall Flow

Can folks in N. Georgia, E. Tennessee, and W. North Carolina chime in and give

me an idea of how bad the waterfalls are doing in your neck of the woods? I'm

looking to do some waterfall photography somewhere else in the next few weeks,

since Alabama isn't all that productive still.

 

Looking at the maps, it looks like W. North Carolina and E. Tennessee are doing

better, with most logged streams and rivers in the normal range, and some above

in Tennessee. Georgia still looks about as bad as Alabama. Maps are fine and

dandy, but firsthand accounts are a lot better.

 

Things are still really dry here in N. Alabama, despite the recent rain. We are

doing a little better, but it will take a few good soakings before my favorite

sites will be worth the hike again.

 

By the way, the USGS maps are below.

 

Alabama: http://water.usgs.gov/waterwatch/?m=real&w=map&r=al

 

Tennessee: http://water.usgs.gov/waterwatch/?m=real&r=tn&w=real%2Cmap

 

North Carolina: http://water.usgs.gov/waterwatch/?m=real&r=nc&w=real%2Cmap

 

Georgia: http://water.usgs.gov/waterwatch/?m=real&r=ga&w=real%2Cmap

We had a day or two of rain and the creeks along my local trail-run (in Pisgah NF north of Asheville NC) were flowing pretty well this evening, maybe the best in months. I got my feet wet on a crossing that has been a rock-hop all last year, and a waterfall I have photographed pre-drought was back to looking normal (no idea how long it will last of course).

 

Also thanks for the links!

Stephen,

 

Thanks for the report. Hopefully in a month or so things will start to get even better up in TN and NC.

 

It looks like the area of exceptional drought is starting to shrink somewhat, although most of the best waterfall locations are still pretty dry.

 

http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/6_week.gif

Suggestion, from my kayaking hobby:

 

Google around for the USGS river flow sites, maybe using words such as "US Geological Survey" and "River Gauge" and maybe the river you're interested in. Pretty much all rivers have automated river gauges. Once you find the river you're interested in, you can see historical highs and lows, and tell whether the place is in drought or flood.

On the Cumberland Plateau (vicinity of Crossville, TN) we've had several good rain days so far and more predicted. Local lakes are up and the creeks are running. I haven't had a chance to check out the waterfalls yet......

Hi Joshua --

 

We camped next to the Little River at the edge of the GSMNP in Townsend, TN last weekend and had two good rains while we were there. As to waterfall opportunities, they seemed to be about average for this time of year -- that is to say, much better than they have been lately.

Hi Joshua,

 

NE GA has been relatively OK for a month now. They've even had a little snow a couple of times. I would never say the drought is over, but if you look just at the precipitation we've had in the past month, it's probably not far from normal.

 

I haven't checked the USGS website lately, but the waterfall I usually use for gauging river flow was the heaviest I've seen in about a year. For my photography efforts, I had to shorten my exposures because of the relatively heavier flow when I was out. I only like very long exposures when the flow is extremely low. That said, I'd still prefer to have more rain than we've had the past year.

Doug,

 

I linked to the USGS site above...

Larry,

 

As usual, thanks for the information! It is always good to hear from you, and it is doubly good to hear that the flow was sufficient to shorten your exposure times!

 

Donnie,

 

Excellent! That's what I like to hear, maybe I'll squeeze up there in a few weeks. I was in and out of the park a few times in June, and it was so dry it was depressing.

 

William,

 

Thanks for the update! That's the area of TN I'm most interested in, because I've done the least exploring there.

Joshua, perhaps the attached picture will give you an idea of what conditions were like on the morning of January 2. This is the Tallulah River above Lake Burton at about 2600 - 2800'. Exposure is 1/8 s at f/22 and ISO 200. EFS 10-22mm at 22mm, Landscape picture style. (Don't criticize the picture too much. I haven't worked with it in Photoshop yet. This is a reduced size version of the JPG straight out of the camera.)

 

BTW, I will be in NE Georgia next weekend. If you are interested in meeting somewhere, shoot me an email.<div></div>

I just realized I lied... The above picture was taken in North Carolina, less than a mile north of the Georgia border. I forgot that I was in 'foreign' territory at the time.

I wish I was in the area while it looked like that, Larry! I'll consider your offer, but NE Georgia is quite a huff from Birmingham, so it really depends on where you are headed!

The drought has gotten so bad that Birmingham is shifting water sources...

 

http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1200561322117920.xml&coll=2&thispage=1