Tallapoosa River level at Milstead
Alabama · Fishing & wading
Measured at USGS 02419500 — TALLAPOOSA RIVER AT MILSTEAD AL · NWS forecast point MILA1
Reading taken · as of 58 min ago
About normal for the date
At 2.58 ft, this gauge is inside the middle half of the 29 years USGS has recorded for this date (1995–2026), against a 2.7 ft median.
Sponsor Tallapoosa River
One exclusive sponsor per river, on every gauge page for it.
Cancel anytime · Questions?
Flood stages at Milstead
National Weather Service categories for gauge MILA1, WFO BMX. Impact wording is the NWS's own, verbatim.
-
Major flood 53.0 ft
- 53.0 ft Water overflows the yards of some homes in the Milstead area.
-
Moderate flood 46.0 ft
- 46.0 ft Flooding of some roads in the area begins.
-
Minor flood 40.0 ft
- 40.0 ft Extensive flooding of pasture lands in the area occurs.
-
Action 15.0 ft
- 15.0 ft Overflow of pasture lands occurs. Cattle may need to be moved if higher stages are forecast.
- 25.0 ft Considerable low land flooding occurs. Livestock should be moved to higher ground.
- Right now 2.58 ft
Flow history at Milstead
Daily values from USGS 02419500, updated every 15 to 60 minutes; NWS forecast for MILA1 reissued through the day. Provisional.
Highest crests on record at Milstead
12 on record
| Stage | Flow | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 54.00 ft | — | Dec 10, 1919 |
| 50.90 ft | — | Mar 15, 1929 |
| 49.85 ft | — | Mar 17, 1990 |
| 49.00 ft | — | Nov 28, 1943 |
| 48.89 ft | — | Apr 14, 1979 |
| 48.50 ft | — | Nov 29, 1948 |
| 48.20 ft | — | Mar 16, 1912 |
| 47.90 ft | — | Apr 8, 1964 |
| 47.80 ft | — | Feb 26, 1961 |
| 47.20 ft | — | Dec 30, 1915 |
Crests published by the National Weather Service.
About Tallapoosa River at Milstead
In Alabama, below Lake Martin. Releases can change the flow by hundreds of CFS in an hour with no rain in the basin — check it the morning you go, not the night before.
Reservoir feeding this stretch
Flow here is set by releases from Lake Martin. A full pool usually means more water on its way down.
Tallapoosa River at Milstead — common questions
3 questions
How do releases from Lake Martin affect this stretch?
Directly and fast. When the dam generates, flow here can climb by an order of magnitude within the hour, with no rain anywhere in the basin. That sudden release is the real hazard on a tailwater. The pool level is on lakelvl.com, linked below.
Is Tallapoosa River at Milstead high or low for this time of year?
The USGS median gage height for late September here is 2.7 ft, from 29 years of record (1995–2026). Today sits inside the middle half of those years. The comparison is what makes the raw number mean anything: the same reading is a drought on one river and a flood on another.
How often does this reading update?
USGS transmits from gauge 02419500 every 15 to 60 minutes, and the National Weather Service reissues the flood forecast for MILA1 a few times a day — more often when the river is rising. This page refreshes from both when you open it. The timestamp is in the gauge's local time.