TOMBIGBEE RIVER

33.28, -88.30
Last Updated: December 6, 2024

TOTAL DISCHARGE (CFS)

Total streamflow across the Tombigbee River was last observed at 1,487 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 2,949 acre-ft of water today; about 27% of normal. River levels are low and may signify a drought. Average streamflow for this time of year is 5,524 cfs, with recent peaks last observed on 2020-02-12 when daily discharge volume was observed at 257,300 cfs.

Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the Tombigbee River Nr Amory reporting a streamflow rate of 3,320 cfs. However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the Tombigbee River At Stennis Lock And Dam with a gauge stage of 63.4 ft. This river is monitored from 5 different streamgauging stations along the Tombigbee River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 269 ft, the Tombigbee River Nr Fulton.

The Tombigbee River is a major river in the southeastern United States. It flows for 419 miles from northeastern Mississippi to western Alabama, where it joins the Alabama River to form the Mobile River. The river is an important transportation route, with many locks and dams along its length. The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, a 234-mile long canal linking the Tombigbee River to the Tennessee River, was completed in 1985 and provides an important transportation route for barge traffic. The river is also used for irrigation and hydroelectric power generation, with several large reservoirs and dams along the river. These include the Aberdeen Lock and Dam, the Fulton Lock and Dam, and the Bevill Lock and Dam. The Tombigbee River is also a popular destination for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and camping.

Last Updated 2024-12-05
Discharge Volume 2,949 ACRE-FT
Streamflow 1,487.0 cfs
+891.0 cfs (+149.5%)
Percent of Normal 26.92%
Maximum 257,300.0 cfs
2020-02-12
Seasonal Avg 5,524 cfs

YEAR OVER YEAR DISCHARGE (CFS)

Streamflow Conditions
Streamgauge Streamflow Gauge Stage 24hr Change (%) % Normal Minimum (cfs) Maximum (cfs) Air Temp Elevation
Tombigbee River Nr Fulton
USGS 02431000
195 cfs 7.99 ft -1.49
Tombigbee River At Bigbee
USGS 02433500
381 cfs 3.78 ft -1.52
Tombigbee River Nr Amory
USGS 02437000
3320 cfs 11.65 ft 2.08
Tombigbee River At Aberdeen Lock And Dam
USGS 02437100
1180 cfs 40.58 ft 0.6
Tombigbee River At Stennis Lock And Dam
USGS 02441390
2120 cfs 63.4 ft 466.04
History of the River

The Tombigbee River is a tributary of the Mobile River, approximately 200 mi (325 km) long, in the U.S. states of Mississippi and Alabama. Together with the Alabama, it merges to form the short Mobile River before the latter empties into Mobile Bay on the Gulf of Mexico. The Tombigbee watershed encompasses much of the rural coastal plain of western Alabama and northeastern Mississippi, flowing generally southward. The river provides one of the principal routes of commercial navigation in the southern United States, as it is navigable along much of its length through locks and connected in its upper reaches to the Tennessee River via the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway.
The name "Tombigbee" comes from Choctaw /itumbi ikbi/, meaning "box maker, coffin maker", from /itumbi/, "box, coffin", and /ikbi/, "maker". The river formed the eastern boundary of the historical Choctaw lands, from the 17th century when they coalesced as a people, to the forced Indian Removal by the United States in the 1830s.

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