Tombigbee River

Last Updated: May 3, 2026

Total streamflow across the Tombigbee River was last observed at 31,409 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 62,299 acre-ft of water today; about 333% of normal. River levels are high. Average streamflow for this time of year is 9,443 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 At Stennis Lock And Dam reporting a streamflow rate of 21,400 cfs. This is also the highest stage along the Tombigbee River, with a gauge stage of 63.38 ft at this location. 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.


15-Day Long Term Forecast


River Details

Last Updated 2026-05-03
Discharge Volume 62,299 ACRE-FT
Streamflow 31,409.0 cfs
Past 24 Hours: -7841.0 cfs (-19.98%)
Percent of Normal 332.62%
Maximum 257,300.0 cfs
2020-02-12
Seasonal Avg 9,443 cfs
       
River Streamflow Levels
Streamgauge Streamflow Gauge Stage 24hr Change (%) % Normal Minimum (cfs) Maximum (cfs) Air Temp Elevation
Tombigbee River Nr Fulton
USGS 02431000
809 cfs 11.84 ft -40.07
Tombigbee River At Bigbee
USGS 02433500
1780 cfs 6.91 ft -53.52
Tombigbee River Nr Amory
USGS 02437000
3470 cfs 12.07 ft -33.14
Tombigbee River At Aberdeen Lock And Dam
USGS 02437100
3950 cfs 40.37 ft -46.48
Tombigbee River At Stennis Lock And Dam
USGS 02441390
21400 cfs 63.38 ft -0.47
Seasonal Discharge Comparison
Maximum Streamflow Discharge
Streamflow Elevation Profile

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.