Satilla River Flooding Threatens Ware, Pierce, and Brantley Counties
The Satilla River has already surpassed flood stage at two Georgia gauging points, with the river at Atkinson forecast to crest at 17.2 feet early Sunday morning.
WAYCROSS, GEORGIA — The National Weather Service office in Jacksonville, Florida issued and extended Flood Warnings Friday evening for the Satilla River at two monitoring points in southeastern Georgia, with minor flooding already underway and river levels expected to keep rising through the weekend.
The warnings, issued June 26 at 8:37 p.m. EDT by NWS Jacksonville, affect Ware and Pierce counties at the Waycross gauge and Brantley County at the Atkinson gauge. The Waycross warning runs until 8:00 p.m. EDT Saturday evening, while the Atkinson warning remains in effect until further notice.
River Levels and Forecast
At the Atkinson gauge, the Satilla River measured 15.4 feet as of 7:45 p.m. EDT Friday, already more than two feet above the flood stage of 13.0 feet. The NWS forecast calls for the river to continue rising and reach a crest of 17.2 feet early Sunday morning.
The next official statement for both locations is scheduled for Saturday evening at 8:00 p.m. EDT. Additional river information is available through the NWS Jacksonville water resources page at water.weather.gov/wfo/JAX.
Flooding Impacts by Location
At the Waycross gauge, minor flooding is occurring along the Satilla River. According to NWS Jacksonville, flooding of agricultural lands and timberlands begins at 16.0 feet. At that level, the Jamestown Road Boat Ramp on the Ware County side is flooded, and the boat ramp and dirt access roads at the Pierce/Brantley county line near the State Road 121 Bridge are also underwater.
Should the river reach 17.0 feet at Waycross, the Jamestown Road Boat Ramp parking lot and access road on the Ware County side would flood, and Simmons Trail would be cut off, isolating one residence. Additional impacts on the Pierce County side were also noted by NWS at that level.
At the Atkinson gauge in Brantley County, flooding impacts begin at 13.0 feet, where Warners Landing, Louis Landing, and secondary roads around KOA campgrounds start to flood. At 14.0 feet, River Rock Road experiences flooding across the roadway.
Severe Thunderstorm Also Struck the Area Friday
Ahead of the flood warnings, NWS Jacksonville also issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning Friday afternoon at 5:49 p.m. EDT for the same region. A severe thunderstorm was located near Jamestown, or near Blackshear, and was moving northeast at 10 mph at the time of the warning, which expired at 6:00 p.m. EDT.
The storm carried radar-indicated wind gusts of 60 mph, with expected damage to roofs, siding, and trees. Locations identified as impacted included Waycross, Pebble Hill, and Jamestown.
Residents in Ware, Pierce, and Brantley counties are encouraged to avoid flooded roads and boat ramps and to monitor updated river forecasts through the National Weather Service at weather.gov/safety/flood.
