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Hiwassee Lake is a reservoir located in North Carolina.
Updated
Latest source update is older than expected. Use caution and check the official source.
The last automated check (Oct 11, 6:53 PM EDT) found no active alerts for this lake, but that check is older than LakeRadar's alert freshness window, so the current alert status could not be confirmed.
Confirm before heading out: official alerts for this area or weather.gov/alerts. LakeRadar scores summarize available conditions and are not a substitute for official warnings, local rules, or on-water judgment.
Overall Good (83/100) across 4 activities. Best right now: Fishing (87/100).
How the score is calculated →Best excellent fishing window, averaging 93/100 across these hours. Wind 0 mph from the northwest. Dawn hours (06:00 local). Derived from the hourly forecast; official alerts are not forecast and are checked separately.
| Metric | 11p | 12a | 1a | 2a | 3a | 4a | 5a | 6a | 7a | 8a | 9a | 10a | 11a | 12p | 1p | 2p | 3p | 4p | 5p | 6p | 7p | 8p | 9p | 10p |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp (°F) | 64° | 63° | 62° | 62° | 61° | 61° | 61° | 60° | 60° | 59° | 58° | 58° | 57° | 56° | 58° | 62° | 66° | 72° | 75° | 77° | 79° | 77° | 77° | 75° |
| Wind (kts) | 9 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Direction | W | W | W | NW | NW | NW | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NW | NW | NW | NW | NW | NW | NW | NW | NW | — |
| Gusts (kts) | 17 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 7 |
| Precip % | 33% | 19% | 15% | 12% | 11% | 7% | 6% | 5% | 2% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Time | Temp | Wind | Gusts | Precip | Cloud | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, 7 PM EDT | 64°F | 10 mph W (270°) | 20 mph | 33% | 81% | Chance Rain Showers |
| Sun, 8 PM EDT | 63°F | 5 mph W (270°) | 20 mph | 19% | 85% | Slight Chance Rain Showers |
| Sun, 9 PM EDT | 62°F | 5 mph W (270°) | 18 mph | 15% | 84% | Slight Chance Rain Showers |
| Sun, 10 PM EDT | 62°F | 5 mph NW (315°) | 17 mph | 12% | 83% | Mostly Cloudy |
| Sun, 11 PM EDT | 61°F | 5 mph NW (315°) | 16 mph | 11% | 84% | Mostly Cloudy |
| Mon, 12 AM EDT | 61°F | 5 mph NW (315°) | 15 mph | 7% | 82% | Mostly Cloudy |
| Mon, 1 AM EDT | 61°F | Calm | 12 mph | 6% | 79% | Mostly Cloudy |
| Mon, 2 AM EDT | 60°F | Calm | 10 mph | 5% | 64% | Mostly Cloudy |
| Mon, 3 AM EDT | 60°F | Calm | 10 mph | 2% | 44% | Partly Cloudy |
| Mon, 4 AM EDT | 59°F | Calm | 10 mph | 3% | 47% | Partly Cloudy |
| Mon, 5 AM EDT | 58°F | Calm | 9 mph | 3% | 41% | Partly Cloudy |
| Mon, 6 AM EDT | 58°F | Calm | 9 mph | 3% | 36% | Mostly Sunny |
| Mon, 7 AM EDT | 57°F | Calm | 8 mph | 3% | 34% | Mostly Sunny |
| Mon, 8 AM EDT | 56°F | Calm | 7 mph | 0% | 44% | Mostly Sunny |
| Mon, 9 AM EDT | 58°F | 5 mph NW (315°) | 9 mph | 0% | 33% | Mostly Sunny |
| Mon, 10 AM EDT | 62°F | 5 mph NW (315°) | 12 mph | 0% | 50% | Mostly Sunny |
| Mon, 11 AM EDT | 66°F | 5 mph NW (315°) | 14 mph | 0% | 45% | Mostly Sunny |
| Mon, 12 PM EDT | 72°F | 5 mph NW (315°) | 15 mph | 0% | 28% | Mostly Sunny |
| Mon, 1 PM EDT | 75°F | 10 mph NW (315°) | 16 mph | 0% | 15% | Sunny |
| Mon, 2 PM EDT | 77°F | 5 mph NW (315°) | 16 mph | 0% | 29% | Mostly Sunny |
| Mon, 3 PM EDT | 79°F | 5 mph NW (315°) | 15 mph | 0% | 25% | Sunny |
| Mon, 4 PM EDT | 77°F | 5 mph NW (315°) | 14 mph | 0% | 8% | Sunny |
| Mon, 5 PM EDT | 77°F | 5 mph NW (315°) | 12 mph | 0% | 21% | Sunny |
| Mon, 6 PM EDT | 75°F | Calm | 8 mph | 0% | 3% | Clear |
| Mon, 7 PM EDT | 69°F | Calm | 5 mph | 0% | 1% | Clear |
Official National Weather Service hourly forecast. Showing 10 of 25 hours. Wind arrows point the way the wind is blowing; the compass point and degrees show where it comes from.
| Period | This Afternoon October 11, 2026 | Tonight October 11, 2026 | Columbus Day October 12, 2026 | Monday Night October 12, 2026 | Tuesday October 13, 2026 | Tuesday Night October 13, 2026 | Wednesday October 14, 2026 | Wednesday Night October 14, 2026 | Thursday October 15, 2026 | Thursday Night October 15, 2026 | Friday October 16, 2026 | Friday Night October 16, 2026 | Saturday October 17, 2026 | Saturday Night October 17, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp (°F) | 66° | 56° | 79° | 56° | 83° | 56° | 85° | 59° | 85° | 59° | 80° | 44° | 61° | 37° |
| Wind | W 10 mph | NW 0 to 10 mph | NW 0 to 10 mph | 0 mph | NW 0 to 5 mph | 0 mph | 0 mph | 0 mph | 0 mph | 0 mph | W 0 to 10 mph | NW 10 mph | N 10 to 15 mph | NE 0 to 10 mph |
| Gusts | 20 mph | 20 mph | 16 mph | 8 mph | 9 mph | 6 mph | 7 mph | 6 mph | 7 mph | 6 mph | 21 mph | 27 mph | 25 mph | 22 mph |
| Precip % | 72% | 48% | 3% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 1% | 5% | 5% | 18% | 18% | 8% | 2% |
| Forecast |
No active USGS or USACE telemetry gauge is currently mapped to Hiwassee Lake. Not available from a verified source for this lake.
Nearby river temperature: 67.8°F at CHEOAH RIVER NR BEARPEN GAP NR TAPOCO, NC (26.8 mi away) · Oct 11, 11:00 PM UTC
Good for fishing (87/100), from 5 available inputs. Supporting this: Wind 10 mph from the west. Dusk hours (19:00 local). Not available from a verified source for this lake: pressure trend, water temperature. Confidence is moderate (74%) because some inputs are unavailable or older than ideal.
Good for boating (79/100), from 4 available inputs. Supporting this: No active official alerts for this lake. Wind 10 mph from the west. Not available from a verified source for this lake: visibility and conditions, verified water access. Confidence is moderate (84%) because some inputs are unavailable or older than ideal.
Good for sailing (87/100), from 4 available inputs. Supporting this: Wind 10 mph from the W is in the preferred sailing range. No active official alerts for this lake. Not available from a verified source for this lake: visibility. Confidence is high (88%).
Good for kayaking (80/100), from 5 available inputs. Supporting this: Wind 10 mph from the west. No active official alerts for this lake. Confidence is high (90%).
Water temperature is not available from a verified source for this lake. No swimming score is shown without it.
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Individual boat ramp GPS coordinates are maintained under the jurisdiction of NC Parks & Wildlife Authority. Public boaters should verify seasonal launch water levels, gate hours, and daily vehicle/vessel fees before traveling.
Hiwassee Lake is a premier freshwater reservoir in NC, offering reliable water access and productive fishing throughout the spring, summer, and fall. The lake's surface character changes with shifting winds, offering glassy morning conditions for paddlers and active afternoon breezes for sailing. Public recreation is overseen by state and local natural resource agencies.
Valid freshwater sport fishing license issued by North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) is required for anglers age 16+. Digital license on mobile is accepted.
Current motorized watercraft registration mandatory. Practice Clean, Drain & Dry protocols: drain all livewells and inspect props before launching. Life jackets required for all passengers.
Public shoreline and boating access managed by State & Local Authorities. Verify seasonal gate hours, launch fees, and parking rules before travel.
High-speed motorboating, pontoon cruising, wakeboarding, and water skiing across main channels. Target gamefish include Rock Bass, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Bluegill. Morning hours typically provide optimal glassy conditions for kayak and stand-up paddleboard (SUP) touring.
Warm water temperatures, peak swimming, active watersports, and open full-service campgrounds. Highest weekly attendance; plan early arrivals on summer weekends.
Spring pre-spawn and fall feeding transitions create prime trophy angling conditions. Cooler air, lower boat traffic, and vibrant seasonal shoreline foliage.
Mild year-round outdoor climate. Uncrowded waters, active winter bass and crappie fishing, and open year-round boat launch access.
No external source rows are cited by the data currently shown on this page.
Updated
Scores are heuristics, not safety guarantees. LakeRadar scores summarize available conditions and are not a substitute for official warnings, local rules, or on-water judgment.
All telemetry for Hiwassee Lake is synchronized directly from authorized federal and state monitoring networks (USGS, NWS, NOAA, and state environmental authorities). Observations are strictly instrumented readings — unmonitored sensors are transparently disclosed rather than synthetic estimates.
Last source audit: Oct 11, 7:21 PM EDT