Rivers in North Carolina

Tar River at NC97 In Rocky Mount

Edgecombe County, North CarolinaNWS ROKN7USGS 02082585Raleigh office

Below flood stage
3.21ftStage

Observed Wed, Sep 23, 11:45 PM EDT

Flood stage
21.00 ft
Forecast crest
3.30 ftThu, Sep 24, 2:00 AM EDT
Record crest
31.66 ft1999

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood25.00 ft
Moderate flood23.00 ft
Minor flood21.00 ft
Action19.00 ft
  1. 31.66 ftThis is the flood of record, set after hurricane Floyd on September 17, 1999.
  2. 28.00 ftThe section of NC97 north of the river floods to about the intersection with US64.
  3. 27.00 ftSpruce Street at NC97 is flooded.
  4. 26.00 ftEast Virginia Street floods east of the wastewater plant.
  5. 25.00 ftThe on-ramps to US64 at NC97 begin to flood.
  6. 23.00 ftSeveral streets west of business US301 are flooded, including E Ridge Street and Melton Drive.
  7. 21.00 ftFlood stage. Flooding reaches Melton Drive and E Ridge Street.
  8. 18.00 ftAction stage. Water begins flowing into the city sewer system.

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor floodingUnder 5%
Moderate floodingUnder 5%
Major floodingUnder 5%

The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued September 15, 2026.

Crest history

10 crests on NOAA’s list since 1996.

#DateStage
1September 17, 199931.66 ft
2October 10, 201628.73 ft
3June 18, 202027.25 ft
4September 12, 199625.88 ft
5April 26, 201725.76 ft
6August 12, 202424.43 ft
7February 20, 202121.01 ft
8February 20, 202121.00 ft
9February 20, 202121.00 ft
10September 18, 201816.19 ft

Most recent crests

  • August 12, 2024: 24.43 ft
  • February 20, 2021: 21.01 ft
  • February 20, 2021: 21.00 ft
  • February 20, 2021: 21.00 ft
  • June 18, 2020: 27.25 ft
  • September 18, 2018: 16.19 ft
  • April 26, 2017: 25.76 ft
  • October 10, 2016: 28.73 ft
  • September 17, 1999: 31.66 ft
  • September 12, 1996: 25.88 ft

Nearby

Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.

What this means

Forecasts by the Southeast River Forecast Center. Forecasts are issued routinely year-round.

Sources

Stage, flood stages, impacts and crest history from NOAA’s National Water Prediction Service. Streamflow and the daily record from the U.S. Geological Survey.