Atlantic Coast at Beaufort Marine Lab (in MLLW)

Highest listed crest 7.29 ftFlood stage 5.0 ft21 crests since 1954

The Atlantic Coast at Beaufort Marine Lab (in MLLW) crested at major flood stage 4 times among the 21 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1954 to 2025. The highest, 7.29 ft on September 14, 2018, was major flooding, 2.29 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest: 7.29 ft; September 14, 2018
Flood stage: 5.0 ft; Major flooding from 6.5 ft
Crests at major: 4; 32nd of 314 gauges in North Carolina
Most recent flood crest: August 23, 2025; 5.64 ft, moderate flooding
Location: Carteret County; Near Morehead City (3.8 mi)
Identifiers: NWS BFTN7; No USGS station

Flood stages

The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.

Flood categories, Atlantic Coast at Beaufort Marine Lab (in MLLW)

Action stage	4.5	1	Jul 4, 2014	The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)	5.0	2	Dec 16, 2020	Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage	5.5	14	Aug 23, 2025	Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage	6.5	4	Sep 14, 2018	Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

21 crests from 1954 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

These are the crests the local National Weather Service office lists for the gauge: the highest on record and recent crests. Lesser floods between them may be missing, so counts by decade are a floor.
Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Atlantic Coast at Beaufort Marine Lab (in MLLW)

1	Sep 14, 2018	7.29	+2.29	Major	—
2	Oct 15, 1954	6.93	+1.93	Major	—
3	Sep 19, 1955	6.93	+1.93	Major	—
4	Sep 14, 2005	6.65	+1.65	Major	—
5	Sep 16, 1999	6.44	+1.44	Moderate	—
6	Sep 12, 1960	6.43	+1.43	Moderate	—
7	Jan 3, 2022	6.38	+1.38	Moderate	—
8	Sep 30, 2022	6.37	+1.37	Moderate	—
9	Aug 27, 2011	6.28	+1.28	Moderate	—
10	Sep 6, 1996	6.16	+1.16	Moderate	—
11	Jan 16, 2022	6.09	+1.09	Moderate	—
12	Nov 8, 2021	6.04	+1.04	Moderate	—
13	Dec 23, 2022	6.03	+1.03	Moderate	—
14	Oct 4, 2015	5.92	+0.92	Moderate	—
15	Aug 7, 1955	5.84	+0.84	Moderate	—
16	Jan 1, 1987	5.79	+0.79	Moderate	—
17	Nov 18, 2019	5.72	+0.72	Moderate	—
18	Aug 23, 2025	5.64	+0.64	Moderate	—
19	Dec 16, 2020	5.47	+0.47	Minor	—
20	Oct 9, 2013	5.35	+0.35	Minor	—
21	Jul 4, 2014	4.92	−0.08	Action	—

Other gauges in Carteret County

Flood gauges in Carteret County

Emerald Isle (in MLLW)	4.0	7.54 ft, Sep 14, 2018	1
Newport (in MLLW)	5.0	14.30 ft, Sep 15, 2018	1
Cedar Island (in MLLW)	2.0	4.17 ft, Oct 5, 2015	0
Otway (in MLLW)	4.0	7.96 ft, Sep 14, 2018	1

Carteret County: every hazard · River floods across the country · North Carolina

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BFTN7, retrieved October 30, 2026. Stages in feet on the gauge's own datum, not elevation. Crests are as the National Weather Service lists them; preliminary values may be revised.