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Eno River at Hillsborough

Highest listed crest 21.13 ftFlood stage 16.0 ft4 crests since 1996

The Eno River at Hillsborough crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 4 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1996 to 2018. The highest, 21.13 ft on September 6, 1996, was major flooding, 5.13 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Eno River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
21.13 ft
September 6, 1996; 10,800 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
16.0 ft
Major flooding from 20.0 ft
Crests at major
1
76th of 314 gauges in North Carolina
Most recent flood crest
September 6, 1996
21.13 ft, major flooding
Location
Orange County
Near Carrboro (10.1 mi), Mebane (10.1 mi), Chapel Hill (10.4 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Eno River at Hillsborough
Action stage15.01Apr 29, 1997The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)16.00—Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage18.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage20.01Sep 6, 1996Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

4 crests from 1996 to 2018. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Eno River at Hillsborough, 1996 to 2018 510152025ft Flood stage 16.0 ftMajor 20.0 ft Sep 6, 1996: 21.13 ft, major flooding; 10,800 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 1997: 15.83 ft, action stage; 3,980 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 2018: 14.86 ft, below flood stageOct 12, 2018: 9.81 ft, below flood stage Highest, 21.13 ft, Sep 6, 1996 2000200520102015

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Eno River at Hillsborough 1990s: 1 1 2000s: 0 2010s: 0 1990s2000s2010s
  1. 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.
  2. 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, Eno River at Hillsborough
1Sep 6, 199621.13+5.13Major10,800
2Apr 29, 199715.83−0.17Action3,980
3Sep 17, 201814.86−1.14Below flood stage—
4Oct 12, 20189.81−6.19Below flood stage—

The worst floods along the Eno River

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Eno River that crested above flood stage within a week.

September 6, 1996: 21.13 ft here, major flooding

  • DurhamNC · Sep 6, 1996 · 23.58 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Eno River

In USGS station-number order, which runs downstream within a river basin.

Flood gauges on the Eno River
Hillsborough this gaugeNC16.021.13 ft, Sep 6, 19961
Huckleberry SpringsNC12.014.91 ft, Mar 10, 19890
DurhamNC20.026.24 ft, Jul 7, 20251

Other gauges in Orange County

Flood gauges in Orange County
Village Drive15.023.10 ft, Sep 6, 19963
Chapel Hill14.017.61 ft, Sep 17, 20180
Carrboro6.09.74 ft, Jul 6, 20250
Chapel Hill11.012.75 ft, Aug 8, 20240
White Cross8.09.87 ft, Sep 17, 20180

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge HLSN7, 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.