Flat River at Bahama

Highest listed crest 17.26 ftFlood stage 12.0 ft3 crests since 1996

The Flat River at Bahama crested above flood stage 2 times among the 3 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1996 to 2018. The highest, 17.26 ft on September 6, 1996, was minor flooding, 5.26 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest: 17.26 ft; September 6, 1996; 33,800 cubic feet per second
Flood stage: 12.0 ft; No major stage set
Crests at major: 0; 2 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest: September 17, 2018; 12.28 ft, minor flooding
Location: Durham County; Near Durham (14.2 mi)
Identifiers: NWS BMAN7; USGS 02085500

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Flat River at Bahama

Action stage	11.0	0	—	The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)	12.0	2	Sep 17, 2018	Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat

Every listed crest

3 crests from 1996 to 2018. 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, Flat River at Bahama

1	Sep 6, 1996	17.26	+5.26	Minor	33,800
2	Sep 17, 2018	12.28	+0.28	Minor	—
3	Oct 12, 2018	7.26	−4.74	Below flood stage	—

The worst floods along the Flat River

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

September 17, 2018: 12.28 ft here, minor flooding

Lake MitchieNC · Sep 17, 2018 · 19.27 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Flat River

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

Flood gauges on the Flat River

Bahama this gauge	NC	12.0	17.26 ft, Sep 6, 1996	0
Lake Mitchie	NC	16.0	23.48 ft, Sep 6, 1998	1

Other gauges in Durham County

Flood gauges in Durham County

Club Blvd in Durham	10.0	11.09 ft, Sep 6, 2008	0
Durham	20.0	26.24 ft, Jul 7, 2025	1
Huckleberry Springs	12.0	14.91 ft, Mar 10, 1989	0
Lake Mitchie	16.0	23.48 ft, Sep 6, 1998	1
Oak Grove	12.0	14.91 ft, Mar 10, 1989	0
Tributary at Fairntosh	12.0	16.09 ft, Mar 19, 1998	0
SR1617 Nr Bahama	10.0	12.92 ft, Sep 17, 2018	0
Blands	16.0	18.21 ft, Jan 1, 2016	0
SS1182 near Lowes Grove	6.0	8.40 ft, Sep 27, 2024	1
ML King Pkwy in Durham	7.0	8.76 ft, Sep 17, 2018	0

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BMAN7, 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.