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Flat River below Lake Mitchie

Highest listed crest 23.48 ftFlood stage 16.0 ft6 crests since 1938

The Flat River below Lake Mitchie crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 6 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1938 to 2025. The highest, 23.48 ft on September 6, 1998, was major flooding, 7.48 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
23.48 ft
September 6, 1998
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
July 7, 2025
19.60 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Durham County
Near Durham (12.4 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Flat River below Lake Mitchie
Action stage15.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)16.01Nov 13, 2018Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage18.04Jul 7, 2025Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage20.01Sep 6, 1998Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

6 crests from 1938 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Flat River below Lake Mitchie, 1938 to 2025 1618202224ft Flood stage 16.0 ftMajor 20.0 ft Jul 26, 1938: 19.50 ft, moderate flooding; 19,700 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1998: 18.18 ft, moderate floodingSep 6, 1998: 23.48 ft, major floodingSep 17, 2018: 19.27 ft, moderate flooding; 15,106 cubic feet per secondNov 13, 2018: 16.78 ft, minor flooding; 11,530 cubic feet per secondJul 7, 2025: 19.60 ft, moderate flooding; 18,400 cubic feet per second Highest, 23.48 ft, Sep 6, 1998 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Flat River below Lake Mitchie 1930s: 1 1940s: 0 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 2 2 2000s: 0 2010s: 2 2020s: 1 1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Flat River below Lake Mitchie
1Sep 6, 199823.48+7.48Major—
2Jul 7, 202519.60+3.60Moderate18,400
3Jul 26, 193819.50+3.50Moderate19,700
4Sep 17, 201819.27+3.27Moderate15,106
5Mar 19, 199818.18+2.18Moderate—
6Nov 13, 201816.78+0.78Minor11,530

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: 19.27 ft here, moderate flooding

  • BahamaNC · Sep 17, 2018 · 12.28 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Flat River

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

Flood gauges on the Flat River
BahamaNC12.017.26 ft, Sep 6, 19960
Lake Mitchie this gaugeNC16.023.48 ft, Sep 6, 19981

Other gauges in Durham County

Flood gauges in Durham County
Club Blvd in Durham10.011.09 ft, Sep 6, 20080
Durham20.026.24 ft, Jul 7, 20251
Huckleberry Springs12.014.91 ft, Mar 10, 19890
Bahama12.017.26 ft, Sep 6, 19960
Oak Grove12.014.91 ft, Mar 10, 19890
Tributary at Fairntosh12.016.09 ft, Mar 19, 19980
SR1617 Nr Bahama10.012.92 ft, Sep 17, 20180
Blands16.018.21 ft, Jan 1, 20160
SS1182 near Lowes Grove6.08.40 ft, Sep 27, 20241
ML King Pkwy in Durham7.08.76 ft, Sep 17, 20180

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BAHN7, 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.