Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Haw River at Haw River

Highest listed crest 32.83 ftFlood stage 18.0 ft28 crests since 1945

The Haw River at Haw River crested at major flood stage 4 times among the 28 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1945 to 2025. The highest, 32.83 ft on September 6, 1996, was major flooding, 14.83 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Haw River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
32.83 ft
September 6, 1996; 51,400 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
18.0 ft
Major flooding from 27.0 ft
Crests at major
4
32nd of 314 gauges in North Carolina
Most recent flood crest
May 30, 2025
19.98 ft, minor flooding
Location
Alamance County
Near Graham (2.5 mi), Mebane (5.0 mi), Burlington (5.8 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Haw River at Haw River
Action stage16.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)18.010May 30, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage23.014Feb 7, 2020Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage27.04Sep 6, 1996Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

28 crests from 1945 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Haw River at Haw River, 1945 to 2025 1520253035ft Flood stage 18.0 ftMajor 27.0 ft Sep 18, 1945: 31.10 ft, major flooding; 32,000 cubic feet per secondSep 26, 1947: 27.89 ft, major flooding; 27,200 cubic feet per secondOct 16, 1954: 25.50 ft, moderate flooding; 20,900 cubic feet per secondOct 9, 1959: 26.20 ft, moderate flooding; 22,600 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1982: 18.98 ft, minor flooding; 10,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1984: 23.27 ft, moderate flooding; 17,400 cubic feet per secondJul 28, 1984: 24.15 ft, moderate flooding; 19,100 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1987: 27.37 ft, major flooding; 26,200 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1989: 19.97 ft, minor flooding; 10,600 cubic feet per secondOct 2, 1989: 18.33 ft, minor flooding; 8,150 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1991: 23.25 ft, moderate flooding; 14,500 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1992: 23.35 ft, moderate flooding; 14,900 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 1994: 20.00 ft, minor floodingJun 29, 1995: 26.50 ft, moderate flooding; 24,060 cubic feet per secondAug 28, 1995: 24.50 ft, moderate flooding; 19,820 cubic feet per secondSep 6, 1996: 32.83 ft, major flooding; 51,400 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 1997: 22.34 ft, minor flooding; 15,500 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 2003: 24.55 ft, moderate flooding; 19,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 2010: 20.56 ft, minor flooding; 11,000 cubic feet per secondOct 9, 2016: 19.73 ft, minor floodingApr 25, 2017: 23.40 ft, moderate flooding; 15,000 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 2018: 26.27 ft, moderate floodingOct 13, 2018: 23.28 ft, moderate flooding; 17,856 cubic feet per secondNov 13, 2018: 25.62 ft, moderate flooding; 21,949 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 2020: 24.64 ft, moderate flooding; 20,164 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 2024: 18.98 ft, minor flooding; 11,556 cubic feet per secondAug 9, 2024: 22.32 ft, minor flooding; 15,780 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 2025: 19.98 ft, minor flooding; 12,746 cubic feet per second Highest, 32.83 ft, Sep 6, 1996 1960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Haw River at Haw River 1940s: 2 1950s: 2 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 6 1990s: 7 7 2000s: 1 2010s: 6 2020s: 4 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Haw River at Haw River
1Sep 6, 199632.83+14.83Major51,400
2Sep 18, 194531.10+13.10Major32,000
3Sep 26, 194727.89+9.89Major27,200
4Apr 16, 198727.37+9.37Major26,200
5Jun 29, 199526.50+8.50Moderate24,060
6Sep 17, 201826.27+8.27Moderate—
7Oct 9, 195926.20+8.20Moderate22,600
8Nov 13, 201825.62+7.62Moderate21,949
9Oct 16, 195425.50+7.50Moderate20,900
10Feb 7, 202024.64+6.64Moderate20,164
11Mar 20, 200324.55+6.55Moderate19,300
12Aug 28, 199524.50+6.50Moderate19,820
13Jul 28, 198424.15+6.15Moderate19,100
14Apr 25, 201723.40+5.40Moderate15,000
15Apr 22, 199223.35+5.35Moderate14,900
16Oct 13, 201823.28+5.28Moderate17,856
17Feb 14, 198423.27+5.27Moderate17,400
18Mar 30, 199123.25+5.25Moderate14,500
19Apr 29, 199722.34+4.34Minor15,500
20Aug 9, 202422.32+4.32Minor15,780
21Feb 6, 201020.56+2.56Minor11,000
22Mar 2, 199420.00+2.00Minor—
23May 30, 202519.98+1.98Minor12,746
24Mar 24, 198919.97+1.97Minor10,600
25Oct 9, 201619.73+1.73Minor—
26Jun 5, 198218.98+0.98Minor10,600
27May 15, 202418.98+0.98Minor11,556
28Oct 2, 198918.33+0.33Minor8,150

The worst floods along the Haw River

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

September 6, 1996: 32.83 ft here, major flooding

  • BynumNC · Sep 6, 1996 · 21.76 ft · Major

Gauges on the Haw River

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

Flood gauges on the Haw River
Haw River this gaugeNC18.032.83 ft, Sep 6, 19964
BynumNC11.023.20 ft, Jul 7, 20258

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge HAWN7, 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.