Pamlico Sound at Bell Island Pier (in MLLW)
Highest listed crest 4.51 ftFlood stage 2.5 ft6 crests since 2018
The Pamlico Sound at Bell Island Pier (in MLLW) crested above flood stage 5 times among the 6 crests the National Weather Service lists from 2018 to 2024. The highest, 4.51 ft on September 14, 2018, was moderate flooding, 2.01 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Pamlico Sound crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.
The gauge
- Highest listed crest
- 4.51 ft
- September 14, 2018
- Flood stage
- 2.5 ft
- Major flooding from 5.0 ft
- Crests at major
- 0
- 5 above flood stage
- Most recent flood crest
- January 10, 2024
- 2.51 ft, minor flooding
Flood stages
The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.
| Action stage | 2.0 | 1 | Nov 8, 2021 |
| Flood stage (minor) | 2.5 | 4 | Jan 10, 2024 |
| Moderate flood stage | 4.0 | 1 | Sep 14, 2018 |
| Major flood stage | 5.0 | 0 | — |
Every listed crest
6 crests from 2018 to 2024. 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
| 1 | Sep 14, 2018 | 4.51 | +2.01 | Moderate |
| 2 | Sep 23, 2023 | 3.56 | +1.06 | Minor |
| 3 | Sep 30, 2022 | 2.88 | +0.38 | Minor |
| 4 | Jan 17, 2022 | 2.58 | +0.08 | Minor |
| 5 | Jan 10, 2024 | 2.51 | +0.01 | Minor |
| 6 | Nov 8, 2021 | 2.21 | −0.29 | Action |
The worst floods along the Pamlico Sound
For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Pamlico Sound that crested above flood stage within a week.
September 14, 2018: 4.51 ft here, moderate flooding
- Hobucken (in MLLW)NC · Sep 14, 2018 · 5.94 ft · Major · its highest
- Stumpy Point (in MLLW)NC · Sep 15, 2018 · 2.84 ft · Minor
September 23, 2023: 3.56 ft here, minor flooding
- Rodanthe Ferry Terminal (in MLLW)NC · Sep 23, 2023 · 3.66 ft · Minor
- Hobucken (in MLLW)NC · Sep 23, 2023 · 3.33 ft · Minor
- Stumpy Point (in MLLW)NC · Sep 23, 2023 · 3.03 ft · Minor · its highest
- Cedar Island (in MLLW)NC · Sep 23, 2023 · 2.93 ft · Minor
September 30, 2022: 2.88 ft here, minor flooding
- Oregon Inlet Marina (in MLLW)NC · Oct 1, 2022 · 3.14 ft · Minor
- Coast Guard Hatteras (in MLLW)NC · Oct 3, 2022 · 2.96 ft · Minor
- Cedar Island (in MLLW)NC · Sep 30, 2022 · 2.83 ft · Minor
Gauges on the Pamlico Sound
Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.
| Avon (in MLLW) | NC | 3.30 ft, Jan 3, 2022 | 0 |
| Avon Harbor (in MLLW) | NC | 3.05 ft, Dec 23, 2022 | 0 |
| Bell Island Pier (in MLLW) this gauge | NC | 4.51 ft, Sep 14, 2018 | 0 |
| Cedar Island (in MLLW) | NC | 4.17 ft, Oct 5, 2015 | 0 |
| Coast Guard Hatteras (in MLLW) | NC | 6.37 ft, Oct 9, 2016 | 5 |
| Frisco (in MLLW) | NC | 3.07 ft, Aug 21, 2025 | 0 |
| Ocracoke (in MLLW) | NC | 7.62 ft, Sep 6, 2019 | 1 |
| Oregon Inlet Marina (in MLLW) | NC | 7.70 ft, Aug 28, 2011 | 2 |
| Rodanthe Ferry Terminal (in MLLW) | NC | 4.45 ft, Mar 12, 2022 | 0 |
| Stumpy Point (in MLLW) | NC | 3.03 ft, Sep 23, 2023 | 0 |
| Hobucken (in MLLW) | NC | 5.94 ft, Sep 14, 2018 | 1 |
Other gauges in Hyde County
| Engelhard (in MLLW) | 3.00 ft, Sep 15, 2018 | 0 |
| Ocracoke (in MLLW) | 7.62 ft, Sep 6, 2019 | 1 |
Hyde County: every hazard · River floods across the country · North Carolina
NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BIPN7, 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.