Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Pamlico Sound at Coast Guard Hatteras (in MLLW)

Highest listed crest 6.37 ftFlood stage 2.5 ft21 crests since 2010

The Pamlico Sound at Coast Guard Hatteras (in MLLW) crested at major flood stage 5 times among the 21 crests the National Weather Service lists from 2010 to 2025. The highest, 6.37 ft on October 9, 2016, was major flooding, 3.87 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Pamlico Sound crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
6.37 ft
October 9, 2016
Flood stage
2.5 ft
Major flooding from 4.5 ft
Crests at major
5
22nd of 314 gauges in North Carolina
Most recent flood crest
August 21, 2025
3.04 ft, minor flooding
Location
Dare County
North Carolina
Identifiers
NWS HCGN7
No USGS station

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Pamlico Sound at Coast Guard Hatteras (in MLLW)
Action stage2.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)2.514Aug 21, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage3.52Jan 3, 2022Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage4.55Sep 6, 2019Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

21 crests from 2010 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Pamlico Sound at Coast Guard Hatteras (in MLLW), 2010 to 2025 234567ft Flood stage 2.5 ftMajor 4.5 ft Sep 3, 2010: 4.68 ft, major floodingAug 27, 2011: 4.17 ft, moderate floodingFeb 12, 2012: 2.77 ft, minor floodingMay 30, 2012: 2.86 ft, minor floodingOct 29, 2012: 4.64 ft, major floodingMar 7, 2013: 3.48 ft, minor floodingApr 16, 2014: 2.88 ft, minor floodingNov 2, 2014: 3.14 ft, minor floodingFeb 15, 2015: 2.80 ft, minor floodingFeb 8, 2016: 3.46 ft, minor floodingSep 3, 2016: 4.99 ft, major floodingOct 9, 2016: 6.37 ft, major floodingSep 27, 2017: 3.34 ft, minor floodingMar 2, 2018: 3.25 ft, minor floodingSep 6, 2019: 5.97 ft, major floodingNov 7, 2021: 3.14 ft, minor floodingJan 3, 2022: 3.51 ft, moderate floodingOct 3, 2022: 2.96 ft, minor floodingDec 23, 2022: 3.00 ft, minor floodingSep 1, 2023: 3.21 ft, minor floodingAug 21, 2025: 3.04 ft, minor flooding Highest, 6.37 ft, Oct 9, 2016 2010201520202025

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Pamlico Sound at Coast Guard Hatteras (in MLLW) 2010s: 15 15 2020s: 6 2010s2020s
  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, Pamlico Sound at Coast Guard Hatteras (in MLLW)
1Oct 9, 20166.37+3.87Major—
2Sep 6, 20195.97+3.47Major—
3Sep 3, 20164.99+2.49Major—
4Sep 3, 20104.68+2.18Major—
5Oct 29, 20124.64+2.14Major—
6Aug 27, 20114.17+1.67Moderate—
7Jan 3, 20223.51+1.01Moderate—
8Mar 7, 20133.48+0.98Minor—
9Feb 8, 20163.46+0.96Minor—
10Sep 27, 20173.34+0.84Minor—
11Mar 2, 20183.25+0.75Minor—
12Sep 1, 20233.21+0.71Minor—
13Nov 2, 20143.14+0.64Minor—
14Nov 7, 20213.14+0.64Minor—
15Aug 21, 20253.04+0.54Minor—
16Dec 23, 20223.00+0.50Minor—
17Oct 3, 20222.96+0.46Minor—
18Apr 16, 20142.88+0.38Minor—
19May 30, 20122.86+0.36Minor—
20Feb 15, 20152.80+0.30Minor—
21Feb 12, 20122.77+0.27Minor—

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.

October 9, 2016: 6.37 ft here, major flooding

September 6, 2019: 5.97 ft here, major flooding

October 29, 2012: 4.64 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Pamlico Sound

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Pamlico Sound
Avon (in MLLW)NC3.03.30 ft, Jan 3, 20220
Avon Harbor (in MLLW)NC3.03.05 ft, Dec 23, 20220
Bell Island Pier (in MLLW)NC2.54.51 ft, Sep 14, 20180
Cedar Island (in MLLW)NC2.04.17 ft, Oct 5, 20150
Coast Guard Hatteras (in MLLW) this gaugeNC2.56.37 ft, Oct 9, 20165
Frisco (in MLLW)NC3.03.07 ft, Aug 21, 20250
Ocracoke (in MLLW)NC3.07.62 ft, Sep 6, 20191
Oregon Inlet Marina (in MLLW)NC3.07.70 ft, Aug 28, 20112
Rodanthe Ferry Terminal (in MLLW)NC3.54.45 ft, Mar 12, 20220
Stumpy Point (in MLLW)NC2.03.03 ft, Sep 23, 20230
Hobucken (in MLLW)NC2.05.94 ft, Sep 14, 20181

Other gauges in Dare County

Flood gauges in Dare County
Colington Harbor (in MLLW)3.03.48 ft, Dec 23, 20220
Kitty Hawk (in MLLW)2.02.91 ft, Dec 23, 20220
Atlantic Coast at Duck (in MLLW)5.57.82 ft, Sep 18, 200315
Fessenden Center in Buxton (in MLLW)3.04.64 ft, Jan 3, 20220
Duck Town Boardwalk (in MLLW)2.53.04 ft, Dec 23, 20220
Avon (in MLLW)3.03.30 ft, Jan 3, 20220
Avon Harbor (in MLLW)3.03.05 ft, Dec 23, 20220
Frisco (in MLLW)3.03.07 ft, Aug 21, 20250
Oregon Inlet Marina (in MLLW)3.07.70 ft, Aug 28, 20112
Rodanthe Ferry Terminal (in MLLW)3.54.45 ft, Mar 12, 20220
Stumpy Point (in MLLW)2.03.03 ft, Sep 23, 20230
Nags Head (in MLLW)2.54.36 ft, Dec 23, 20220
Pond Island3.04.14 ft, Dec 23, 20220
Shallowbag Bay at Manteo (in MLLW)3.03.67 ft, Dec 23, 20220
Hatteras Village (in MLLW)3.03.59 ft, Aug 21, 20250

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge HCGN7, 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.