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Tar River at Tarboro

Highest listed crest 41.51 ftFlood stage 19.0 ft37 crests since 1919

The Tar River at Tarboro crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 37 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1919 to 2025. The highest, 41.51 ft on September 19, 1999, was major flooding, 22.51 feet above flood stage. 3 other gauges on the Tar River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 3 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
41.51 ft
September 19, 1999
Flood stage
19.0 ft
Major flooding from 32.0 ft
Crests at major
3
39th of 314 gauges in North Carolina
Most recent flood crest
March 21, 2025
21.14 ft, minor flooding
Location
Edgecombe County
Near Tarboro (1.6 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Tar River at Tarboro
Action stage17.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)19.013Mar 21, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage24.020Aug 15, 2024Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage32.03Oct 13, 2016Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

37 crests from 1919 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Tar River at Tarboro, 1919 to 2025 1020304050ft Flood stage 19.0 ftMajor 32.0 ft Jul 27, 1919: 34.00 ft, major flooding; 52,800 cubic feet per secondDec 6, 1934: 27.38 ft, moderate flooding; 23,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 2, 1937: 26.18 ft, moderate flooding; 21,500 cubic feet per secondSep 3, 1939: 27.00 ft, moderate flooding; 23,000 cubic feet per secondAug 20, 1940: 31.77 ft, moderate flooding; 37,200 cubic feet per secondSep 23, 1945: 28.13 ft, moderate flooding; 24,600 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 1954: 27.43 ft, moderate flooding; 23,600 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 1958: 29.17 ft, moderate flooding; 26,900 cubic feet per secondOct 9, 1964: 25.90 ft, moderate flooding; 20,000 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1984: 26.44 ft, moderate flooding; 21,300 cubic feet per secondNov 28, 1985: 23.38 ft, minor flooding; 15,900 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1987: 28.37 ft, moderate flooding; 25,200 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 1989: 24.16 ft, moderate flooding; 17,100 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1990: 21.70 ft, minor flooding; 13,100 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 1992: 24.52 ft, moderate flooding; 17,600 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1993: 25.65 ft, moderate flooding; 19,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 1995: 20.90 ft, minor floodingMar 13, 1995: 21.70 ft, minor flooding; 13,100 cubic feet per secondSep 15, 1996: 26.57 ft, moderate flooding; 21,600 cubic feet per secondSep 19, 1999: 41.51 ft, major floodingApr 15, 2003: 26.27 ft, moderate flooding; 21,000 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 2006: 28.03 ft, moderate flooding; 24,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 11, 2010: 22.98 ft, minor flooding; 15,000 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 2010: 22.17 ft, minor flooding; 13,500 cubic feet per secondOct 13, 2016: 36.29 ft, major floodingMay 1, 2017: 27.70 ft, moderate flooding; 23,800 cubic feet per secondSep 20, 2018: 14.90 ft, below flood stage; 6,636 cubic feet per secondNov 20, 2018: 20.00 ft, minor flooding; 10,708 cubic feet per secondFeb 12, 2020: 25.56 ft, moderate flooding; 16,570 cubic feet per secondDec 21, 2020: 19.16 ft, minor flooding; 9,958 cubic feet per secondDec 29, 2020: 20.08 ft, minor flooding; 10,782 cubic feet per secondJan 8, 2021: 22.08 ft, minor flooding; 12,750 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 2021: 20.01 ft, minor flooding; 10,717 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 2021: 27.47 ft, moderate flooding; 18,977 cubic feet per secondAug 15, 2024: 25.42 ft, moderate flooding; 17,666 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 2024: 19.14 ft, minor flooding; 10,208 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 2025: 21.14 ft, minor flooding; 12,306 cubic feet per second Highest, 41.51 ft, Sep 19, 1999 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Tar River at Tarboro 1910s: 1 1920s: 0 1930s: 3 1940s: 2 1950s: 2 1960s: 1 1970s: 0 1980s: 4 1990s: 7 2000s: 2 2010s: 5 2020s: 9 9 1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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.
  3. 6 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 29.40 ft on Sep 1, 1908; 27.30 ft on Apr 23, 1910; 26.40 ft on Mar 9, 1922; 33.50 ft on Oct 4, 1924; 30.20 ft on Sep 24, 1928; 27.80 ft on Oct 7, 1929.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Tar River at Tarboro
1Sep 19, 199941.51+22.51Major—
2Oct 13, 201636.29+17.29Major—
3Jul 27, 191934.00+15.00Major52,800
4Aug 20, 194031.77+12.77Moderate37,200
5May 12, 195829.17+10.17Moderate26,900
6Apr 22, 198728.37+9.37Moderate25,200
7Sep 23, 194528.13+9.13Moderate24,600
8Jun 19, 200628.03+9.03Moderate24,500
9May 1, 201727.70+8.70Moderate23,800
10Feb 21, 202127.47+8.47Moderate18,977
11Jan 27, 195427.43+8.43Moderate23,600
12Dec 6, 193427.38+8.38Moderate23,500
13Sep 3, 193927.00+8.00Moderate23,000
14Sep 15, 199626.57+7.57Moderate21,600
15Jun 4, 198426.44+7.44Moderate21,300
16Apr 15, 200326.27+7.27Moderate21,000
17Feb 2, 193726.18+7.18Moderate21,500
18Oct 9, 196425.90+6.90Moderate20,000
19Mar 11, 199325.65+6.65Moderate19,600
20Feb 12, 202025.56+6.56Moderate16,570
21Aug 15, 202425.42+6.42Moderate17,666
22Jan 10, 199224.52+5.52Moderate17,600
23May 6, 198924.16+5.16Moderate17,100
24Nov 28, 198523.38+4.38Minor15,900
25Feb 11, 201022.98+3.98Minor15,000
26Apr 2, 201022.17+3.17Minor13,500
27Jan 8, 202122.08+3.08Minor12,750
28Apr 5, 199021.70+2.70Minor13,100
29Mar 13, 199521.70+2.70Minor13,100
30Mar 21, 202521.14+2.14Minor12,306
31Feb 22, 199520.90+1.90Minor—
32Dec 29, 202020.08+1.08Minor10,782
33Feb 4, 202120.01+1.01Minor10,717
34Nov 20, 201820.00+1.00Minor10,708
35Dec 21, 202019.16+0.16Minor9,958
36Oct 1, 202419.14+0.14Minor10,208
37Sep 20, 201814.90−4.10Below flood stage6,636

The worst floods along the Tar River

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

September 19, 1999: 41.51 ft here, major flooding

  • NC97 In Rocky MountNC · Sep 17, 1999 · 31.66 ft · Major · its highest
  • GreenvilleNC · Sep 21, 1999 · 29.74 ft · Major · its highest
  • LouisburgNC · Sep 17, 1999 · 26.05 ft · Major · its highest

October 13, 2016: 36.29 ft here, major flooding

July 27, 1919: 34.00 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Tar River

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

Flood gauges on the Tar River
GreenvilleNC13.029.74 ft, Sep 21, 199913
GrimeslandNC7.011.74 ft, Oct 15, 20160
LouisburgNC20.026.05 ft, Sep 17, 19996
NC97 In Rocky MountNC21.031.66 ft, Sep 17, 19995
Rock SpringsNC18.025.93 ft, Oct 14, 20161
Tarboro this gaugeNC19.041.51 ft, Sep 19, 19993
US301 Bypass at Rocky MountNC17.017.86 ft, Aug 12, 20240
Langley CrossroadsNC16.017.39 ft, Aug 12, 20240
Tar RiverNC16.024.06 ft, Sep 6, 19961

Other gauges in Edgecombe County

Flood gauges in Edgecombe County
Enfield16.022.10 ft, Apr 19, 19103
NC97 In Rocky Mount21.031.66 ft, Sep 17, 19995

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge TARN7, 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.