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Waccamaw River at Freeland

Highest listed crest 22.67 ftFlood stage 15.0 ft155 crests since 1939

The Waccamaw River at Freeland crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 155 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1939 to 2024. The highest, 22.67 ft on September 20, 2018, was major flooding, 7.67 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Waccamaw River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 2 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
22.67 ft
September 20, 2018; 53,600 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
15.0 ft
Major flooding from 19.0 ft
Crests at major
3
39th of 314 gauges in North Carolina
Most recent flood crest
September 20, 2024
16.02 ft, minor flooding
Location
Brunswick County
North Carolina

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Waccamaw River at Freeland
Action stage14.058Aug 9, 2020The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)15.053Sep 20, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage18.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage19.03Sep 20, 2018Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

155 crests from 1939 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Waccamaw River at Freeland, 1939 to 2024 510152025ft Flood stage 15.0 ftMajor 19.0 ft Jul 29, 1939: 11.08 ft, below flood stageFeb 23, 1940: 13.15 ft, below flood stageMar 17, 1941: 13.14 ft, below flood stageMar 15, 1942: 14.38 ft, action stageSep 27, 1943: 13.38 ft, below flood stageMar 13, 1944: 14.91 ft, action stageSep 23, 1945: 15.49 ft, minor floodingAug 27, 1946: 15.24 ft, minor floodingSep 28, 1947: 15.15 ft, minor floodingFeb 14, 1948: 15.92 ft, minor floodingDec 3, 1948: 15.43 ft, minor floodingFeb 23, 1949: 14.65 ft, action stageJul 13, 1950: 14.25 ft, action stageApr 12, 1951: 11.86 ft, below flood stageApr 3, 1952: 12.92 ft, below flood stageMar 17, 1953: 14.23 ft, action stageApr 11, 1954: 13.02 ft, below flood stageSep 9, 1955: 15.15 ft, minor floodingSep 26, 1955: 16.63 ft, minor floodingFeb 16, 1956: 13.35 ft, below flood stageMar 17, 1957: 13.16 ft, below flood stageApr 20, 1958: 14.25 ft, action stageMar 11, 1959: 16.12 ft, minor floodingAug 2, 1960: 15.54 ft, minor floodingApr 17, 1961: 14.90 ft, action stageJul 3, 1961: 15.54 ft, minor floodingMar 19, 1962: 13.85 ft, below flood stageJan 26, 1963: 15.10 ft, minor floodingFeb 25, 1964: 14.60 ft, action stageOct 12, 1964: 15.13 ft, minor floodingFeb 22, 1965: 14.60 ft, action stageMar 28, 1965: 14.60 ft, action stageMar 8, 1966: 15.29 ft, minor floodingAug 16, 1967: 15.22 ft, minor floodingJan 19, 1968: 13.66 ft, below flood stageJun 23, 1969: 14.80 ft, action stageAug 9, 1969: 15.53 ft, minor floodingFeb 10, 1970: 14.24 ft, action stage; 3,130 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1971: 15.74 ft, minor flooding; 6,930 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 1972: 14.83 ft, action stageFeb 19, 1973: 15.40 ft, minor flooding; 5,880 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1973: 15.57 ft, minor flooding; 6,390 cubic feet per secondAug 14, 1974: 15.16 ft, minor flooding; 5,220 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 1975: 14.22 ft, action stage; 3,160 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 1976: 14.38 ft, action stageMar 12, 1977: 14.00 ft, action stage; 2,800 cubic feet per secondNov 12, 1977: 15.45 ft, minor flooding; 6,030 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 1978: 14.70 ft, action stageMar 12, 1979: 15.45 ft, minor floodingSep 12, 1979: 15.68 ft, minor flooding; 6,740 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1980: 14.95 ft, action stageApr 4, 1980: 15.13 ft, minor flooding; 5,140 cubic feet per secondAug 23, 1981: 15.97 ft, minor flooding; 7,700 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 1982: 14.92 ft, action stage; 4,610 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 1983: 15.25 ft, minor flooding; 5,630 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1983: 16.47 ft, minor flooding; 9,450 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1984: 14.25 ft, action stage; 3,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 1985: 14.39 ft, action stage; 3,460 cubic feet per secondAug 24, 1986: 13.25 ft, below flood stageJan 27, 1987: 15.20 ft, minor flooding; 5,400 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1987: 15.58 ft, minor floodingJan 17, 1988: 12.61 ft, below flood stageApr 22, 1989: 14.09 ft, action stageOct 4, 1989: 14.07 ft, action stage; 2,910 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 1991: 13.85 ft, below flood stageFeb 1, 1991: 14.09 ft, action stage; 2,940 cubic feet per secondAug 30, 1991: 13.56 ft, below flood stageAug 22, 1992: 15.52 ft, minor floodingDec 4, 1992: 14.09 ft, action stageJan 13, 1993: 15.97 ft, minor floodingMar 21, 1993: 13.38 ft, below flood stageApr 16, 1993: 13.88 ft, below flood stageMar 8, 1994: 14.09 ft, action stageDec 29, 1994: 14.25 ft, action stageJan 19, 1995: 14.99 ft, action stageFeb 23, 1995: 14.87 ft, action stageApr 7, 1996: 13.71 ft, below flood stageSep 12, 1996: 17.02 ft, minor flooding; 12,400 cubic feet per secondOct 14, 1996: 15.84 ft, minor floodingFeb 23, 1997: 14.09 ft, action stageJan 13, 1998: 14.07 ft, action stageFeb 8, 1998: 15.94 ft, minor floodingFeb 21, 1998: 15.85 ft, minor floodingMar 15, 1998: 14.87 ft, action stageSep 7, 1998: 14.83 ft, action stageJan 29, 1999: 15.37 ft, minor floodingMay 5, 1999: 16.19 ft, minor floodingSep 21, 1999: 19.30 ft, major flooding; 31,200 cubic feet per secondOct 22, 1999: 16.99 ft, minor floodingFeb 1, 2000: 15.01 ft, minor floodingMar 26, 2000: 14.28 ft, action stageSep 26, 2000: 14.89 ft, action stageMar 26, 2001: 14.13 ft, action stageMar 16, 2002: 10.10 ft, below flood stageMar 24, 2003: 14.70 ft, action stageApr 13, 2003: 14.85 ft, action stage; 4,340 cubic feet per secondAug 6, 2003: 13.51 ft, below flood stageFeb 21, 2004: 14.00 ft, action stageAug 20, 2004: 14.53 ft, action stage; 3,640 cubic feet per secondSep 1, 2004: 14.12 ft, action stageSep 13, 2004: 14.43 ft, action stageSep 21, 2005: 10.14 ft, below flood stageOct 13, 2005: 14.93 ft, action stageJan 6, 2006: 13.56 ft, below flood stageSep 7, 2006: 14.91 ft, action stageNov 28, 2006: 15.42 ft, minor flooding; 5,790 cubic feet per secondDec 29, 2006: 15.05 ft, minor floodingFeb 5, 2007: 13.33 ft, below flood stageApr 14, 2008: 13.35 ft, below flood stageDec 12, 2009: 13.22 ft, below flood stageJan 1, 2010: 14.76 ft, action stage; 4,130 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 2010: 14.15 ft, action stage; 2,940 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 2010: 14.01 ft, action stage; 2,720 cubic feet per secondOct 6, 2010: 13.07 ft, below flood stage; 2,060 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 2011: 13.83 ft, below flood stage; 2,570 cubic feet per secondSep 5, 2011: 8.93 ft, below flood stage; 651 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 2012: 10.69 ft, below flood stage; 928 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2012: 10.24 ft, below flood stage; 853 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 2013: 11.56 ft, below flood stage; 1,210 cubic feet per secondAug 11, 2014: 14.29 ft, action stage; 2,940 cubic feet per secondSep 20, 2014: 14.04 ft, action stage; 2,600 cubic feet per secondJan 28, 2015: 13.43 ft, below flood stage; 2,020 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 2015: 14.30 ft, action stage; 3,200 cubic feet per secondOct 8, 2015: 16.95 ft, minor flooding; 11,100 cubic feet per secondNov 13, 2015: 14.55 ft, action stage; 3,200 cubic feet per secondDec 29, 2015: 14.82 ft, action stage; 3,740 cubic feet per secondFeb 11, 2016: 16.13 ft, minor flooding; 7,460 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 2016: 14.18 ft, action stage; 2,620 cubic feet per secondSep 8, 2016: 15.34 ft, minor flooding; 4,990 cubic feet per secondOct 6, 2016: 14.65 ft, action stage; 3,500 cubic feet per secondOct 12, 2016: 19.00 ft, major flooding; 22,000 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2017: 13.44 ft, below flood stage; 2,040 cubic feet per secondAug 26, 2017: 13.96 ft, below flood stage; 2,680 cubic feet per secondSep 15, 2017: 13.35 ft, below flood stage; 1,930 cubic feet per secondAug 7, 2018: 13.58 ft, below flood stage; 2,210 cubic feet per secondSep 20, 2018: 22.67 ft, major flooding; 53,600 cubic feet per secondDec 20, 2018: 14.89 ft, action stageJan 7, 2019: 13.46 ft, below flood stage; 2,060 cubic feet per secondSep 11, 2019: 11.43 ft, below flood stage; 1,080 cubic feet per secondFeb 12, 2020: 15.17 ft, minor flooding; 4,040 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 2020: 14.03 ft, action stage; 2,500 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 2020: 14.03 ft, action stage; 2,500 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 2020: 15.94 ft, minor flooding; 6,580 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 2020: 15.30 ft, minor flooding; 4,400 cubic feet per secondAug 9, 2020: 14.80 ft, action stage; 3,530 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 2020: 11.62 ft, below flood stage; 1,050 cubic feet per secondNov 17, 2020: 15.47 ft, minor flooding; 4,950 cubic feet per secondJan 8, 2021: 15.03 ft, minor flooding; 3,840 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 2021: 13.67 ft, below flood stage; 2,020 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 2021: 16.52 ft, minor flooding; 9,030 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 2022: 10.41 ft, below flood stage; 833 cubic feet per secondSep 3, 2023: 16.20 ft, minor flooding; 7,630 cubic feet per secondDec 23, 2023: 15.28 ft, minor flooding; 4,870 cubic feet per secondAug 12, 2024: 17.45 ft, minor flooding; 12,900 cubic feet per secondSep 20, 2024: 16.02 ft, minor flooding; 7,140 cubic feet per second Highest, 22.67 ft, Sep 20, 2018 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Waccamaw River at Freeland 1930s: 0 1940s: 5 1950s: 3 1960s: 7 1970s: 7 1980s: 6 1990s: 10 10 2000s: 3 2010s: 5 2020s: 10 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

The 50 highest of 155 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Waccamaw River at Freeland
1Sep 20, 201822.67+7.67Major53,600
2Sep 21, 199919.30+4.30Major31,200
3Oct 12, 201619.00+4.00Major22,000
4Aug 12, 202417.45+2.45Minor12,900
5Sep 12, 199617.02+2.02Minor12,400
6Oct 22, 199916.99+1.99Minor—
7Oct 8, 201516.95+1.95Minor11,100
8Sep 26, 195516.63+1.63Minor—
9Feb 22, 202116.52+1.52Minor9,030
10Mar 23, 198316.47+1.47Minor9,450
11Sep 3, 202316.20+1.20Minor7,630
12May 5, 199916.19+1.19Minor—
13Feb 11, 201616.13+1.13Minor7,460
14Mar 11, 195916.12+1.12Minor—
15Sep 20, 202416.02+1.02Minor7,140
16Aug 23, 198115.97+0.97Minor7,700
17Jan 13, 199315.97+0.97Minor—
18Feb 8, 199815.94+0.94Minor—
19May 29, 202015.94+0.94Minor6,580
20Feb 14, 194815.92+0.92Minor—
21Feb 21, 199815.85+0.85Minor—
22Oct 14, 199615.84+0.84Minor—
23Mar 8, 197115.74+0.74Minor6,930
24Sep 12, 197915.68+0.68Minor6,740
25Mar 6, 198715.58+0.58Minor—
26Apr 5, 197315.57+0.57Minor6,390
27Aug 2, 196015.54+0.54Minor—
28Jul 3, 196115.54+0.54Minor—
29Aug 9, 196915.53+0.53Minor—
30Aug 22, 199215.52+0.52Minor—
31Sep 23, 194515.49+0.49Minor—
32Nov 17, 202015.47+0.47Minor4,950
33Nov 12, 197715.45+0.45Minor6,030
34Mar 12, 197915.45+0.45Minor—
35Dec 3, 194815.43+0.43Minor—
36Nov 28, 200615.42+0.42Minor5,790
37Feb 19, 197315.40+0.40Minor5,880
38Jan 29, 199915.37+0.37Minor—
39Sep 8, 201615.34+0.34Minor4,990
40Jun 22, 202015.30+0.30Minor4,400
41Mar 8, 196615.29+0.29Minor—
42Dec 23, 202315.28+0.28Minor4,870
43Feb 19, 198315.25+0.25Minor5,630
44Aug 27, 194615.24+0.24Minor—
45Aug 16, 196715.22+0.22Minor—
46Jan 27, 198715.20+0.20Minor5,400
47Feb 12, 202015.17+0.17Minor4,040
48Aug 14, 197415.16+0.16Minor5,220
49Sep 28, 194715.15+0.15Minor—
50Sep 9, 195515.15+0.15Minor—

The worst floods along the Waccamaw River

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

September 20, 2018: 22.67 ft here, major flooding

  • ConwaySC · Sep 26, 2018 · 21.16 ft · Major · its highest
  • LongsSC · Sep 22, 2018 · 20.19 ft · Major · its highest

September 21, 1999: 19.30 ft here, major flooding

  • LongsSC · Sep 23, 1999 · 17.94 ft · Major
  • ConwaySC · Sep 27, 1999 · 17.60 ft · Major

October 12, 2016: 19.00 ft here, major flooding

  • ConwaySC · Oct 18, 2016 · 17.89 ft · Major
  • LongsSC · Oct 14, 2016 · 16.95 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Waccamaw River

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

Flood gauges on the Waccamaw River
Freeland this gaugeNC15.022.67 ft, Sep 20, 20183
LongsSC12.020.19 ft, Sep 22, 20182
ConwaySC11.021.16 ft, Sep 26, 201820

Other gauges in Brunswick County

Flood gauges in Brunswick County
Atlantic Coast at Sunset Beach8.018.00 ft, Oct 15, 19541
U.S. 74 near Leland12.013.89 ft, Sep 16, 19990

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge FREN7, 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.