Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Ward Creek at Otway (in MLLW)

Highest listed crest 7.96 ftFlood stage 4.0 ft7 crests since 2018

The Ward Creek at Otway (in MLLW) crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 7 crests the National Weather Service lists from 2018 to 2025. The highest, 7.96 ft on September 14, 2018, was major flooding, 3.96 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
7.96 ft
September 14, 2018
Flood stage
4.0 ft
Major flooding from 7.5 ft
Crests at major
1
76th of 314 gauges in North Carolina
Most recent flood crest
August 23, 2025
4.52 ft, minor flooding
Location
Carteret County
Near Morehead City (10.1 mi)
Identifiers
NWS OTWN7
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, Ward Creek at Otway (in MLLW)
Action stage3.50—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)4.06Aug 23, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage5.50—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage7.51Sep 14, 2018Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

7 crests from 2018 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Ward Creek at Otway (in MLLW), 2018 to 2025 45678ft Flood stage 4.0 ftMajor 7.5 ft Sep 14, 2018: 7.96 ft, major floodingDec 23, 2022: 4.51 ft, minor floodingSep 1, 2023: 4.06 ft, minor floodingSep 23, 2023: 4.64 ft, minor floodingDec 18, 2023: 4.35 ft, minor floodingJan 10, 2024: 4.61 ft, minor floodingAug 23, 2025: 4.52 ft, minor flooding Highest, 7.96 ft, Sep 14, 2018 20202025

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Ward Creek at Otway (in MLLW) 2010s: 1 2020s: 6 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, Ward Creek at Otway (in MLLW)
1Sep 14, 20187.96+3.96Major—
2Sep 23, 20234.64+0.64Minor—
3Jan 10, 20244.61+0.61Minor—
4Aug 23, 20254.52+0.52Minor—
5Dec 23, 20224.51+0.51Minor—
6Dec 18, 20234.35+0.35Minor—
7Sep 1, 20234.06+0.06Minor—

Other gauges in Carteret County

Flood gauges in Carteret County
Atlantic Coast at Beaufort Marine Lab (in MLLW)5.07.29 ft, Sep 14, 20184
Emerald Isle (in MLLW)4.07.54 ft, Sep 14, 20181
Newport (in MLLW)5.014.30 ft, Sep 15, 20181
Cedar Island (in MLLW)2.04.17 ft, Oct 5, 20150

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge OTWN7, 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.