Flat River at Bahama, NC Flow & Water Level

NWS river forecast

Forecast from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service. Issued a few times a day and only while a forecast is active. Not for navigation.

Last 30 days

About this gauge

USGS gauge 02085500 sits on the Flat River and reads everything draining 149 square miles of the Upper Neuse basin. Its datum sits 346 feet above sea level NAVD88. Daily flow has been on record here since 1925, 101 years of it.

Where this gauge sits in the drainage

No gauged site sits above this one on the mainstem, so this is the first published reading on the river. Downstream the next reading comes from Lake Michie at Bahama, NC at 151 square miles, so what passes this gauge is about 99% of the water measured there. Water passing here goes on to Flat River at Dam near Bahama, NC.

Normal flows here

The Flat River runs a median of 41 cfs at this gauge across 101 years of record. March is the fullest month at a median 129 cfs, and September the leanest at 11 cfs. The highest daily mean on record is 21,800 cfs in 1996, and the lowest is 0.0 cfs in 2008.

Medians from the USGS daily-statistics record, 1925 to 2026. A month at 100% is running at its own long-term median.

Flood stages and record crests

The Flat River reaches flood stage at this gauge at 12 feet. NWS starts watching it at 11 feet. The highest crest on record is 17.3 feet, in September 1996.

Flood categories and crest history from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BMAN7. Stages are gage height, not depth. Not for navigation.