Haw River at Haw River, 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 02096500 sits on the Haw River and reads everything draining 606 square miles of the Haw basin. Its datum sits 471 feet above sea level NAVD88. Daily flow has been on record here since 1929, 97 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 Haw River near Bynum, NC at 1,275 square miles, so what passes this gauge is about 48% of the water measured there. Water passing here goes on to Haw River near Moncure, NC. It then enters Jordan Lake at Haw River Arm, NC, below which releases set the flow.

Normal flows here

The Haw River runs a median of 256 cfs at this gauge across 97 years of record. February is the fullest month at a median 544 cfs, and September the leanest at 133 cfs. The highest daily mean on record is 42,000 cfs in 1996, and the lowest is 5.0 cfs in 1930.

Medians from the USGS daily-statistics record, 1929 to 2026. A month at 100% is running at its own long-term median.

Flood stages and record crests

The Haw River reaches flood stage at this gauge at 18 feet. NWS starts watching it at 16 feet. The highest crest on record is 32.8 feet, in September 1996.

Flood categories and crest history from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge HAWN7. Stages are gage height, not depth. Not for navigation.