Tar River at Nc-581 near Spring Hope, 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 02081942 sits on the Tar River and reads everything draining 671 square miles of the Upper Tar basin. Its datum sits 129 feet above sea level NAVD88. Daily flow has been on record here since 2012, 14 years of it.

Where this gauge sits in the drainage

One gauged site sits upstream of here. The closest is Tar River at US 401 at Louisburg, NC, reading 427 square miles. This gauge adds the 244 square miles that drain in between. Downstream the next reading comes from Tar River below Dam near Langley Crossroads, NC at 775 square miles, so what passes this gauge is about 87% of the water measured there. Water passing here goes on to Tar River at NC 97 at Rocky Mount, NC. It then enters Tar River below Tar River Reservoir near Rocky Mount, NC, below which releases set the flow.

Normal flows here

The Tar River runs a median of 225 cfs at this gauge across 14 years of record. February is the fullest month at a median 579 cfs, and September the leanest at 104 cfs. The highest daily mean on record is 14,100 cfs in 2017, and the lowest is 12 cfs in 2012.

Medians from the USGS daily-statistics record, 2012 to 2026. A month at 100% is running at its own long-term median.

Flood stages and record crests

The Tar River reaches flood stage at this gauge at 25 feet. NWS starts watching it at 23 feet. The highest crest on record is 23.9 feet, in October 2016.

Flood categories and crest history from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SPHN7. Stages are gage height, not depth. Not for navigation.