Tar River at Tarboro water level

Name: Tar River at Tarboro water level (U.S. Geological Survey)
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
License: https://www.usgs.gov/information-policies-and-instructions/copyrights-and-credits

River gauge, Tar River, North Carolina, United States

Directions

Very low for mid-October

Water level

1.29ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 02:15 AM EDT (52 min ago)

Flow: 77.8 cfs

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

Water level Normal range (10–90 %) Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to rise to 1.40 ft by Tuesday, October 20 at 02:00 AM. Issued Monday, October 19 at 10:09 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

At 1.29 ft, the Tar River at Tarboro is far below normal for mid-October.

The median for mid-October is 2.66 ft, based on 31 years of readings, so the river stage is 1.37 ft below typical. It is 17.71 ft below the flood stage of 19.00 ft. On the same day last year the reading was 1.54 ft, a difference of −0.25 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to rise to 1.40 ft by Tuesday, October 20 at 02:00 AM. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 1.19 ft and 3.29 ft.

Compared with 31 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 2.66 ft1.37 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 1.60 ft – 13.23 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (31 years of records)
Same day last year: 1.54 ft−0.25 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 1.19 ft – 3.29 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 1.14 ft – 9.03 ft
Highest on record: 41.51 ftSeptember 19, 1999
Forecast peak: 1.40 ftTuesday, October 20 at 02:00 AM

What the stage means on the water

Low water means more dragging on shallow riffles and slower floats. Fish crowd into the deeper runs, and warm, low water stresses them, so play and release them quickly.

The National Weather Service puts flood stage for this gauge at 19.00 ft, still 17.71 ft away.

What happens at each level

38.60 ft: This is the highest elevation of the Princeville levee. Flooding becomes widespread in Princeville. The traffic circle in Tarboro on US64 at the bridge over the Tar river is flooded. Flooding begins on Albemarle Avenue and St Andrews Street.
37.00 ft: Failure may be expected at the Princeville levee and flooding begins in the town of Princeville. There is also considerable street flooding in Tarboro, including Daniels, Baker, St James, and Granville streets.
34.60 ft: Water reaches the base of the Princeville levee.
33.60 ft: This is the elevation of the railroad bed which cuts through the Princeville levee. The emergency gate must be manually installed to prevent water from flowing into the town of Princeville.
32.00 ft: Major flooding begins. Baker and St James Street begin to flood.
24.00 ft: Moderate flooding begins. River Road in Tarboro is underwater and flooding begins on east Wilson and St David Streets.
20.00 ft: Lowland flooding begins south of Daniel Street in east Tarboro.
19.00 ft: Minor flooding begins. The Riverside Park and River Road at the US64 bridge flood.
17.00 ft: The river is at bankfull.
1.29 ft: Right now

Impact statements from the U.S. National Weather Service.

Highest crests on record

Chance of at least minor flooding in October to December: < 5 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	41.51 ft	September 19, 1999
2	36.29 ft	October 13, 2016
3	34.00 ft	July 27, 1919
4	31.77 ft	August 20, 1940
5	29.17 ft	May 12, 1958
6	28.37 ft	April 22, 1987
7	28.13 ft	September 23, 1945
8	28.03 ft	June 19, 2006
9	27.70 ft	May 1, 2017
10	27.47 ft	February 21, 2021

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.30 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 61° 43° – Wind 17 mph

19 Mon 60° 47° – Wind 17 mph

20 Tue 71° 46° – Wind 16 mph

21 Wed 68° 48° – Wind 14 mph

22 Thu 71° 46° – Wind 11 mph

23 Fri 71° 47° – Wind 11 mph

24 Sat 69° 50° – Wind 18 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:22 AM Sunset 06:29 PM Daylight 11 hr, 8 min First quarter 66%

Map

Other gauges on the Tar River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Tar River near Tar RiverRiver gauge, Tar River	1.29 ft	Low	±0	62 mi
Tar River at US 401 at LouisburgRiver gauge, Tar River	3.63 ft	Very low	+0.17 ft	45 mi
Tar River at Nc-581 near Spring HopeRiver gauge, Tar River	1.94 ft	Very low	±0	31 mi
Tar River below Dam near Langley CrossroadsRiver gauge, Tar River	0.65 ft	Low	+0.01 ft	20 mi
Tar River at NC 97 at Rocky MountRiver gauge, Tar River	2.97 ft	Very low	±0	15 mi
Tar River at GreenvilleRiver gauge, Tar River	4.64 ft	Normal	+0.12 ft	21 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Roanoke River at HamiltonRiver gauge, Roanoke River	1.71 ft	Very low	−0.61 ft	19 mi
Fishing Creek near EnfieldRiver gauge, Fishing Creek	2.33 ft	Normal	±0	20 mi
Roanoke River near Scotland NeckRiver gauge, Roanoke River	4.13 ft	Very low	+0.01 ft	23 mi
Contentnea Creek near Black CreekRiver gauge, Contentnea Creek	6.85 ft	Normal	−0.05 ft	26 mi
Little Fishing Creek near White OakRiver gauge, Little Fishing Creek	1.30 ft	Very low	−0.01 ft	28 mi
Roanoke River at WilliamstonRiver gauge, Roanoke River	3.59 ft	Normal	−0.63 ft	28 mi
Roanoke River at HalifaxRiver gauge, Roanoke River	16.74 ft	Very low	−0.01 ft	30 mi

Questions and answers

Is the Tar River at Tarboro higher than last year?

No, it is 0.25 ft lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 1.54 ft.

What is flood stage for the Tar River at Tarboro?

The official flood stage is 19.00 ft. The level is currently 17.71 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the Tar River at Tarboro in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 2.66 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 1.60 ft and 13.23 ft, based on 31 years of records.

Is gage height the same as water depth?

No. Gage height is measured from a fixed reference point chosen by the agency, so a reading of 10 ft does not mean the river is 10 ft deep.

What is the water level of Tar River at Tarboro today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 02:15 AM EDT, the water level was 1.29 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Tar River at Tarboro rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Steady over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Tar River at Tarboro normal?

Very low for mid-October. Compared with 31 years of daily readings for this time of year.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:02083500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 35.89444, -77.53306 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: NAVD88
Update interval: every 15 minutes
Licence: Public domain. Data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), provisional data subject to revision

Published series

Parameter	Last value	Time (UTC)	Quality
Water level	1.29 ft	2026-10-20 06:15	Provisional
Flow	77.8 cfs	2026-10-20 06:15	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Tar River at Tarboro (usgs:02083500). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/north-carolina/tar-river-at-tarboro

How we check values

Each reading is stored as published. We hold back values that jump faster than physically plausible and show the measurement time with every value.

Readings are provisional, can be delayed or wrong and are not a flood warning. Read the disclaimer