Tidal Gauge Information: Low Water Levels

In the hours before Hurricane Florence struck North Carolina, the water in some bays and inlets began to retreat. The phenomena were seen along the coast of Georgia and South Carolina.

The water had been dragged toward the hurricane due to strong offshore winds. Offshore winds are wind blowing from land to water. These winds persisted for hours before Florence’s landfall causing many tidal gauges to report water levels below mean sea level (MSL). Mean sea level is a tidal datum, and the arithmetic mean of hourly heights observed over the National Tidal Datum Epoch (a 19-year period from 1983-2001).


Station:


Water Level (in feet)


September 14 – September 18, 2018

Water Level (ft.)


Gauges from the following stations recorded these verified water levels from September 14-18, 2018.

  • Fort Pulaski, GA
    • Lowest Level: 3.28 ft on 2018-09-15 at 7:12 AM EDT
    • Highest Level: 11.32 ft on 2018-09-16 2:36 PM EDT
  • Charleston Cooper River Entrance, SC
    • Lowest Level: 2.3 ft on 2018-09-14 at 6:42 PM EDT
    • Highest Level: 9.31 ft on 2018-09-16 at 2:06 PM EDT
  • Oyster Landing, SC
    • Lowest Level: -0.99 ft on 2018-09-14 at 7:12 AM EDT
    • Highest Level: 6.5 ft on 2018-09-16 at 3:18 PM EDT
  • Springmaid Pier, SC
    • Lowest Level: 27.99 ft at 2018-09-14 at 5:54 AM EDT
    • Highest Level: 36.72 ft at 2018-09-15 at 1:00 PM EDT