Safety
When the Tar River Rises Near Greenville, NC: What to Do With Your Car Before, During and After the Water
In Greenville, NC, rain can flood a street in one storm, and the Tar River can flood whole roads after it. If water covers the road, turn around. If your car stalls and the water around it is still, leave the car and walk to higher ground. Never step out into moving water. Call 911 if anyone is in danger. Call for a tow once the water is off the road.
Why does Greenville flood so easily?
The city says it plainly in its own flood brochure. Greenville sits on the flat coastal plain, close to the Atlantic. That makes it an easy target for hurricanes and tropical storms.
The city names two kinds of flooding. You need to handle them differently in a car.
- Flash flooding. Heavy rain fills the storm drains faster than they can empty. A low street or a parking lot can go under during one bad storm.
- River flooding. Long, heavy rain fills the Tar River and the creeks that feed it. The water climbs out of the banks and onto roads near the river.
Flash flooding catches drivers who are already out. River flooding catches drivers who parked in the wrong spot and went to bed. The city also warns that being outside a mapped flood zone does not mean you are safe from water.
What do the Tar River gauge numbers mean for your street?
The National Weather Service runs a river gauge called Tar River at Greenville. It lists what happens in town at each water level. Before a storm, look up the reading and the forecast. Then match it to this table.
| River level | What the weather service says happens |
|---|---|
| 13 feet (minor flood) | Low land right next to the river floods. |
| 17 feet (moderate flood) | Some side roads near the river go under. Much of River Park North floods. Water reaches homes at the east end of River Drive. |
| 19 feet (major flood) | Side roads along the river flood. Most of River Drive and the end of Warren Street can't be driven. Parts of Pitt-Greenville Airport flood. |
| 22 feet | Water spills into many parts of the city. Homes and businesses on Mumford Road flood. Creeks flood roads miles from the river. |
| 24 feet | The airport and terminal flood. Many homes north of First Street flood. Some major roads around the city can't be driven. |
| 30 feet | Flooding like Hurricane Floyd. All roads in and around Greenville flood and can't be driven. |
That last row is not a guess. During Floyd in 1999, the weather service says the Tar River rose to 29.74 feet in Greenville. Floyd also closed a 100-mile piece of I-95 in North Carolina and Virginia.
Notice the 22-foot row. Creeks back up, so roads far from the river can flood too. Don't assume your street is safe just because you can't see the river from it.
Where should you not leave your car when a flood watch is out?
The city's advice is direct. Don't park near flooding hot spots once a flood watch or warning is out. Don't park along streams, rivers or creeks in heavy rain.
Here is what that looks like in real life. You live off River Drive, and the forecast calls for a major flood. Move the car tonight, while the road is still dry. Park it on higher ground away from the river and the creeks. A car you moved is a car you don't need to tow.
Students parked near the river side of town should think the same way. So should anyone parked near Mumford Road or north of First Street when the forecast climbs past 22 feet.
One road got some help this year. NCDOT reopened Dickinson Avenue in January 2026 after a 1.3-mile project from NC 11 to Reade Circle. The work rebuilt the storm drains to cut down on flooding there. Fewer floods is not zero floods, so still watch for water in any dip.
Your car stalls in floodwater. What now?
The weather service says over half of flood drownings happen when someone drives into flood water. During Floyd, one person died after driving off I-40 into a flooded ditch. So the first rule is to never drive in. If it happens anyway, do this:
- Call 911 if you are in danger. Water rising fast, a child in the car, or water moving past the doors means 911, not a tow company.
- Check if the water is moving. If it is still and rising, the city says to leave the car and move to higher ground.
- Don't step into moving water. The city says not to leave the car to enter moving water. Six inches of fast water can knock over an adult.
- Don't trust the depth. Floodwater can be deeper than it looks. It can hide a washed-out road. Twelve inches of rushing water can carry away most cars. Two feet can carry away SUVs and trucks.
- Don't try to start the car again. Leave that for a mechanic once the water is gone.
- Remember where you left it. Note the street, the nearest cross street and a landmark. You will need it for the tow.
Once you are on dry ground, keep out of the water. The city warns it can carry sewage, chemicals, debris and downed power lines.
When can a tow truck reach your car?
Only after the water is off the road. A tow truck can't work in floodwater any more than your car can. Check DriveNC for closed roads before you head back to your car.
When the road is open, here is what usually helps:
- The car sat in water. Get a tow to a repair shop instead of driving it. Tell the dispatcher how high the water got on the car.
- The car slid onto a soft shoulder or into mud near the road. A winch-out may pull it back onto the pavement.
- The car is fine but the battery died while you waited it out. A jump start may be all you need.
Sentinel Towing is a towing and roadside network, not a tow company. A vetted local partner tow company does the work. We text your price first and lock it before anyone is sent. Then we check on you by text until the truck arrives. That is our Stay-With-You Promise. If the job turns out different, like the car is deeper in the mud than you thought, we text a new price and you decide.
When the tow truck works on the shoulder, other drivers have a duty too. North Carolina's move over law says to change lanes away from it if you safely can. If not, slow down and be ready to stop.
What if your car was moved while you were gone?
Under G.S. 20-161, a car left on the highway right-of-way for 24 hours or more can be removed by an officer. After a big flood, that can happen to a car you had to leave behind. Ask the Greenville Police Department where it went. Sentinel doesn't do impounds or police tows.
If you are there when police need a tow, Greenville's code lets you pick a tow service within a reasonable distance. The officers decide what is reasonable. To report a tow company or driver who acted wrongly, call the city's Parking Division at 252-329-4455.
Once your car is released, if it can't be driven, a partner can tow it to your shop.
How do you get ready before the next storm?
- Buy a weather alert radio. The city lists NOAA Weather Radio at 162.400 or 162.500.
- Know the way out. The city's hurricane evacuation route from Greenville is US 264 West toward Raleigh.
- Watch the Tar River at Greenville gauge, and move your car before the forecast crest.
- Charge your phone and save our number. You can track your truck by text when help is on the way.
For roads, ECU game days and the city's tow rules, see our Greenville towing page.
Stuck right now? Call 1-888-TOW-1213, or request help online.
Greenville Flood and Car Questions
How deep does water have to be to float my car?
The National Weather Service says 12 inches of rushing water can carry away most cars. Two feet can carry away SUVs and trucks. You often can't tell how deep it is, so turn around.
What Tar River level should worry me?
The weather service calls 13 feet a minor flood and 19 feet a major flood at Greenville. At 17 feet, some side roads near the river go under. At 19 feet, most of River Drive can't be driven.
Can you tow my car while the street is still flooded?
No. Your partner tow company has to wait until the water is off the road. Call when the road opens. You get your price by text before anyone is sent.
My car was gone when the water went down. Where is it?
An officer may have moved it if it sat on the highway right-of-way for 24 hours or more. Ask the Greenville Police Department. Sentinel doesn't do impounds, but a partner can tow the car to your shop once it's released.
Rules change, so check the official source before you rely on it. Sources: City of Greenville flood brochure, NWS Tar River at Greenville gauge, NWS Turn Around Don't Drown, NWS Hurricane Floyd, NCDOT Dickinson Avenue, G.S. 20-161, G.S. 20-157, Greenville Code 11-7-3, Greenville Tow Services, DriveNC.
