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Dan River near Francisco

Highest listed crest 19.50 ftFlood stage 13.0 ft77 crests since 1924

The Dan River near Francisco crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 77 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1924 to 2026. The highest, 19.50 ft on August 17, 1985, was major flooding, 6.50 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Dan River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
19.50 ft
August 17, 1985; 21,200 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
13.0 ft
Major flooding from 19.0 ft
Crests at major
1
76th of 314 gauges in North Carolina
Most recent flood crest
September 28, 2004
14.47 ft, minor flooding
Location
Stokes County
North Carolina

Flood stages

The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.

Flood categories, Dan River near Francisco
Action stage9.016Aug 2, 2026The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)13.03Sep 28, 2004Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage16.01Sep 2, 1979Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage19.01Aug 17, 1985Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

77 crests from 1924 to 2026. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Dan River near Francisco, 1924 to 2026 05101520ft Flood stage 13.0 ftMajor 19.0 ft Dec 9, 1924: 10.00 ft, action stage; 8,700 cubic feet per secondAug 16, 1928: 11.00 ft, action stage; 9,850 cubic feet per secondOct 19, 1937: 12.45 ft, action stage; 12,400 cubic feet per secondAug 18, 1939: 10.15 ft, action stage; 8,670 cubic feet per secondAug 14, 1940: 9.40 ft, action stage; 7,630 cubic feet per secondSep 6, 1942: 8.62 ft, below flood stage; 6,590 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 1943: 4.95 ft, below flood stage; 2,400 cubic feet per secondSep 30, 1944: 4.02 ft, below flood stage; 1,530 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 1945: 5.50 ft, below flood stage; 2,950 cubic feet per secondJan 7, 1946: 4.42 ft, below flood stage; 1,880 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1947: 9.40 ft, action stage; 7,630 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 1948: 4.26 ft, below flood stage; 1,740 cubic feet per secondAug 28, 1949: 6.22 ft, below flood stage; 3,690 cubic feet per secondDec 7, 1950: 5.57 ft, below flood stage; 3,050 cubic feet per secondDec 21, 1951: 5.97 ft, below flood stage; 3,470 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1953: 7.72 ft, below flood stage; 5,440 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1955: 7.82 ft, below flood stage; 5,560 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1956: 5.60 ft, below flood stage; 3,050 cubic feet per secondSep 16, 1957: 8.60 ft, below flood stage; 6,590 cubic feet per secondNov 19, 1957: 5.75 ft, below flood stage; 3,250 cubic feet per secondSep 30, 1959: 7.15 ft, below flood stage; 4,840 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 1960: 5.45 ft, below flood stage; 2,850 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1961: 4.85 ft, below flood stage; 2,300 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1962: 6.50 ft, below flood stage; 4,020 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 1963: 6.78 ft, below flood stage; 4,360 cubic feet per secondAug 30, 1964: 5.15 ft, below flood stage; 2,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 1965: 6.00 ft, below flood stage; 3,470 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1966: 6.69 ft, below flood stage; 4,230 cubic feet per secondAug 7, 1967: 3.63 ft, below flood stage; 1,140 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1968: 3.25 ft, below flood stage; 867 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1969: 8.73 ft, below flood stage; 6,760 cubic feet per secondAug 10, 1970: 6.13 ft, below flood stage; 3,610 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 1971: 5.10 ft, below flood stage; 2,550 cubic feet per secondOct 25, 1971: 9.44 ft, action stage; 7,680 cubic feet per secondFeb 2, 1973: 6.23 ft, below flood stage; 3,730 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1974: 9.48 ft, action stage; 7,730 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1975: 8.52 ft, below flood stage; 6,490 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1976: 5.65 ft, below flood stage; 3,100 cubic feet per secondSep 2, 1979: 18.11 ft, moderate flooding; 18,900 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1980: 13.48 ft, minor flooding; 12,600 cubic feet per secondSep 4, 1981: 4.33 ft, below flood stage; 1,790 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1982: 8.43 ft, below flood stage; 6,370 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1983: 9.43 ft, action stage; 7,660 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 1984: 4.70 ft, below flood stage; 2,130 cubic feet per secondAug 17, 1985: 19.50 ft, major flooding; 21,200 cubic feet per secondAug 23, 1986: 6.10 ft, below flood stage; 3,580 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1987: 8.80 ft, below flood stage; 6,840 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1992: 13.21 ft, minor flooding; 12,300 cubic feet per secondJul 21, 1994: 11.54 ft, action stage; 10,100 cubic feet per secondJan 15, 1995: 6.73 ft, below flood stage; 4,280 cubic feet per secondAug 12, 1996: 7.39 ft, below flood stage; 5,070 cubic feet per secondDec 1, 1996: 9.35 ft, action stage; 3,990 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1998: 6.48 ft, below flood stage; 3,930 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 1999: 3.10 ft, below flood stage; 944 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 2000: 2.94 ft, below flood stage; 828 cubic feet per secondAug 20, 2001: 4.18 ft, below flood stage; 1,820 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 2002: 2.61 ft, below flood stage; 584 cubic feet per secondAug 7, 2003: 9.22 ft, action stage; 6,830 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 2004: 14.47 ft, minor flooding; 13,502 cubic feet per secondJan 14, 2005: 7.31 ft, below flood stage; 4,800 cubic feet per secondOct 8, 2005: 6.22 ft, below flood stage; 3,640 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 2007: 5.84 ft, below flood stage; 3,290 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 2008: 4.73 ft, below flood stage; 2,290 cubic feet per secondJan 7, 2009: 6.46 ft, below flood stage; 3,910 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 2010: 12.35 ft, action stage; 11,280 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 2011: 5.60 ft, below flood stage; 2,920 cubic feet per secondDec 7, 2011: 6.99 ft, below flood stage; 4,590 cubic feet per secondJan 17, 2013: 6.81 ft, below flood stage; 4,360 cubic feet per secondDec 23, 2013: 5.20 ft, below flood stage; 2,360 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 2015: 7.98 ft, below flood stage; 5,790 cubic feet per secondAug 4, 2016: 6.57 ft, below flood stage; 4,070 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 2017: 6.77 ft, below flood stage; 4,330 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 2018: 11.10 ft, action stage; 9,620 cubic feet per secondOct 29, 2020: 10.02 ft, action stage; 8,420 cubic feet per secondNov 12, 2020: 8.71 ft, below flood stage; 6,720 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 2024: 8.41 ft, below flood stage; 6,330 cubic feet per secondAug 2, 2026: 11.20 ft, action stage; 9,737 cubic feet per second Highest, 19.50 ft, Aug 17, 1985 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Dan River near Francisco 1920s: 0 1930s: 0 1940s: 0 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 1 1980s: 2 2 1990s: 1 2000s: 1 2010s: 0 2020s: 0 1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  1. These are the crests the local National Weather Service office lists for the gauge: the highest on record and recent crests. Lesser floods between them may be missing, so counts by decade are a floor.
  2. Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 77 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Dan River near Francisco
1Aug 17, 198519.50+6.50Major21,200
2Sep 2, 197918.11+5.11Moderate18,900
3Sep 28, 200414.47+1.47Minor13,502
4Apr 9, 198013.48+0.48Minor12,600
5Apr 21, 199213.21+0.21Minor12,300
6Oct 19, 193712.45−0.55Action12,400
7Jan 25, 201012.35−0.65Action11,280
8Jul 21, 199411.54−1.46Action10,100
9Aug 2, 202611.20−1.80Action9,737
10Sep 17, 201811.10−1.90Action9,620
11Aug 16, 192811.00−2.00Action9,850
12Aug 18, 193910.15−2.85Action8,670
13Oct 29, 202010.02−2.98Action8,420
14Dec 9, 192410.00−3.00Action8,700
15Apr 4, 19749.48−3.52Action7,730
16Oct 25, 19719.44−3.56Action7,680
17Jun 10, 19839.43−3.57Action7,660
18Aug 14, 19409.40−3.60Action7,630
19Jun 14, 19479.40−3.60Action7,630
20Dec 1, 19969.35−3.65Action3,990
21Aug 7, 20039.22−3.78Action6,830
22Mar 1, 19878.80−4.20Below flood stage6,840
23Jun 16, 19698.73−4.27Below flood stage6,760
24Nov 12, 20208.71−4.29Below flood stage6,720
25Sep 6, 19428.62−4.38Below flood stage6,590
26Sep 16, 19578.60−4.40Below flood stage6,590
27Mar 30, 19758.52−4.48Below flood stage6,490
28Jun 13, 19828.43−4.57Below flood stage6,370
29Jan 9, 20248.41−4.59Below flood stage6,330
30Apr 19, 20157.98−5.02Below flood stage5,790
31Jun 11, 19557.82−5.18Below flood stage5,560
32Mar 23, 19537.72−5.28Below flood stage5,440
33Aug 12, 19967.39−5.61Below flood stage5,070
34Jan 14, 20057.31−5.69Below flood stage4,800
35Sep 30, 19597.15−5.85Below flood stage4,840
36Dec 7, 20116.99−6.01Below flood stage4,590
37Jan 17, 20136.81−6.19Below flood stage4,360
38Apr 12, 19636.78−6.22Below flood stage4,360
39Apr 24, 20176.77−6.23Below flood stage4,330
40Jan 15, 19956.73−6.27Below flood stage4,280
41Feb 13, 19666.69−6.31Below flood stage4,230
42Aug 4, 20166.57−6.43Below flood stage4,070
43May 28, 19626.50−6.50Below flood stage4,020
44Apr 17, 19986.48−6.52Below flood stage3,930
45Jan 7, 20096.46−6.54Below flood stage3,910
46Feb 2, 19736.23−6.77Below flood stage3,730
47Aug 28, 19496.22−6.78Below flood stage3,690
48Oct 8, 20056.22−6.78Below flood stage3,640
49Aug 10, 19706.13−6.87Below flood stage3,610
50Aug 23, 19866.10−6.90Below flood stage3,580

The worst floods along the Dan River

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Dan River that crested above flood stage within a week.

August 17, 1985: 19.50 ft here, major flooding

  • WentworthNC · Aug 19, 1985 · 25.56 ft · Moderate

September 28, 2004: 14.47 ft here, minor flooding

  • South BostonVA · Oct 1, 2004 · 25.19 ft · Minor
  • WentworthNC · Sep 29, 2004 · 24.42 ft · Minor
  • PacesVA · Oct 1, 2004 · 22.80 ft · Minor

April 9, 1980: 13.48 ft here, minor flooding

  • PacesVA · Apr 11, 1980 · 22.39 ft · Minor
  • WentworthNC · Apr 10, 1980 · 21.58 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Dan River

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Dan River
PacesVA22.033.15 ft, Jun 23, 19720
Pine HallNC23.027.94 ft, Feb 7, 20200
South BostonVA22.033.37 ft, Jun 24, 19720
STP near DanvilleVA21.030.01 ft, Oct 12, 20180
Francisco this gaugeNC13.019.50 ft, Aug 17, 19851
WentworthNC19.031.60 ft, Jun 22, 19721

Other gauges in Stokes County

Flood gauges in Stokes County
Pine Hall23.027.94 ft, Feb 7, 20200

Stokes County: every hazard · River floods across the country · North Carolina

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge FRNN7, retrieved October 30, 2026. Stages in feet on the gauge's own datum, not elevation. Crests are as the National Weather Service lists them; preliminary values may be revised.