Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Roanoke River at Roanoke Rapids

Highest listed crest 39.00 ftFlood stage 9.0 ft32 crests since 1940

The Roanoke River at Roanoke Rapids crested at major flood stage 8 times among the 32 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1940 to 2021. The highest, 39.00 ft on August 18, 1940, was major flooding, 30.00 feet above flood stage. 5 other gauges on the Roanoke River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 3 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
39.00 ft
August 18, 1940; 261,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
9.0 ft
Major flooding from 15.0 ft
Crests at major
8
10th of 314 gauges in North Carolina
Most recent flood crest
February 25, 2021
10.94 ft, minor flooding
Location
Halifax County
Near Roanoke Rapids (1.3 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Roanoke River at Roanoke Rapids
Action stage9.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)9.016Feb 25, 2021Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage12.01Aug 19, 1955Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage15.08May 7, 1958Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

32 crests from 1940 to 2021. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Roanoke River at Roanoke Rapids, 1940 to 2021 010203040ft Flood stage 9.0 ftMajor 15.0 ft Aug 18, 1940: 39.00 ft, major flooding; 261,000 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 1944: 26.95 ft, major flooding; 127,000 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 1945: 26.78 ft, major flooding; 121,000 cubic feet per secondSep 26, 1947: 15.48 ft, major flooding; 54,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 1948: 19.25 ft, major flooding; 72,100 cubic feet per secondDec 7, 1948: 18.99 ft, major flooding; 69,300 cubic feet per secondNov 2, 1949: 16.04 ft, major flooding; 54,900 cubic feet per secondAug 19, 1955: 12.83 ft, moderate flooding; 43,200 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1958: 16.52 ft, major flooding; 60,700 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 1961: 9.58 ft, minor flooding; 19,800 cubic feet per secondJul 14, 1966: 9.24 ft, minor flooding; 23,200 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 1972: 9.55 ft, minor flooding; 24,600 cubic feet per secondAug 18, 1973: 8.69 ft, below flood stage; 20,200 cubic feet per secondJan 15, 1974: 8.77 ft, below flood stage; 20,800 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 1975: 11.59 ft, minor flooding; 36,500 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 1975: 8.49 ft, below flood stage; 19,400 cubic feet per secondOct 10, 1979: 9.75 ft, minor flooding; 25,800 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1984: 9.60 ft, minor flooding; 24,800 cubic feet per secondAug 30, 1985: 8.55 ft, below flood stage; 19,500 cubic feet per secondNov 21, 1985: 8.94 ft, below flood stage; 21,400 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1987: 11.69 ft, minor flooding; 36,600 cubic feet per secondJul 17, 1988: 8.84 ft, below flood stage; 20,900 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 1989: 10.23 ft, minor flooding; 28,200 cubic feet per secondOct 10, 1990: 9.43 ft, minor flooding; 23,900 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 1991: 9.19 ft, minor flooding; 22,700 cubic feet per secondJan 13, 1992: 8.90 ft, below flood stage; 21,200 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1993: 11.87 ft, minor flooding; 37,700 cubic feet per secondSep 12, 1996: 11.60 ft, minor floodingOct 3, 2018: 10.11 ft, minor flooding; 29,901 cubic feet per secondOct 24, 2018: 10.93 ft, minor flooding; 35,329 cubic feet per secondNov 20, 2018: 11.77 ft, minor flooding; 41,374 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 2021: 10.94 ft, minor flooding; 35,398 cubic feet per second Highest, 39.00 ft, Aug 18, 1940 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Roanoke River at Roanoke Rapids 1940s: 7 7 1950s: 2 1960s: 2 1970s: 3 1980s: 3 1990s: 4 2000s: 0 2010s: 3 2020s: 1 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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

Highest listed crests, Roanoke River at Roanoke Rapids
1Aug 18, 194039.00+30.00Major261,000
2Sep 22, 194426.95+17.95Major127,000
3Sep 22, 194526.78+17.78Major121,000
4Feb 17, 194819.25+10.25Major72,100
5Dec 7, 194818.99+9.99Major69,300
6May 7, 195816.52+7.52Major60,700
7Nov 2, 194916.04+7.04Major54,900
8Sep 26, 194715.48+6.48Major54,100
9Aug 19, 195512.83+3.83Moderate43,200
10Apr 16, 199311.87+2.87Minor37,700
11Nov 20, 201811.77+2.77Minor41,374
12Apr 25, 198711.69+2.69Minor36,600
13Sep 12, 199611.60+2.60Minor—
14Apr 13, 197511.59+2.59Minor36,500
15Feb 25, 202110.94+1.94Minor35,398
16Oct 24, 201810.93+1.93Minor35,329
17Jun 20, 198910.23+1.23Minor28,200
18Oct 3, 201810.11+1.11Minor29,901
19Oct 10, 19799.75+0.75Minor25,800
20Mar 6, 19849.60+0.60Minor24,800
21Jun 26, 19619.58+0.58Minor19,800
22Jun 28, 19729.55+0.55Minor24,600
23Oct 10, 19909.43+0.43Minor23,900
24Jul 14, 19669.24+0.24Minor23,200
25Jan 16, 19919.19+0.19Minor22,700
26Nov 21, 19858.94−0.06Below flood stage21,400
27Jan 13, 19928.90−0.10Below flood stage21,200
28Jul 17, 19888.84−0.16Below flood stage20,900
29Jan 15, 19748.77−0.23Below flood stage20,800
30Aug 18, 19738.69−0.31Below flood stage20,200
31Aug 30, 19858.55−0.45Below flood stage19,500
32Oct 1, 19758.49−0.51Below flood stage19,400

The worst floods along the Roanoke River

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

August 18, 1940: 39.00 ft here, major flooding

  • RandolphVA · Aug 16, 1940 · 41.60 ft · Major · its highest
  • AltavistaVA · Aug 15, 1940 · 40.08 ft · Major · its highest
  • WilliamstonNC · Aug 22, 1940 · 20.50 ft · Major · its highest
  • RoanokeVA · Aug 14, 1940 · 18.25 ft · Major
  • NiagaraVA · Aug 14, 1940 · 17.50 ft · Moderate

September 22, 1944: 26.95 ft here, major flooding

September 22, 1945: 26.78 ft here, major flooding

  • Scotland NeckNC · Sep 23, 1945 · 37.05 ft · Major · its highest
  • WilliamstonNC · Sep 26, 1945 · 15.00 ft · Major
  • AltavistaVA · Sep 19, 1945 · 28.30 ft · Moderate
  • RoanokeVA · Sep 18, 1945 · 13.70 ft · Moderate
  • RandolphVA · Sep 20, 1945 · 28.70 ft · Minor
  • LafayetteVA · Sep 18, 1945 · 10.00 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Roanoke River

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

Flood gauges on the Roanoke River
AltavistaVA18.040.08 ft, Aug 15, 19408
BrooknealVA23.039.80 ft, Sep 9, 198718
GlenvarVA9.017.73 ft, Apr 21, 19925
LafayetteVA8.015.60 ft, Jun 21, 19723
NiagaraVA13.025.30 ft, Nov 4, 19854
RandolphVA24.041.60 ft, Aug 16, 19403
RoanokeVA10.023.35 ft, Nov 4, 19857
Roanoke Rapids this gaugeNC9.039.00 ft, Aug 18, 19408
Smith Mountain LakeVA797.0799.79 ft, Apr 27, 19783
WilliamstonNC12.020.50 ft, Aug 22, 19405
Scotland NeckNC28.037.05 ft, Sep 23, 19453

Other gauges in Halifax County

Flood gauges in Halifax County
Ringwood16.030.80 ft, Sep 16, 19992
Scotland Neck28.037.05 ft, Sep 23, 19453

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge RRDN7, 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.