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Rocky River NC near Norwood

Highest listed crest 29.30 ftFlood stage 20.0 ft7 crests since 1980

The Rocky River NC near Norwood crested above flood stage 7 times among the 7 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1980 to 2025. The highest, 29.30 ft on August 9, 2024, was minor flooding, 9.30 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
29.30 ft
August 9, 2024; 36,837 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
20.0 ft
Major flooding from 34.0 ft
Crests at major
0
7 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
May 13, 2025
20.13 ft, minor flooding
Location
Stanly County
Near Albemarle (14.0 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Rocky River NC near Norwood
Action stage16.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)20.07May 13, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage30.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage34.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

7 crests from 1980 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Rocky River NC near Norwood, 1980 to 2025 20253035ft Flood stage 20.0 ftMajor 34.0 ft Mar 21, 1980: 21.41 ft, minor flooding; 32,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 1992: 21.28 ft, minor flooding; 31,900 cubic feet per secondOct 4, 1995: 21.68 ft, minor flooding; 33,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 12, 2023: 26.13 ft, minor flooding; 29,740 cubic feet per secondAug 9, 2024: 29.30 ft, minor flooding; 36,837 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 2024: 26.29 ft, minor flooding; 30,076 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 2025: 20.13 ft, minor flooding; 20,894 cubic feet per second Highest, 29.30 ft, Aug 9, 2024 19801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Rocky River NC near Norwood 1980s: 1 1990s: 2 2000s: 0 2010s: 0 2020s: 4 4 1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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.
  3. 23 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 35.00 ft on Aug 1, 1908; 31.40 ft on Oct 2, 1929; 32.00 ft on Apr 7, 1936; 46.37 ft on Sep 18, 1945; 34.00 ft on Aug 31, 1952; 29.11 ft on Oct 16, 1964; and more.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Rocky River NC near Norwood
1Aug 9, 202429.30+9.30Minor36,837
2Sep 27, 202426.29+6.29Minor30,076
3Feb 12, 202326.13+6.13Minor29,740
4Oct 4, 199521.68+1.68Minor33,100
5Mar 21, 198021.41+1.41Minor32,200
6Feb 26, 199221.28+1.28Minor31,900
7May 13, 202520.13+0.13Minor20,894

Gauges on the Rocky River NC

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

Flood gauges on the Rocky River NC
ROCKY RIVER/ ABV IRISH BUFFALO CKNC18.029.91 ft, Aug 27, 20080
Norwood this gaugeNC20.029.30 ft, Aug 9, 20240

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge NRWN7, 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.