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Back Creek (Bath Co. VA) at Sunrise (blw PSS)

Highest listed crest 12.22 ftFlood stage 8.0 ft33 crests since 1985

The Back Creek (Bath Co. VA) at Sunrise (blw PSS) crested above flood stage 26 times among the 33 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1985 to 2025. The highest, 12.22 ft on November 19, 2003, was moderate flooding, 4.22 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Back Creek (Bath Co. VA) crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
12.22 ft
November 19, 2003; 5,820 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
8.0 ft
No major stage set
Crests at major
0
26 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
February 6, 2025
9.26 ft, minor flooding
Location
Bath County
Virginia

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Back Creek (Bath Co. VA) at Sunrise (blw PSS)
Action stage6.07Feb 1, 2025The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)8.018Feb 6, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage10.08Jun 14, 2021Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream

Every listed crest

33 crests from 1985 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Back Creek (Bath Co. VA) at Sunrise (blw PSS), 1985 to 2025 68101214ft Flood stage 8.0 ft Nov 5, 1985: 11.37 ft, moderate flooding; 5,100 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1987: 8.04 ft, minor flooding; 2,530 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 1989: 9.98 ft, minor flooding; 3,980 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 1989: 8.33 ft, minor flooding; 2,740 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1991: 8.79 ft, minor flooding; 3,090 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1992: 9.25 ft, minor flooding; 3,430 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1993: 9.86 ft, minor flooding; 3,890 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1994: 10.55 ft, moderate flooding; 4,430 cubic feet per secondJan 15, 1995: 10.60 ft, moderate flooding; 4,430 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1996: 11.99 ft, moderate flooding; 5,690 cubic feet per secondDec 2, 1996: 8.97 ft, minor flooding; 3,080 cubic feet per secondJan 8, 1998: 9.96 ft, minor flooding; 3,990 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 2000: 8.53 ft, minor flooding; 2,930 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 2002: 8.69 ft, minor flooding; 3,050 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 2003: 9.19 ft, minor flooding; 3,410 cubic feet per secondNov 19, 2003: 12.22 ft, moderate flooding; 5,820 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 2005: 6.71 ft, action stage; 1,680 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2006: 8.64 ft, minor flooding; 3,090 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 2007: 10.41 ft, moderate flooding; 4,430 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 2008: 10.67 ft, moderate flooding; 4,640 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 2009: 6.64 ft, action stage; 1,710 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 2010: 9.87 ft, minor flooding; 4,020 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 2014: 8.68 ft, minor flooding; 3,116 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 2015: 7.71 ft, action stage; 2,260 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 2016: 7.94 ft, action stage; 2,460 cubic feet per secondFeb 11, 2018: 8.52 ft, minor flooding; 2,987 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 2018: 9.89 ft, minor flooding; 3,890 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 2021: 10.01 ft, moderate flooding; 4,370 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 2022: 7.06 ft, action stage; 1,760 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 2022: 9.22 ft, minor flooding; 3,640 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 2023: 7.40 ft, action stage; 2,040 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 2025: 7.37 ft, action stage; 2,035 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 2025: 9.26 ft, minor flooding; 3,759 cubic feet per second Highest, 12.22 ft, Nov 19, 2003 1990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Back Creek (Bath Co. VA) at Sunrise (blw PSS) 1980s: 4 1990s: 8 8 2000s: 7 2010s: 4 2020s: 3 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.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Back Creek (Bath Co. VA) at Sunrise (blw PSS)
1Nov 19, 200312.22+4.22Moderate5,820
2Jan 19, 199611.99+3.99Moderate5,690
3Nov 5, 198511.37+3.37Moderate5,100
4Mar 5, 200810.67+2.67Moderate4,640
5Jan 15, 199510.60+2.60Moderate4,430
6May 8, 199410.55+2.55Moderate4,430
7Mar 2, 200710.41+2.41Moderate4,430
8Jun 14, 202110.01+2.01Moderate4,370
9Apr 26, 19899.98+1.98Minor3,980
10Jan 8, 19989.96+1.96Minor3,990
11Apr 16, 20189.89+1.89Minor3,890
12Jan 25, 20109.87+1.87Minor4,020
13Mar 24, 19939.86+1.86Minor3,890
14Feb 6, 20259.26+1.26Minor3,759
15Apr 22, 19929.25+1.25Minor3,430
16May 7, 20229.22+1.22Minor3,640
17Feb 22, 20039.19+1.19Minor3,410
18Dec 2, 19968.97+0.97Minor3,080
19Mar 23, 19918.79+0.79Minor3,090
20Apr 28, 20028.69+0.69Minor3,050
21May 16, 20148.68+0.68Minor3,116
22Jun 27, 20068.64+0.64Minor3,090
23Feb 19, 20008.53+0.53Minor2,930
24Feb 11, 20188.52+0.52Minor2,987
25Dec 31, 19898.33+0.33Minor2,740
26Apr 16, 19878.04+0.04Minor2,530
27Jun 24, 20167.94−0.06Action2,460
28Mar 11, 20157.71−0.29Action2,260
29Feb 17, 20237.40−0.60Action2,040
30Feb 1, 20257.37−0.63Action2,035
31Feb 4, 20227.06−0.94Action1,760
32Mar 24, 20056.71−1.29Action1,680
33May 3, 20096.64−1.36Action1,710

The worst floods along the Back Creek (Bath Co. VA)

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Back Creek (Bath Co. VA) that crested above flood stage within a week.

November 19, 2003: 12.22 ft here, moderate flooding

January 19, 1996: 11.99 ft here, moderate flooding

November 5, 1985: 11.37 ft here, moderate flooding

Gauges on the Back Creek (Bath Co. VA)

In USGS station-number order, which runs downstream within a river basin.

Flood gauges on the Back Creek (Bath Co. VA)
Sunrise (abv PSS)VA7.09.46 ft, Apr 16, 20180
Sunrise (blw PSS) this gaugeVA8.012.22 ft, Nov 19, 20030
Mountain GroveVA8.012.41 ft, Jan 19, 19961

Other gauges in Bath County

Flood gauges in Bath County
Mountain Grove8.012.41 ft, Jan 19, 19961
Sunrise (abv PSS)7.09.46 ft, Apr 16, 20180
Williamsville8.014.39 ft, Nov 4, 19851
Bacova10.022.25 ft, Nov 4, 19852

Bath County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Virginia

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SUNV2, 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.