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Blackwater River (VA) above Franklin

Highest listed crest 25.11 ftFlood stage 10.8 ft109 crests since 1940

The Blackwater River (VA) above Franklin crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 109 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1940 to 2025. The highest, 25.11 ft on September 18, 1999, was major flooding, 14.31 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Blackwater River (VA) crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
25.11 ft
September 18, 1999; 23,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
10.8 ft
Major flooding from 18.8 ft
Crests at major
3
55th of 242 gauges in Virginia
Most recent flood crest
March 10, 2024
11.12 ft, minor flooding
Location
Southampton County
Virginia

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Blackwater River (VA) above Franklin
Action stage6.856Mar 21, 2025The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)10.846Mar 10, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage14.84Oct 10, 2016Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage18.83Oct 10, 2006Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

109 crests from 1940 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Blackwater River (VA) above Franklin, 1940 to 2025 51015202530ft Flood stage 10.8 ftMajor 18.8 ft Aug 19, 1940: 20.84 ft, major flooding; 21,000 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1942: 9.30 ft, action stage; 756 cubic feet per secondFeb 9, 1943: 14.49 ft, minor flooding; 2,500 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 1944: 16.11 ft, moderate flooding; 3,380 cubic feet per secondJul 25, 1945: 12.24 ft, minor flooding; 5,360 cubic feet per secondJan 3, 1946: 9.94 ft, action stage; 3,340 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 1947: 7.00 ft, action stage; 1,280 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 1948: 9.74 ft, action stage; 3,180 cubic feet per secondAug 19, 1949: 10.34 ft, action stage; 3,660 cubic feet per secondJul 17, 1950: 8.78 ft, action stage; 2,480 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1951: 6.92 ft, action stage; 1,350 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1952: 10.94 ft, minor flooding; 4,190 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1953: 7.28 ft, action stage; 1,430 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1954: 9.48 ft, action stage; 2,940 cubic feet per secondAug 24, 1955: 10.34 ft, action stage; 3,660 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 1956: 8.33 ft, action stage; 2,090 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 1957: 10.39 ft, action stage; 3,930 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1958: 12.31 ft, minor flooding; 5,450 cubic feet per secondJan 5, 1959: 9.24 ft, action stage; 2,970 cubic feet per secondSep 14, 1960: 15.98 ft, moderate flooding; 9,420 cubic feet per secondFeb 12, 1961: 9.59 ft, action stage; 3,290 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 1962: 11.31 ft, minor flooding; 4,650 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 1963: 13.81 ft, minor flooding; 6,900 cubic feet per secondOct 7, 1964: 8.54 ft, action stage; 2,230 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1966: 7.02 ft, action stage; 1,220 cubic feet per secondAug 26, 1967: 9.10 ft, action stage; 2,670 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1968: 9.34 ft, action stage; 2,860 cubic feet per secondAug 9, 1969: 9.90 ft, action stage; 3,310 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1970: 8.84 ft, action stage; 2,460 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 1971: 8.41 ft, action stage; 2,130 cubic feet per secondOct 28, 1971: 9.96 ft, action stage; 3,360 cubic feet per secondOct 10, 1972: 11.95 ft, minor flooding; 4,930 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 1974: 8.17 ft, action stage; 2,270 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1975: 13.05 ft, minor flooding; 6,580 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 1976: 10.56 ft, action stage; 3,840 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 1977: 8.27 ft, action stage; 2,140 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 1978: 11.79 ft, minor flooding; 4,940 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 1979: 12.15 ft, minor flooding; 5,260 cubic feet per secondNov 16, 1979: 10.13 ft, action stage; 3,490 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1981: 9.45 ft, action stage; 2,910 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 1982: 8.71 ft, action stage; 2,360 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1983: 10.30 ft, action stage; 3,620 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1984: 10.10 ft, action stage; 3,440 cubic feet per secondSep 30, 1985: 12.26 ft, minor flooding; 5,360 cubic feet per secondDec 2, 1985: 9.88 ft, action stage; 3,260 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 1987: 12.51 ft, minor flooding; 5,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 1988: 8.84 ft, action stage; 2,460 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1989: 12.52 ft, minor flooding; 5,610 cubic feet per secondAug 11, 1990: 9.61 ft, action stage; 2,980 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 1991: 8.90 ft, action stage; 2,340 cubic feet per secondAug 19, 1992: 11.67 ft, minor flooding; 4,820 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1993: 10.13 ft, action stage; 3,470 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1994: 12.67 ft, minor flooding; 5,750 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1995: 9.49 ft, action stage; 2,940 cubic feet per secondSep 13, 1996: 11.15 ft, minor flooding; 4,340 cubic feet per secondOct 11, 1997: 11.13 ft, minor flooding; 4,320 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 1998: 14.11 ft, minor flooding; 7,250 cubic feet per secondSep 18, 1999: 25.11 ft, major flooding; 23,000 cubic feet per secondSep 8, 2000: 12.64 ft, minor flooding; 4,380 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 2001: 9.34 ft, action stage; 2,100 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 2002: 8.66 ft, action stage; 1,780 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 2003: 9.99 ft, action stage; 2,369 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 2003: 13.26 ft, minor floodingAug 11, 2003: 10.72 ft, action stageSep 21, 2003: 15.63 ft, moderate flooding; 7,840 cubic feet per secondJul 30, 2004: 11.52 ft, minor floodingAug 17, 2004: 12.47 ft, minor flooding; 5,470 cubic feet per secondDec 14, 2004: 9.54 ft, action stage; 3,010 cubic feet per secondSep 4, 2006: 14.45 ft, minor flooding; 7,580 cubic feet per secondOct 10, 2006: 21.61 ft, major flooding; 21,200 cubic feet per secondNov 15, 2006: 12.19 ft, minor floodingApr 25, 2008: 11.39 ft, minor flooding; 3,480 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 2009: 9.10 ft, action stage; 1,810 cubic feet per secondNov 15, 2009: 12.43 ft, minor flooding; 5,080 cubic feet per secondDec 11, 2009: 11.71 ft, minor flooding; 4,380 cubic feet per secondFeb 8, 2010: 12.01 ft, minor flooding; 4,380 cubic feet per secondOct 2, 2010: 12.37 ft, minor flooding; 4,750 cubic feet per secondAug 31, 2011: 13.57 ft, minor flooding; 6,140 cubic feet per secondSep 12, 2011: 13.15 ft, minor flooding; 5,640 cubic feet per secondAug 29, 2012: 12.30 ft, minor flooding; 6,440 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 2013: 11.70 ft, minor flooding; 5,750 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 2013: 13.07 ft, minor flooding; 5,740 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 2014: 11.26 ft, minor flooding; 3,750 cubic feet per secondJul 7, 2015: 10.83 ft, minor flooding; 3,940 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 2016: 8.44 ft, action stage; 2,030 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 2016: 11.91 ft, minor flooding; 4,950 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 2016: 11.04 ft, minor flooding; 4,150 cubic feet per secondOct 10, 2016: 15.51 ft, moderate flooding; 7,250 cubic feet per secondFeb 3, 2018: 7.63 ft, action stage; 1,440 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2018: 7.66 ft, action stage; 1,400 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 2018: 8.09 ft, action stage; 1,670 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2018: 7.52 ft, action stage; 1,320 cubic feet per secondAug 2, 2018: 8.57 ft, action stage; 2,030 cubic feet per secondAug 24, 2018: 7.60 ft, action stage; 1,360 cubic feet per secondNov 19, 2018: 9.50 ft, action stage; 2,840 cubic feet per secondDec 13, 2018: 8.26 ft, action stage; 1,800 cubic feet per secondDec 22, 2018: 8.26 ft, action stage; 1,790 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 2019: 8.90 ft, action stage; 2,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 2019: 11.11 ft, minor flooding; 3,970 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 2019: 7.40 ft, action stage; 1,250 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 2020: 11.10 ft, minor flooding; 3,960 cubic feet per secondAug 19, 2020: 12.78 ft, minor flooding; 5,590 cubic feet per secondSep 11, 2020: 11.04 ft, minor flooding; 3,910 cubic feet per secondSep 20, 2020: 14.49 ft, minor flooding; 7,530 cubic feet per secondNov 14, 2020: 13.49 ft, minor flooding; 6,370 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 2021: 12.46 ft, minor flooding; 5,270 cubic feet per secondDec 21, 2023: 8.52 ft, action stage; 1,970 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 2024: 11.12 ft, minor flooding; 3,980 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 2025: 10.78 ft, action stage; 3,681 cubic feet per second Highest, 25.11 ft, Sep 18, 1999 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Blackwater River (VA) above Franklin 1940s: 4 1950s: 2 1960s: 3 1970s: 4 1980s: 3 1990s: 6 2000s: 11 2010s: 13 13 2020s: 7 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

The 50 highest of 109 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Blackwater River (VA) above Franklin
1Sep 18, 199925.11+14.31Major23,000
2Oct 10, 200621.61+10.81Major21,200
3Aug 19, 194020.84+10.04Major21,000
4Mar 10, 194416.11+5.31Moderate3,380
5Sep 14, 196015.98+5.18Moderate9,420
6Sep 21, 200315.63+4.83Moderate7,840
7Oct 10, 201615.51+4.71Moderate7,250
8Feb 9, 194314.49+3.69Minor2,500
9Sep 20, 202014.49+3.69Minor7,530
10Sep 4, 200614.45+3.65Minor7,580
11Feb 7, 199814.11+3.31Minor7,250
12Jun 6, 196313.81+3.01Minor6,900
13Aug 31, 201113.57+2.77Minor6,140
14Nov 14, 202013.49+2.69Minor6,370
15Apr 13, 200313.26+2.46Minor—
16Sep 12, 201113.15+2.35Minor5,640
17Jun 12, 201313.07+2.27Minor5,740
18Mar 22, 197513.05+2.25Minor6,580
19Aug 19, 202012.78+1.98Minor5,590
20Mar 5, 199412.67+1.87Minor5,750
21Sep 8, 200012.64+1.84Minor4,380
22Apr 9, 198912.52+1.72Minor5,610
23Jan 24, 198712.51+1.71Minor5,600
24Aug 17, 200412.47+1.67Minor5,470
25Feb 20, 202112.46+1.66Minor5,270
26Nov 15, 200912.43+1.63Minor5,080
27Oct 2, 201012.37+1.57Minor4,750
28May 9, 195812.31+1.51Minor5,450
29Aug 29, 201212.30+1.50Minor6,440
30Sep 30, 198512.26+1.46Minor5,360
31Jul 25, 194512.24+1.44Minor5,360
32Nov 15, 200612.19+1.39Minor—
33Mar 2, 197912.15+1.35Minor5,260
34Feb 8, 201012.01+1.21Minor4,380
35Oct 10, 197211.95+1.15Minor4,930
36Feb 7, 201611.91+1.11Minor4,950
37Jan 22, 197811.79+0.99Minor4,940
38Dec 11, 200911.71+0.91Minor4,380
39Jan 20, 201311.70+0.90Minor5,750
40Aug 19, 199211.67+0.87Minor4,820
41Jul 30, 200411.52+0.72Minor—
42Apr 25, 200811.39+0.59Minor3,480
43Jan 10, 196211.31+0.51Minor4,650
44May 2, 201411.26+0.46Minor3,750
45Sep 13, 199611.15+0.35Minor4,340
46Oct 11, 199711.13+0.33Minor4,320
47Mar 10, 202411.12+0.32Minor3,980
48Feb 26, 201911.11+0.31Minor3,970
49Feb 14, 202011.10+0.30Minor3,960
50Jun 8, 201611.04+0.24Minor4,150

The worst floods along the Blackwater River (VA)

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

September 18, 1999: 25.11 ft here, major flooding

  • DendronVA · Sep 17, 1999 · 46.41 ft · Minor · its highest

August 19, 1940: 20.84 ft here, major flooding

  • DendronVA · Aug 20, 1940 · 42.40 ft · Minor

September 14, 1960: 15.98 ft here, moderate flooding

  • DendronVA · Sep 14, 1960 · 37.69 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Blackwater River (VA)

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

Flood gauges on the Blackwater River (VA)
DendronVA36.346.41 ft, Sep 17, 19990
ZUNIVA23.025.14 ft, Sep 20, 20200
Franklin this gaugeVA10.825.11 ft, Sep 18, 19993
FRANKLINVA5.010.78 ft, Oct 10, 20160

Other gauges in Southampton County

Flood gauges in Southampton County
ZUNI23.025.14 ft, Sep 20, 20200
Sebrell16.029.70 ft, Aug 20, 194011

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge FKNV2, 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.