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Bluestone River at Falls Mills

Highest listed crest 10.96 ftFlood stage 7.0 ft47 crests since 1981

The Bluestone River at Falls Mills crested above flood stage 21 times among the 47 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1981 to 2025. The highest, 10.96 ft on May 29, 2023, was moderate flooding, 3.96 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Bluestone River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
10.96 ft
May 29, 2023; 1,480 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
7.0 ft
Major flooding from 11.0 ft
Crests at major
0
21 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
February 16, 2025
9.96 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Tazewell County
Virginia

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Bluestone River at Falls Mills
Action stage6.014Jan 10, 2024The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)7.018May 19, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage9.03Feb 16, 2025Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage11.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

47 crests from 1981 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Bluestone River at Falls Mills, 1981 to 2025 24681012ft Flood stage 7.0 ftMajor 11.0 ft May 28, 1981: 5.68 ft, below flood stage; 667 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1982: 6.26 ft, action stage; 738 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 1983: 4.25 ft, below flood stage; 445 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1984: 8.37 ft, minor flooding; 1,050 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 1985: 6.33 ft, action stage; 749 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1986: 4.81 ft, below flood stage; 525 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1987: 8.21 ft, minor flooding; 1,020 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 1988: 3.19 ft, below flood stage; 296 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 1989: 6.86 ft, action stage; 825 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 1990: 5.85 ft, below flood stage; 677 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1991: 5.61 ft, below flood stage; 641 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1992: 6.09 ft, action stage; 713 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1993: 7.79 ft, minor flooding; 960 cubic feet per secondFeb 11, 1994: 7.27 ft, minor flooding; 885 cubic feet per secondJan 15, 1995: 7.80 ft, minor flooding; 1,340 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 1996: 8.66 ft, minor flooding; 1,560 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1997: 5.70 ft, below flood stage; 832 cubic feet per secondJul 7, 2005: 4.87 ft, below flood stage; 651 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2006: 5.86 ft, below flood stage; 870 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 2008: 7.15 ft, minor flooding; 1,170 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 2009: 5.24 ft, below flood stage; 733 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 2010: 8.54 ft, minor flooding; 1,610 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 2010: 5.64 ft, below flood stage; 813 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 2011: 6.42 ft, action stage; 1,010 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 2012: 7.48 ft, minor flooding; 1,260 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 2013: 7.50 ft, minor flooding; 1,310 cubic feet per secondJul 6, 2015: 7.21 ft, minor flooding; 1,190 cubic feet per secondJul 6, 2016: 6.98 ft, action stage; 1,140 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 2017: 6.50 ft, action stage; 1,020 cubic feet per secondFeb 11, 2018: 6.63 ft, action stage; 1,051 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 2019: 6.75 ft, action stage; 1,090 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 2020: 7.93 ft, minor flooding; 1,370 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 2020: 7.53 ft, minor flooding; 1,210 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2020: 7.58 ft, minor flooding; 1,220 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 2020: 7.76 ft, minor flooding; 1,270 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 2021: 6.99 ft, action stage; 948 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2022: 7.41 ft, minor flooding; 960 cubic feet per secondJul 27, 2022: 6.87 ft, action stage; 879 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 2023: 6.42 ft, action stage; 808 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 2023: 6.00 ft, action stage; 743 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 2023: 10.96 ft, moderate flooding; 1,480 cubic feet per secondJul 19, 2023: 7.15 ft, minor flooding; 921 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 2024: 6.63 ft, action stage; 841 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 2024: 4.99 ft, below flood stage; 581 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 2024: 7.27 ft, minor flooding; 939 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 2024: 10.40 ft, moderate flooding; 1,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 2025: 9.96 ft, moderate flooding; 1,890 cubic feet per second Highest, 10.96 ft, May 29, 2023 1990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Bluestone River at Falls Mills 1980s: 2 1990s: 4 2000s: 1 2010s: 4 2020s: 10 10 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, Bluestone River at Falls Mills
1May 29, 202310.96+3.96Moderate1,480
2Sep 28, 202410.40+3.40Moderate1,400
3Feb 16, 20259.96+2.96Moderate1,890
4Jan 27, 19968.66+1.66Minor1,560
5Mar 13, 20108.54+1.54Minor1,610
6May 7, 19848.37+1.37Minor1,050
7Apr 25, 19878.21+1.21Minor1,020
8Feb 6, 20207.93+0.93Minor1,370
9Jan 15, 19957.80+0.80Minor1,340
10Mar 24, 19937.79+0.79Minor960
11Jun 19, 20207.76+0.76Minor1,270
12May 28, 20207.58+0.58Minor1,220
13Apr 13, 20207.53+0.53Minor1,210
14Jan 31, 20137.50+0.50Minor1,310
15Apr 26, 20127.48+0.48Minor1,260
16May 24, 20227.41+0.41Minor960
17Feb 11, 19947.27+0.27Minor885
18May 19, 20247.27+0.27Minor939
19Jul 6, 20157.21+0.21Minor1,190
20Mar 4, 20087.15+0.15Minor1,170
21Jul 19, 20237.15+0.15Minor921
22Jan 26, 20216.99−0.01Action948
23Jul 6, 20166.98−0.02Action1,140
24Jul 27, 20226.87−0.13Action879
25Sep 22, 19896.86−0.14Action825
26Feb 21, 20196.75−0.25Action1,090
27Feb 11, 20186.63−0.37Action1,051
28Jan 10, 20246.63−0.37Action841
29May 13, 20176.50−0.50Action1,020
30Mar 1, 20116.42−0.58Action1,010
31Feb 17, 20236.42−0.58Action808
32Feb 1, 19856.33−0.67Action749
33Jun 10, 19826.26−0.74Action738
34Jun 5, 19926.09−0.91Action713
35May 17, 20236.00−1.00Action743
36Jun 27, 20065.86−1.14Below flood stage870
37Jan 1, 19905.85−1.15Below flood stage677
38Mar 3, 19975.70−1.30Below flood stage832
39May 28, 19815.68−1.32Below flood stage667
40Jun 13, 20105.64−1.36Below flood stage813
41Mar 30, 19915.61−1.39Below flood stage641
42May 9, 20095.24−1.76Below flood stage733
43Apr 12, 20244.99−2.01Below flood stage581
44Jul 7, 20054.87−2.13Below flood stage651
45Mar 15, 19864.81−2.19Below flood stage525
46Apr 10, 19834.25−2.75Below flood stage445
47Sep 17, 19883.19−3.81Below flood stage296

The worst floods along the Bluestone River

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

May 29, 2023: 10.96 ft here, moderate flooding

September 28, 2024: 10.40 ft here, moderate flooding

February 16, 2025: 9.96 ft here, moderate flooding

  • SpanishburgWV · Feb 16, 2025 · 19.98 ft · Major · its highest
  • PipestemWV · Feb 16, 2025 · 17.00 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Bluestone River

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

Flood gauges on the Bluestone River
Falls Mills this gaugeVA7.010.96 ft, May 29, 20230
SpanishburgWV12.019.98 ft, Feb 16, 20251
PipestemWV12.017.25 ft, Mar 13, 20100

Other gauges in Tazewell County

Flood gauges in Tazewell County
Richlands10.021.30 ft, Jun 22, 19016

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BRVV2, 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.