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Chestnut Creek at Galax

Highest listed crest 12.93 ftFlood stage 7.0 ft53 crests since 1944

The Chestnut Creek at Galax crested above flood stage 22 times among the 53 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1944 to 2024. The highest, 12.93 ft on October 17, 1975, was moderate flooding, 5.93 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
12.93 ft
October 17, 1975; 6,880 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
7.0 ft
Major flooding from 13.0 ft
Crests at major
0
22 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
September 27, 2024
11.46 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Galax city
Virginia

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Chestnut Creek at Galax
Action stage6.08Jan 9, 2024The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)7.017Oct 11, 2018Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage11.05Sep 27, 2024Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage13.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

53 crests from 1944 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Chestnut Creek at Galax, 1944 to 2024 2468101214ft Flood stage 7.0 ftMajor 13.0 ft Oct 20, 1944: 7.48 ft, minor flooding; 1,560 cubic feet per secondJan 7, 1946: 3.35 ft, below flood stage; 502 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1949: 9.58 ft, minor flooding; 2,540 cubic feet per secondJul 28, 1950: 4.67 ft, below flood stage; 810 cubic feet per secondDec 7, 1950: 10.80 ft, minor flooding; 3,300 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1952: 9.60 ft, minor flooding; 2,540 cubic feet per secondNov 21, 1952: 4.63 ft, below flood stage; 780 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1954: 8.17 ft, minor flooding; 2,300 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 1955: 5.30 ft, below flood stage; 1,280 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 1956: 6.08 ft, action stage; 1,560 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1957: 5.94 ft, below flood stage; 1,500 cubic feet per secondDec 21, 1957: 4.79 ft, below flood stage; 1,100 cubic feet per secondSep 30, 1959: 11.25 ft, moderate flooding; 4,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 1960: 4.87 ft, below flood stage; 1,140 cubic feet per secondNov 23, 1961: 4.83 ft, below flood stage; 1,100 cubic feet per secondNov 9, 1962: 6.78 ft, action stage; 1,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1966: 8.69 ft, minor flooding; 2,480 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1972: 7.92 ft, minor flooding; 2,070 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1973: 11.07 ft, moderate flooding; 5,000 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 1975: 7.78 ft, minor flooding; 3,070 cubic feet per secondOct 17, 1975: 12.93 ft, moderate flooding; 6,880 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 1979: 10.43 ft, minor flooding; 4,800 cubic feet per secondAug 18, 1985: 5.97 ft, below flood stage; 2,250 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 1989: 9.53 ft, minor flooding; 4,190 cubic feet per secondNov 16, 1989: 8.44 ft, minor flooding; 3,510 cubic feet per secondAug 17, 1994: 10.43 ft, minor flooding; 4,820 cubic feet per secondJan 14, 1995: 5.87 ft, below flood stage; 2,110 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1996: 8.77 ft, minor flooding; 3,700 cubic feet per secondJan 8, 1998: 7.32 ft, minor flooding; 2,870 cubic feet per secondOct 8, 1998: 3.31 ft, below flood stage; 891 cubic feet per secondNov 26, 1999: 3.51 ft, below flood stage; 996 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 2001: 3.53 ft, below flood stage; 1,000 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 2002: 3.09 ft, below flood stage; 775 cubic feet per secondAug 7, 2003: 5.13 ft, below flood stage; 1,740 cubic feet per secondNov 19, 2003: 11.91 ft, moderate flooding; 5,940 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 2005: 3.87 ft, below flood stage; 1,170 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2006: 6.16 ft, action stage; 2,260 cubic feet per secondNov 16, 2006: 4.98 ft, below flood stage; 1,670 cubic feet per secondOct 26, 2007: 4.49 ft, below flood stage; 1,260 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 2009: 6.72 ft, action stage; 2,480 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 2010: 5.48 ft, below flood stage; 1,750 cubic feet per secondDec 1, 2010: 6.61 ft, action stage; 2,450 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 2011: 6.80 ft, action stage; 2,530 cubic feet per secondNov 29, 2011: 4.73 ft, below flood stage; 1,350 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 2015: 8.12 ft, minor flooding; 2,410 cubic feet per secondNov 19, 2015: 5.05 ft, below flood stage; 1,680 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 2017: 5.82 ft, below flood stage; 2,120 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 2018: 9.05 ft, minor flooding; 4,310 cubic feet per secondOct 11, 2018: 9.77 ft, minor flooding; 4,860 cubic feet per secondOct 29, 2020: 5.18 ft, below flood stage; 1,750 cubic feet per secondNov 12, 2020: 6.21 ft, action stage; 2,360 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 2024: 6.71 ft, action stage; 2,670 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 2024: 11.46 ft, moderate flooding; 6,230 cubic feet per second Highest, 12.93 ft, Oct 17, 1975 1960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Chestnut Creek at Galax 1940s: 2 1950s: 4 1960s: 1 1970s: 5 5 1980s: 2 1990s: 3 2000s: 1 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

The 50 highest of 53 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Chestnut Creek at Galax
1Oct 17, 197512.93+5.93Moderate6,880
2Nov 19, 200311.91+4.91Moderate5,940
3Sep 27, 202411.46+4.46Moderate6,230
4Sep 30, 195911.25+4.25Moderate4,100
5May 28, 197311.07+4.07Moderate5,000
6Dec 7, 195010.80+3.80Minor3,300
7Sep 22, 197910.43+3.43Minor4,800
8Aug 17, 199410.43+3.43Minor4,820
9Oct 11, 20189.77+2.77Minor4,860
10Mar 11, 19529.60+2.60Minor2,540
11Jun 17, 19499.58+2.58Minor2,540
12Sep 22, 19899.53+2.53Minor4,190
13Sep 17, 20189.05+2.05Minor4,310
14Jan 19, 19968.77+1.77Minor3,700
15Feb 13, 19668.69+1.69Minor2,480
16Nov 16, 19898.44+1.44Minor3,510
17Mar 1, 19548.17+1.17Minor2,300
18Apr 20, 20158.12+1.12Minor2,410
19Jun 21, 19727.92+0.92Minor2,070
20May 29, 19757.78+0.78Minor3,070
21Oct 20, 19447.48+0.48Minor1,560
22Jan 8, 19987.32+0.32Minor2,870
23Mar 6, 20116.80−0.20Action2,530
24Nov 9, 19626.78−0.22Action1,800
25May 27, 20096.72−0.28Action2,480
26Jan 9, 20246.71−0.29Action2,670
27Dec 1, 20106.61−0.39Action2,450
28Nov 12, 20206.21−0.79Action2,360
29Jun 27, 20066.16−0.84Action2,260
30Sep 27, 19566.08−0.92Action1,560
31Aug 18, 19855.97−1.03Below flood stage2,250
32Apr 5, 19575.94−1.06Below flood stage1,500
33Jan 14, 19955.87−1.13Below flood stage2,110
34May 5, 20175.82−1.18Below flood stage2,120
35Jan 25, 20105.48−1.52Below flood stage1,750
36Apr 14, 19555.30−1.70Below flood stage1,280
37Oct 29, 20205.18−1.82Below flood stage1,750
38Aug 7, 20035.13−1.87Below flood stage1,740
39Nov 19, 20155.05−1.95Below flood stage1,680
40Nov 16, 20064.98−2.02Below flood stage1,670
41Feb 5, 19604.87−2.13Below flood stage1,140
42Nov 23, 19614.83−2.17Below flood stage1,100
43Dec 21, 19574.79−2.21Below flood stage1,100
44Nov 29, 20114.73−2.27Below flood stage1,350
45Jul 28, 19504.67−2.33Below flood stage810
46Nov 21, 19524.63−2.37Below flood stage780
47Oct 26, 20074.49−2.51Below flood stage1,260
48Mar 28, 20053.87−3.13Below flood stage1,170
49May 22, 20013.53−3.47Below flood stage1,000
50Nov 26, 19993.51−3.49Below flood stage996

Galax city: every hazard · River floods across the country · Virginia

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CCKV2, 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.