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Jackson River at Covington

Highest listed crest 24.36 ftFlood stage 17.0 ft45 crests since 1972

The Jackson River at Covington crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 45 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1972 to 2019. The highest, 24.36 ft on June 21, 1972, was major flooding, 7.36 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Jackson River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
24.36 ft
June 21, 1972; 34,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
17.0 ft
Major flooding from 23.0 ft
Crests at major
2
75th of 242 gauges in Virginia
Most recent flood crest
June 24, 2016
22.41 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Alleghany County
Virginia

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Jackson River at Covington
Action stage14.04May 7, 2013The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)17.03Sep 29, 2004Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage20.03Jun 24, 2016Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage23.02Nov 4, 1985Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

45 crests from 1972 to 2019. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Jackson River at Covington, 1972 to 2019 510152025ft Flood stage 17.0 ftMajor 23.0 ft Jun 21, 1972: 24.36 ft, major flooding; 34,000 cubic feet per secondDec 27, 1973: 22.09 ft, moderate flooding; 28,000 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1975: 13.60 ft, below flood stage; 14,400 cubic feet per secondOct 18, 1975: 13.36 ft, below flood stage; 11,400 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1977: 19.85 ft, minor flooding; 23,200 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 1978: 17.86 ft, minor flooding; 19,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 1979: 15.13 ft, action stage; 14,300 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1980: 11.33 ft, below flood stage; 8,140 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1981: 10.94 ft, below flood stage; 7,550 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1982: 11.84 ft, below flood stage; 8,870 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 1983: 10.48 ft, below flood stage; 6,760 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1984: 13.69 ft, below flood stage; 11,900 cubic feet per secondNov 4, 1985: 23.31 ft, major flooding; 31,300 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1987: 13.72 ft, below flood stage; 12,000 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 1989: 12.12 ft, below flood stage; 9,330 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 1989: 10.85 ft, below flood stage; 7,320 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 1991: 11.56 ft, below flood stage; 8,420 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 1992: 12.00 ft, below flood stage; 9,130 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1993: 12.93 ft, below flood stage; 10,700 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1994: 10.14 ft, below flood stage; 6,240 cubic feet per secondJan 15, 1995: 14.23 ft, action stage; 12,800 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1996: 20.85 ft, moderate flooding; 25,400 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1997: 12.34 ft, below flood stage; 9,690 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 1998: 11.20 ft, below flood stage; 7,860 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 1999: 7.43 ft, below flood stage; 2,660 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 2000: 11.13 ft, below flood stage; 7,750 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2001: 10.00 ft, below flood stage; 6,050 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2002: 9.35 ft, below flood stage; 5,130 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 2003: 14.97 ft, action stage; 14,300 cubic feet per secondSep 29, 2004: 17.27 ft, minor flooding; 18,223 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 2005: 9.84 ft, below flood stage; 6,440 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2006: 12.15 ft, below flood stage; 9,960 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 2007: 12.46 ft, below flood stage; 10,400 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 2008: 9.41 ft, below flood stage; 5,680 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 2009: 9.42 ft, below flood stage; 5,690 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 2010: 12.59 ft, below flood stage; 10,600 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 2011: 10.49 ft, below flood stage; 7,530 cubic feet per secondDec 7, 2011: 11.14 ft, below flood stage; 8,470 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 2013: 14.45 ft, action stage; 13,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 3, 2014: 10.62 ft, below flood stage; 7,720 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 2015: 10.63 ft, below flood stage; 7,730 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 2016: 22.41 ft, moderate flooding; 27,100 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2017: 11.91 ft, below flood stage; 9,610 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 2018: 13.30 ft, below flood stage; 11,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 2019: 10.74 ft, below flood stage; 7,890 cubic feet per second Highest, 24.36 ft, Jun 21, 1972 19801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Jackson River at Covington 1970s: 4 4 1980s: 1 1990s: 1 2000s: 1 2010s: 1 1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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. 2 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 20.97 ft on Mar 18, 1936; 19.97 ft on Mar 7, 1967.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Jackson River at Covington
1Jun 21, 197224.36+7.36Major34,000
2Nov 4, 198523.31+6.31Major31,300
3Jun 24, 201622.41+5.41Moderate27,100
4Dec 27, 197322.09+5.09Moderate28,000
5Jan 19, 199620.85+3.85Moderate25,400
6Apr 5, 197719.85+2.85Minor23,200
7Jan 26, 197817.86+0.86Minor19,200
8Sep 29, 200417.27+0.27Minor18,223
9Feb 25, 197915.13−1.87Action14,300
10Feb 22, 200314.97−2.03Action14,300
11May 7, 201314.45−2.55Action13,500
12Jan 15, 199514.23−2.77Action12,800
13Apr 16, 198713.72−3.28Below flood stage12,000
14Feb 14, 198413.69−3.31Below flood stage11,900
15Mar 20, 197513.60−3.40Below flood stage14,400
16Oct 18, 197513.36−3.64Below flood stage11,400
17Apr 16, 201813.30−3.70Below flood stage11,700
18Mar 4, 199312.93−4.07Below flood stage10,700
19Jan 25, 201012.59−4.41Below flood stage10,600
20Apr 15, 200712.46−4.54Below flood stage10,400
21Mar 3, 199712.34−4.66Below flood stage9,690
22Jun 27, 200612.15−4.85Below flood stage9,960
23Apr 28, 198912.12−4.88Below flood stage9,330
24Feb 26, 199212.00−5.00Below flood stage9,130
25May 25, 201711.91−5.09Below flood stage9,610
26Jun 13, 198211.84−5.16Below flood stage8,870
27Jan 11, 199111.56−5.44Below flood stage8,420
28Mar 17, 198011.33−5.67Below flood stage8,140
29Apr 19, 199811.20−5.80Below flood stage7,860
30Dec 7, 201111.14−5.86Below flood stage8,470
31Mar 12, 200011.13−5.87Below flood stage7,750
32May 28, 198110.94−6.06Below flood stage7,550
33Dec 31, 198910.85−6.15Below flood stage7,320
34Feb 24, 201910.74−6.26Below flood stage7,890
35Mar 5, 201510.63−6.37Below flood stage7,730
36Feb 3, 201410.62−6.38Below flood stage7,720
37Apr 13, 201110.49−6.51Below flood stage7,530
38Apr 10, 198310.48−6.52Below flood stage6,760
39Mar 30, 199410.14−6.86Below flood stage6,240
40May 25, 200110.00−7.00Below flood stage6,050
41Mar 28, 20059.84−7.16Below flood stage6,440
42May 7, 20099.42−7.58Below flood stage5,690
43Mar 5, 20089.41−7.59Below flood stage5,680
44Apr 29, 20029.35−7.65Below flood stage5,130
45Jan 24, 19997.43−9.57Below flood stage2,660

The worst floods along the Jackson River

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

June 21, 1972: 24.36 ft here, major flooding

  • BacovaVA · Jun 21, 1972 · 11.40 ft · Minor

November 4, 1985: 23.31 ft here, major flooding

  • BacovaVA · Nov 4, 1985 · 22.25 ft · Major · its highest

June 24, 2016: 22.41 ft here, moderate flooding

  • BacovaVA · Jun 24, 2016 · 10.43 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Jackson River

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

Flood gauges on the Jackson River
BacovaVA10.022.25 ft, Nov 4, 19852
Covington this gaugeVA17.024.36 ft, Jun 21, 19722

Other gauges in Alleghany County

Flood gauges in Alleghany County
Clifton Forge10.019.15 ft, Nov 5, 19852
Covington9.016.66 ft, Jun 24, 20163
Covington9.013.46 ft, Nov 4, 19851

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CVGV2, 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.