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James River (VA) at Richmond Locks

Highest listed crest 23.75 ftFlood stage 8.0 ft109 crests since 1901

The James River (VA) at Richmond Locks crested above flood stage 101 times among the 109 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1901 to 2025. The highest, 23.75 ft on September 8, 1996, was moderate flooding, 15.75 feet above flood stage. 6 other gauges on the James River (VA) crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
23.75 ft
September 8, 1996
Flood stage
8.0 ft
Major flooding from 28.0 ft
Crests at major
0
101 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
May 16, 2025
11.43 ft, minor flooding
Location
Richmond city
Near Richmond (3.0 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, James River (VA) at Richmond Locks
Action stage6.08Jul 17, 2023The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)8.086May 16, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage19.015Sep 8, 1996Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage28.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

109 crests from 1901 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the James River (VA) at Richmond Locks, 1901 to 2025 51015202530ft Flood stage 8.0 ftMajor 28.0 ft Mar 24, 1901: 19.30 ft, moderate floodingApr 22, 1901: 14.00 ft, minor floodingDec 31, 1901: 23.20 ft, moderate floodingMar 2, 1902: 19.00 ft, moderate floodingJun 8, 1903: 14.70 ft, minor floodingOct 22, 1906: 18.70 ft, minor floodingJun 3, 1907: 14.70 ft, minor floodingFeb 17, 1908: 13.90 ft, minor floodingJun 18, 1910: 14.10 ft, minor floodingMar 17, 1912: 17.80 ft, minor floodingMar 30, 1913: 17.50 ft, minor floodingFeb 6, 1915: 14.80 ft, minor floodingMar 6, 1917: 14.10 ft, minor floodingJan 5, 1919: 17.20 ft, minor floodingFeb 5, 1920: 15.70 ft, minor floodingMay 14, 1924: 20.10 ft, moderate floodingAug 18, 1928: 17.00 ft, minor floodingOct 19, 1932: 14.20 ft, minor floodingApr 19, 1933: 14.10 ft, minor floodingDec 3, 1934: 19.70 ft, moderate floodingSep 7, 1935: 23.65 ft, moderate floodingAug 18, 1940: 23.30 ft, moderate floodingOct 17, 1942: 19.50 ft, moderate floodingSep 21, 1944: 22.40 ft, moderate floodingDec 6, 1948: 21.60 ft, moderate floodingMar 24, 1949: 13.30 ft, minor floodingMar 27, 1953: 12.70 ft, minor floodingAug 20, 1955: 16.90 ft, minor floodingApr 7, 1960: 12.20 ft, minor floodingOct 23, 1961: 16.70 ft, minor floodingMar 15, 1963: 13.50 ft, minor floodingJun 2, 1971: 14.20 ft, minor floodingFeb 4, 1973: 13.50 ft, minor floodingMar 21, 1975: 20.80 ft, moderate floodingJan 28, 1978: 19.50 ft, moderate floodingFeb 27, 1979: 22.50 ft, moderate floodingFeb 17, 1984: 15.00 ft, minor floodingOct 24, 1990: 11.25 ft, minor floodingJan 13, 1991: 11.17 ft, minor floodingApr 24, 1992: 18.96 ft, minor floodingMar 6, 1993: 18.79 ft, minor floodingMar 26, 1993: 10.95 ft, minor floodingNov 29, 1993: 12.00 ft, minor floodingMar 30, 1994: 16.05 ft, minor floodingJan 22, 1996: 22.05 ft, moderate floodingSep 8, 1996: 23.75 ft, moderate floodingJan 10, 1998: 12.44 ft, minor floodingJan 29, 1998: 14.97 ft, minor floodingFeb 6, 1998: 15.39 ft, minor floodingFeb 19, 1998: 14.51 ft, minor floodingMar 23, 1998: 14.87 ft, minor floodingOct 1, 1999: 12.06 ft, minor floodingFeb 25, 2003: 17.76 ft, minor floodingMar 21, 2003: 10.80 ft, minor floodingMay 21, 2003: 10.72 ft, minor floodingSep 21, 2003: 15.15 ft, minor floodingNov 21, 2003: 10.05 ft, minor floodingAug 31, 2004: 11.73 ft, minor floodingOct 1, 2004: 11.77 ft, minor floodingJan 15, 2005: 9.84 ft, minor floodingDec 1, 2005: 9.67 ft, minor floodingJun 30, 2006: 11.86 ft, minor floodingOct 8, 2006: 12.19 ft, minor floodingNov 18, 2006: 8.73 ft, minor floodingApr 18, 2007: 8.50 ft, minor floodingNov 14, 2009: 9.38 ft, minor floodingDec 10, 2009: 8.85 ft, minor floodingDec 27, 2009: 8.61 ft, minor floodingJan 27, 2010: 15.92 ft, minor floodingMar 15, 2010: 8.82 ft, minor floodingMar 12, 2011: 10.24 ft, minor floodingApr 18, 2011: 10.52 ft, minor floodingDec 9, 2011: 10.04 ft, minor floodingFeb 2, 2013: 8.95 ft, minor floodingMay 10, 2013: 10.81 ft, minor floodingMay 1, 2014: 10.76 ft, minor floodingMay 17, 2014: 11.45 ft, minor floodingMar 7, 2015: 6.95 ft, action stageApr 22, 2015: 6.97 ft, action stageOct 4, 2015: 7.43 ft, action stageFeb 25, 2016: 7.91 ft, action stageMay 7, 2017: 9.14 ft, minor floodingMay 27, 2017: 10.15 ft, minor floodingFeb 12, 2018: 11.25 ft, minor floodingApr 18, 2018: 8.67 ft, minor floodingMay 20, 2018: 10.87 ft, minor floodingSep 19, 2018: 10.99 ft, minor floodingSep 30, 2018: 9.07 ft, minor floodingOct 13, 2018: 11.45 ft, minor floodingNov 17, 2018: 10.01 ft, minor floodingDec 17, 2018: 9.70 ft, minor floodingDec 22, 2018: 11.57 ft, minor floodingDec 29, 2018: 7.43 ft, action stageFeb 26, 2019: 13.00 ft, minor floodingMar 22, 2019: 7.80 ft, action stageFeb 9, 2020: 8.34 ft, minor floodingApr 15, 2020: 10.33 ft, minor floodingMay 2, 2020: 8.91 ft, minor floodingOct 31, 2020: 11.36 ft, minor floodingNov 14, 2020: 16.96 ft, minor floodingDec 1, 2020: 8.22 ft, minor floodingDec 26, 2020: 9.16 ft, minor floodingFeb 17, 2021: 8.44 ft, minor floodingApr 29, 2023: 6.50 ft, action stageJul 17, 2023: 7.91 ft, action stageJan 11, 2024: 13.60 ft, minor floodingOct 2, 2024: 10.64 ft, minor floodingFeb 18, 2025: 14.62 ft, minor floodingMay 16, 2025: 11.43 ft, minor flooding Highest, 23.75 ft, Sep 8, 1996 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, James River (VA) at Richmond Locks 1900s: 8 1910s: 6 1920s: 3 1930s: 4 1940s: 5 1950s: 2 1960s: 3 1970s: 5 1980s: 1 1990s: 15 2000s: 16 2010s: 21 21 2020s: 12 1900s1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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. 8 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 26.50 ft on Mar 30, 1936; 25.20 ft on Apr 27, 1937; 28.60 ft on Aug 22, 1969; 36.50 ft on Jun 23, 1972; 24.20 ft on Oct 7, 1972; 30.76 ft on Nov 7, 1985; and more.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 109 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, James River (VA) at Richmond Locks
1Sep 8, 199623.75+15.75Moderate—
2Sep 7, 193523.65+15.65Moderate—
3Aug 18, 194023.30+15.30Moderate—
4Dec 31, 190123.20+15.20Moderate—
5Feb 27, 197922.50+14.50Moderate—
6Sep 21, 194422.40+14.40Moderate—
7Jan 22, 199622.05+14.05Moderate—
8Dec 6, 194821.60+13.60Moderate—
9Mar 21, 197520.80+12.80Moderate—
10May 14, 192420.10+12.10Moderate—
11Dec 3, 193419.70+11.70Moderate—
12Oct 17, 194219.50+11.50Moderate—
13Jan 28, 197819.50+11.50Moderate—
14Mar 24, 190119.30+11.30Moderate—
15Mar 2, 190219.00+11.00Moderate—
16Apr 24, 199218.96+10.96Minor—
17Mar 6, 199318.79+10.79Minor—
18Oct 22, 190618.70+10.70Minor—
19Mar 17, 191217.80+9.80Minor—
20Feb 25, 200317.76+9.76Minor—
21Mar 30, 191317.50+9.50Minor—
22Jan 5, 191917.20+9.20Minor—
23Aug 18, 192817.00+9.00Minor—
24Nov 14, 202016.96+8.96Minor—
25Aug 20, 195516.90+8.90Minor—
26Oct 23, 196116.70+8.70Minor—
27Mar 30, 199416.05+8.05Minor—
28Jan 27, 201015.92+7.92Minor—
29Feb 5, 192015.70+7.70Minor—
30Feb 6, 199815.39+7.39Minor—
31Sep 21, 200315.15+7.15Minor—
32Feb 17, 198415.00+7.00Minor—
33Jan 29, 199814.97+6.97Minor—
34Mar 23, 199814.87+6.87Minor—
35Feb 6, 191514.80+6.80Minor—
36Jun 8, 190314.70+6.70Minor—
37Jun 3, 190714.70+6.70Minor—
38Feb 18, 202514.62+6.62Minor—
39Feb 19, 199814.51+6.51Minor—
40Oct 19, 193214.20+6.20Minor—
41Jun 2, 197114.20+6.20Minor—
42Jun 18, 191014.10+6.10Minor—
43Mar 6, 191714.10+6.10Minor—
44Apr 19, 193314.10+6.10Minor—
45Apr 22, 190114.00+6.00Minor—
46Feb 17, 190813.90+5.90Minor—
47Jan 11, 202413.60+5.60Minor—
48Mar 15, 196313.50+5.50Minor—
49Feb 4, 197313.50+5.50Minor—
50Mar 24, 194913.30+5.30Minor—

The worst floods along the James River (VA)

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

September 8, 1996: 23.75 ft here, moderate flooding

September 7, 1935: 23.65 ft here, moderate flooding

August 18, 1940: 23.30 ft here, moderate flooding

Gauges on the James River (VA)

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the James River (VA)
Bent CreekVA16.030.76 ft, Nov 5, 19855
Bremo BluffVA21.024.29 ft, Feb 17, 20250
BuchananVA17.038.84 ft, Nov 5, 19855
CartersvilleVA20.032.60 ft, Nov 6, 19855
Fort Monroe (IN MLLW)VA4.56.42 ft, Oct 4, 20150
Holcomb RockVA22.042.15 ft, Nov 5, 19857
Jamestown/Scotland Ferry (IN MLLW)VA4.06.27 ft, Oct 4, 20158
Lick RunVA16.033.00 ft, Nov 24, 18777
Richmond Locks this gaugeVA8.023.75 ft, Sep 8, 19960
Richmond-WesthamVA12.028.62 ft, Jun 23, 19725
ScottsvilleVA20.034.02 ft, Jun 22, 197212
Sewell's Point (IN MLLW)VA4.58.02 ft, Aug 23, 193311

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge RICV2, 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.