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James River (VA) at Scottsville

Highest listed crest 34.02 ftFlood stage 20.0 ft101 crests since 1926

The James River (VA) at Scottsville crested at major flood stage 12 times among the 101 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1926 to 2025. The highest, 34.02 ft on June 22, 1972, was major flooding, 14.02 feet above flood stage. 5 other gauges on the James River (VA) crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
34.02 ft
June 22, 1972; 301,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
20.0 ft
Major flooding from 24.0 ft
Crests at major
12
8th of 242 gauges in Virginia
Most recent flood crest
February 17, 2025
21.83 ft, minor flooding
Location
Albemarle County
Virginia

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 Scottsville
Action stage11.061Apr 13, 2024The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)20.016Feb 17, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage22.09Jan 26, 2010Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage24.012Sep 7, 1996Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

101 crests from 1926 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the James River (VA) at Scottsville, 1926 to 2025 101520253035ft Flood stage 20.0 ftMajor 24.0 ft Jan 20, 1926: 15.80 ft, action stage; 42,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 1927: 15.68 ft, action stage; 41,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 1929: 15.90 ft, action stage; 44,700 cubic feet per secondNov 19, 1929: 16.12 ft, action stage; 45,800 cubic feet per secondAug 23, 1931: 10.73 ft, below flood stage; 21,100 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1932: 13.14 ft, action stage; 31,400 cubic feet per secondOct 18, 1932: 18.45 ft, action stage; 59,500 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1934: 14.70 ft, action stage; 38,800 cubic feet per secondSep 6, 1935: 23.06 ft, moderate flooding; 93,400 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1936: 25.46 ft, major flooding; 126,000 cubic feet per secondOct 20, 1937: 22.33 ft, moderate flooding; 87,400 cubic feet per secondAug 19, 1939: 19.71 ft, action stage; 68,400 cubic feet per secondAug 16, 1940: 25.84 ft, major flooding; 130,000 cubic feet per secondJul 9, 1941: 12.07 ft, action stage; 27,100 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1942: 21.44 ft, minor flooding; 80,600 cubic feet per secondOct 16, 1942: 23.00 ft, moderate flooding; 95,200 cubic feet per secondSep 19, 1944: 26.00 ft, major flooding; 133,000 cubic feet per secondSep 18, 1945: 18.00 ft, action stage; 57,000 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 1946: 15.30 ft, action stage; 41,200 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1947: 13.68 ft, action stage; 33,200 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1948: 18.40 ft, action stage; 59,600 cubic feet per secondDec 4, 1948: 22.90 ft, moderate flooding; 94,200 cubic feet per secondSep 11, 1950: 20.43 ft, minor flooding; 73,300 cubic feet per secondDec 11, 1950: 19.17 ft, action stage; 64,900 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 1952: 17.59 ft, action stage; 54,500 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1953: 19.48 ft, action stage; 67,000 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1954: 18.90 ft, action stage; 62,500 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1955: 19.94 ft, action stage; 70,000 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 1956: 10.61 ft, below flood stage; 20,400 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1957: 19.14 ft, action stage; 64,200 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1958: 15.88 ft, action stage; 44,500 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 1959: 12.81 ft, action stage; 29,300 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1960: 19.10 ft, action stage; 64,200 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1963: 20.82 ft, minor flooding; 76,200 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 1967: 19.07 ft, action stage; 64,000 cubic feet per secondAug 20, 1969: 30.00 ft, major flooding; 188,000 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 1970: 19.05 ft, action stage; 63,900 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1971: 19.12 ft, action stage; 64,400 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1972: 34.02 ft, major flooding; 301,000 cubic feet per secondOct 6, 1972: 23.24 ft, moderate flooding; 97,600 cubic feet per secondDec 28, 1973: 21.12 ft, minor flooding; 78,500 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1975: 24.63 ft, major flooding; 114,000 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1977: 19.55 ft, action stage; 67,400 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 1978: 22.23 ft, moderate flooding; 88,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 1979: 22.63 ft, moderate flooding; 92,300 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1979: 21.28 ft, minor flooding; 79,800 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 1979: 19.10 ft, action stage; 64,200 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1982: 20.08 ft, minor flooding; 69,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 1984: 19.65 ft, action stage; 66,600 cubic feet per secondNov 6, 1985: 31.77 ft, major flooding; 243,000 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 1986: 20.73 ft, minor flooding; 75,200 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1987: 26.17 ft, major flooding; 133,000 cubic feet per secondSep 8, 1987: 24.56 ft, major flooding; 114,000 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 1989: 20.35 ft, minor flooding; 71,900 cubic feet per secondOct 23, 1990: 19.23 ft, action stage; 63,500 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 1992: 25.31 ft, major flooding; 123,000 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1993: 20.73 ft, minor flooding; 75,179 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 1995: 21.67 ft, minor flooding; 83,867 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 1995: 21.69 ft, minor flooding; 84,058 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 1996: 26.02 ft, major flooding; 131,260 cubic feet per secondSep 7, 1996: 28.24 ft, major flooding; 166,683 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 1998: 21.15 ft, minor flooding; 78,993 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 1998: 18.66 ft, action stageFeb 18, 1998: 17.90 ft, action stageMar 22, 1998: 19.24 ft, action stageApr 21, 1998: 15.70 ft, action stageOct 1, 1999: 20.36 ft, minor floodingApr 19, 2000: 12.65 ft, action stage; 27,600 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2001: 12.24 ft, action stage; 26,000 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 2002: 10.69 ft, below flood stage; 20,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 2003: 22.58 ft, moderate flooding; 92,800 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 2003: 19.00 ft, action stageSep 30, 2004: 20.68 ft, minor flooding; 74,700 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 2005: 14.33 ft, action stage; 34,700 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2006: 20.26 ft, minor flooding; 71,276 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 2007: 17.40 ft, action stage; 51,200 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2008: 13.31 ft, action stage; 30,300 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 2009: 11.41 ft, action stage; 22,900 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 2010: 22.10 ft, moderate flooding; 88,500 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2011: 18.48 ft, action stage; 59,100 cubic feet per secondDec 9, 2011: 17.28 ft, action stage; 51,700 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 2013: 19.39 ft, action stage; 65,100 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 2014: 16.38 ft, action stage; 46,500 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 2015: 15.91 ft, action stage; 43,900 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 2016: 16.36 ft, action stage; 46,400 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 2017: 16.98 ft, action stage; 49,900 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 2017: 18.02 ft, action stage; 56,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 11, 2018: 17.55 ft, action stage; 53,300 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 2018: 18.02 ft, action stage; 56,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 2019: 19.49 ft, action stage; 65,900 cubic feet per secondOct 30, 2020: 16.36 ft, action stage; 46,500 cubic feet per secondNov 12, 2020: 19.52 ft, action stage; 66,000 cubic feet per secondDec 1, 2020: 14.64 ft, action stage; 38,000 cubic feet per secondDec 5, 2020: 12.62 ft, action stage; 28,900 cubic feet per secondDec 25, 2020: 12.65 ft, action stage; 29,100 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 2022: 12.01 ft, action stage; 26,400 cubic feet per secondJul 16, 2023: 17.40 ft, action stage; 52,400 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 2024: 17.81 ft, action stage; 54,900 cubic feet per secondJan 30, 2024: 14.72 ft, action stage; 38,400 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 2024: 12.80 ft, action stage; 29,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 2025: 21.83 ft, minor flooding; 85,820 cubic feet per second Highest, 34.02 ft, Jun 22, 1972 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, James River (VA) at Scottsville 1920s: 0 1930s: 3 1940s: 5 1950s: 1 1960s: 2 1970s: 7 1980s: 6 1990s: 8 8 2000s: 3 2010s: 1 2020s: 1 1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 101 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, James River (VA) at Scottsville
1Jun 22, 197234.02+14.02Major301,000
2Nov 6, 198531.77+11.77Major243,000
3Aug 20, 196930.00+10.00Major188,000
4Sep 7, 199628.24+8.24Major166,683
5Apr 17, 198726.17+6.17Major133,000
6Jan 20, 199626.02+6.02Major131,260
7Sep 19, 194426.00+6.00Major133,000
8Aug 16, 194025.84+5.84Major130,000
9Mar 19, 193625.46+5.46Major126,000
10Apr 23, 199225.31+5.31Major123,000
11Mar 19, 197524.63+4.63Major114,000
12Sep 8, 198724.56+4.56Major114,000
13Oct 6, 197223.24+3.24Moderate97,600
14Sep 6, 193523.06+3.06Moderate93,400
15Oct 16, 194223.00+3.00Moderate95,200
16Dec 4, 194822.90+2.90Moderate94,200
17Feb 26, 197922.63+2.63Moderate92,300
18Feb 24, 200322.58+2.58Moderate92,800
19Oct 20, 193722.33+2.33Moderate87,400
20Jan 27, 197822.23+2.23Moderate88,400
21Jan 26, 201022.10+2.10Moderate88,500
22Feb 17, 202521.83+1.83Minor85,820
23Jun 29, 199521.69+1.69Minor84,058
24Jan 16, 199521.67+1.67Minor83,867
25May 23, 194221.44+1.44Minor80,600
26Jun 4, 197921.28+1.28Minor79,800
27Jan 9, 199821.15+1.15Minor78,993
28Dec 28, 197321.12+1.12Minor78,500
29Mar 14, 196320.82+0.82Minor76,200
30Apr 26, 198620.73+0.73Minor75,200
31Mar 5, 199320.73+0.73Minor75,179
32Sep 30, 200420.68+0.68Minor74,700
33Sep 11, 195020.43+0.43Minor73,300
34Oct 1, 199920.36+0.36Minor—
35May 6, 198920.35+0.35Minor71,900
36Jun 27, 200620.26+0.26Minor71,276
37Jun 14, 198220.08+0.08Minor69,800
38Mar 7, 195519.94−0.06Action70,000
39Aug 19, 193919.71−0.29Action68,400
40Feb 15, 198419.65−0.35Action66,600
41Apr 6, 197719.55−0.45Action67,400
42Nov 12, 202019.52−0.48Action66,000
43Feb 24, 201919.49−0.51Action65,900
44Mar 25, 195319.48−0.52Action67,000
45May 9, 201319.39−0.61Action65,100
46Mar 22, 199819.24−0.76Action—
47Oct 23, 199019.23−0.77Action63,500
48Dec 11, 195019.17−0.83Action64,900
49Apr 7, 195719.14−0.86Action64,200
50Jun 1, 197119.12−0.88Action64,400

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.

June 22, 1972: 34.02 ft here, major flooding

November 6, 1985: 31.77 ft here, major flooding

  • Holcomb RockVA · Nov 5, 1985 · 42.15 ft · Major · its highest
  • BuchananVA · Nov 5, 1985 · 38.84 ft · Major · its highest
  • CartersvilleVA · Nov 6, 1985 · 32.60 ft · Major · its highest
  • Bent CreekVA · Nov 5, 1985 · 30.76 ft · Major · its highest
  • Lick RunVA · Nov 5, 1985 · 30.22 ft · Major
  • Richmond-WesthamVA · Nov 7, 1985 · 24.77 ft · Major

August 20, 1969: 30.00 ft here, major 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 LocksVA8.023.75 ft, Sep 8, 19960
Richmond-WesthamVA12.028.62 ft, Jun 23, 19725
Scottsville this gaugeVA20.034.02 ft, Jun 22, 197212
Sewell's Point (IN MLLW)VA4.58.02 ft, Aug 23, 193311

Other gauges in Albemarle County

Flood gauges in Albemarle County
White Hall11.030.30 ft, Oct 15, 19420
Free Union14.022.28 ft, Jun 28, 19950
Earlysville14.023.56 ft, Sep 6, 19960

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SVEV2, 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.