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Little River at Graysontown

Highest listed crest 13.40 ftFlood stage 8.0 ft89 crests since 1929

The Little River at Graysontown crested at major flood stage 4 times among the 89 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1929 to 2024. The highest, 13.40 ft on June 21, 1972, was major flooding, 5.40 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
13.40 ft
June 21, 1972; 22,800 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
8.0 ft
Major flooding from 12.0 ft
Crests at major
4
40th of 242 gauges in Virginia
Most recent flood crest
November 12, 2020
8.55 ft, minor flooding
Location
Montgomery County
Near Radford (5.7 mi), Christiansburg (11.0 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Little River at Graysontown
Action stage5.039Sep 28, 2024The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)8.010Nov 12, 2020Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage10.010Sep 28, 2004Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage12.04Sep 30, 2015Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

89 crests from 1929 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Little River at Graysontown, 1929 to 2024 2468101214ft Flood stage 8.0 ftMajor 12.0 ft May 2, 1929: 8.00 ft, minor flooding; 6,180 cubic feet per secondOct 2, 1929: 12.84 ft, major flooding; 13,500 cubic feet per secondAug 22, 1931: 4.90 ft, below flood stage; 2,100 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 1932: 4.96 ft, below flood stage; 2,820 cubic feet per secondOct 17, 1932: 11.44 ft, moderate flooding; 10,300 cubic feet per secondSep 16, 1934: 6.90 ft, action stage; 4,630 cubic feet per secondDec 1, 1934: 11.04 ft, moderate flooding; 9,740 cubic feet per secondOct 17, 1936: 9.92 ft, minor flooding; 8,240 cubic feet per secondOct 19, 1937: 11.55 ft, moderate flooding; 10,600 cubic feet per secondAug 19, 1939: 10.67 ft, moderate flooding; 9,320 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1941: 2.61 ft, below flood stage; 1,290 cubic feet per secondAug 13, 1942: 6.18 ft, action stage; 7,080 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 1942: 4.68 ft, below flood stage; 4,140 cubic feet per secondSep 18, 1944: 6.44 ft, action stage; 7,520 cubic feet per secondSep 18, 1945: 8.30 ft, minor flooding; 11,000 cubic feet per secondJan 8, 1946: 5.70 ft, action stage; 6,040 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1947: 6.10 ft, action stage; 6,870 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1948: 6.42 ft, action stage; 7,500 cubic feet per secondAug 29, 1949: 7.64 ft, action stage; 9,420 cubic feet per secondSep 10, 1950: 4.58 ft, below flood stage; 3,950 cubic feet per secondDec 8, 1950: 10.40 ft, moderate flooding; 13,900 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1952: 6.28 ft, action stage; 6,860 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1953: 6.69 ft, action stage; 7,610 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1954: 4.60 ft, below flood stage; 3,950 cubic feet per secondOct 16, 1954: 7.11 ft, action stage; 8,400 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 1957: 7.71 ft, action stage; 9,660 cubic feet per secondJan 14, 1958: 4.59 ft, below flood stage; 3,930 cubic feet per secondSep 30, 1959: 12.76 ft, major flooding; 18,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 11, 1960: 5.33 ft, action stage; 5,070 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 1961: 5.33 ft, action stage; 5,070 cubic feet per secondNov 10, 1962: 6.91 ft, action stage; 7,730 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 1964: 4.08 ft, below flood stage; 3,350 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 1965: 4.70 ft, below flood stage; 4,250 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1966: 6.48 ft, action stage; 7,050 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1967: 8.14 ft, minor flooding; 9,850 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 1968: 3.26 ft, below flood stage; 2,110 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 1969: 4.43 ft, below flood stage; 3,840 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1971: 4.65 ft, below flood stage; 4,180 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1972: 13.40 ft, major flooding; 22,800 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1973: 7.78 ft, action stage; 9,560 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1974: 5.46 ft, action stage; 5,390 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1975: 7.77 ft, action stage; 9,540 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1976: 4.86 ft, below flood stage; 4,490 cubic feet per secondOct 9, 1976: 6.55 ft, action stage; 7,190 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 1978: 10.33 ft, moderate flooding; 15,000 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 1979: 8.78 ft, minor flooding; 11,600 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 1980: 6.47 ft, action stage; 7,010 cubic feet per secondFeb 9, 1981: 3.89 ft, below flood stage; 2,720 cubic feet per secondFeb 3, 1982: 5.40 ft, action stage; 5,080 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 1983: 9.39 ft, minor flooding; 12,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1984: 5.08 ft, action stage; 4,540 cubic feet per secondNov 5, 1985: 11.67 ft, moderate flooding; 18,200 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 1987: 6.90 ft, action stage; 7,780 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 1988: 3.98 ft, below flood stage; 2,850 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 1989: 10.49 ft, moderate flooding; 15,400 cubic feet per secondNov 16, 1989: 5.73 ft, action stage; 5,650 cubic feet per secondOct 19, 1990: 4.85 ft, below flood stage; 4,160 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1992: 10.07 ft, moderate flooding; 14,400 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1993: 7.10 ft, action stage; 8,150 cubic feet per secondAug 17, 1994: 5.49 ft, action stage; 5,240 cubic feet per secondJan 15, 1995: 7.12 ft, action stage; 8,190 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1996: 7.80 ft, action stage; 9,500 cubic feet per secondNov 8, 1996: 5.55 ft, action stage; 5,340 cubic feet per secondJan 8, 1998: 6.42 ft, action stage; 6,880 cubic feet per secondSep 6, 1999: 4.13 ft, below flood stage; 3,280 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2000: 4.16 ft, below flood stage; 3,340 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 2001: 3.36 ft, below flood stage; 2,030 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 2002: 3.67 ft, below flood stage; 2,420 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 2003: 7.80 ft, action stage; 9,500 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 2004: 11.36 ft, moderate flooding; 19,400 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 2005: 4.93 ft, below flood stage; 4,280 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 2006: 6.45 ft, action stage; 8,320 cubic feet per secondNov 16, 2006: 4.79 ft, below flood stage; 5,160 cubic feet per secondOct 26, 2007: 2.90 ft, below flood stage; 1,880 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 2009: 5.48 ft, action stage; 6,090 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 2010: 5.98 ft, action stage; 7,010 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 2010: 4.69 ft, below flood stage; 3,916 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 2011: 5.54 ft, action stage; 6,200 cubic feet per secondNov 29, 2011: 4.84 ft, below flood stage; 4,980 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 2013: 7.79 ft, action stage; 10,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 2014: 4.47 ft, below flood stage; 4,380 cubic feet per secondSep 30, 2015: 12.68 ft, major flooding; 23,100 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 2018: 8.49 ft, minor flooding; 12,300 cubic feet per secondOct 12, 2018: 9.57 ft, minor flooding; 14,800 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 2020: 8.66 ft, minor flooding; 12,600 cubic feet per secondNov 12, 2020: 8.55 ft, minor flooding; 12,400 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 2023: 5.09 ft, action stage; 5,410 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 2024: 5.35 ft, action stage; 6,080 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 2024: 7.15 ft, action stage; 9,534 cubic feet per second Highest, 13.40 ft, Jun 21, 1972 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Little River at Graysontown 1920s: 2 1930s: 5 5 1940s: 1 1950s: 2 1960s: 1 1970s: 3 1980s: 3 1990s: 1 2000s: 1 2010s: 3 2020s: 2 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 89 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Little River at Graysontown
1Jun 21, 197213.40+5.40Major22,800
2Oct 2, 192912.84+4.84Major13,500
3Sep 30, 195912.76+4.76Major18,500
4Sep 30, 201512.68+4.68Major23,100
5Nov 5, 198511.67+3.67Moderate18,200
6Oct 19, 193711.55+3.55Moderate10,600
7Oct 17, 193211.44+3.44Moderate10,300
8Sep 28, 200411.36+3.36Moderate19,400
9Dec 1, 193411.04+3.04Moderate9,740
10Aug 19, 193910.67+2.67Moderate9,320
11Sep 22, 198910.49+2.49Moderate15,400
12Dec 8, 195010.40+2.40Moderate13,900
13Jan 26, 197810.33+2.33Moderate15,000
14Apr 22, 199210.07+2.07Moderate14,400
15Oct 17, 19369.92+1.92Minor8,240
16Oct 12, 20189.57+1.57Minor14,800
17Apr 10, 19839.39+1.39Minor12,800
18Sep 22, 19798.78+0.78Minor11,600
19Jun 18, 20208.66+0.66Minor12,600
20Nov 12, 20208.55+0.55Minor12,400
21Sep 17, 20188.49+0.49Minor12,300
22Sep 18, 19458.30+0.30Minor11,000
23Mar 7, 19678.14+0.14Minor9,850
24May 2, 19298.000.00Minor6,180
25Jan 19, 19967.80−0.20Action9,500
26Feb 22, 20037.80−0.20Action9,500
27Jan 31, 20137.79−0.21Action10,700
28May 28, 19737.78−0.22Action9,560
29Mar 14, 19757.77−0.23Action9,540
30Sep 17, 19577.71−0.29Action9,660
31Aug 29, 19497.64−0.36Action9,420
32Sep 28, 20247.15−0.85Action9,534
33Jan 15, 19957.12−0.88Action8,190
34Oct 16, 19547.11−0.89Action8,400
35Mar 24, 19937.10−0.90Action8,150
36Nov 10, 19626.91−1.09Action7,730
37Sep 16, 19346.90−1.10Action4,630
38Apr 24, 19876.90−1.10Action7,780
39Mar 24, 19536.69−1.31Action7,610
40Oct 9, 19766.55−1.45Action7,190
41Feb 13, 19666.48−1.52Action7,050
42Apr 15, 19806.47−1.53Action7,010
43Jun 28, 20066.45−1.55Action8,320
44Sep 18, 19446.44−1.56Action7,520
45Feb 14, 19486.42−1.58Action7,500
46Jan 8, 19986.42−1.58Action6,880
47Mar 11, 19526.28−1.72Action6,860
48Aug 13, 19426.18−1.82Action7,080
49Jun 14, 19476.10−1.90Action6,870
50Jan 25, 20105.98−2.02Action7,010

Gauges on the Little River

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

Flood gauges on the Little River
Graysontown this gaugeVA8.013.40 ft, Jun 21, 19724
NC18 near Blevins CrossroadsNC13.013.70 ft, Sep 27, 20240

Other gauges in Montgomery County

Flood gauges in Montgomery County
Ellett14.015.16 ft, Feb 16, 20250
Lafayette8.015.60 ft, Jun 21, 19723
Shawsville5.011.12 ft, Jun 21, 19724

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge GRYV2, 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.