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Mattaponi River at Bowling Green

Highest listed crest 18.95 ftFlood stage 11.0 ft93 crests since 1942

The Mattaponi River at Bowling Green crested above flood stage 53 times among the 93 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1942 to 2025. The highest, 18.95 ft on June 23, 1972, was minor flooding, 7.95 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Mattaponi River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
18.95 ft
June 23, 1972; 13,400 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
11.0 ft
No major stage set
Crests at major
0
53 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
June 16, 2025
11.92 ft, minor flooding
Location
Caroline County
Virginia

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Mattaponi River at Bowling Green
Action stage10.015Feb 25, 2019The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)11.053Jun 16, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat

Every listed crest

93 crests from 1942 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Mattaponi River at Bowling Green, 1942 to 2025 5101520ft Flood stage 11.0 ft Oct 17, 1942: 17.45 ft, minor flooding; 10,400 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1944: 8.82 ft, below flood stage; 1,300 cubic feet per secondJul 18, 1945: 14.23 ft, minor flooding; 4,980 cubic feet per secondDec 28, 1945: 10.70 ft, action stage; 1,940 cubic feet per secondJan 6, 1947: 8.90 ft, below flood stage; 1,330 cubic feet per secondAug 5, 1948: 15.34 ft, minor flooding; 6,580 cubic feet per secondDec 5, 1948: 16.21 ft, minor flooding; 8,060 cubic feet per secondSep 11, 1950: 13.78 ft, minor flooding; 4,130 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1951: 8.67 ft, below flood stage; 1,260 cubic feet per secondDec 23, 1951: 13.14 ft, minor flooding; 3,600 cubic feet per secondNov 23, 1952: 14.22 ft, minor flooding; 4,980 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1954: 6.04 ft, below flood stage; 557 cubic feet per secondAug 20, 1955: 15.60 ft, minor flooding; 7,060 cubic feet per secondFeb 9, 1956: 7.86 ft, below flood stage; 990 cubic feet per secondNov 3, 1956: 11.70 ft, minor flooding; 2,570 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1958: 12.80 ft, minor flooding; 3,420 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 1959: 9.87 ft, below flood stage; 1,670 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1960: 12.82 ft, minor flooding; 3,560 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 1961: 14.03 ft, minor flooding; 4,760 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1962: 13.58 ft, minor flooding; 4,310 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1963: 13.12 ft, minor flooding; 3,830 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 1964: 9.83 ft, below flood stage; 1,770 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1965: 9.83 ft, below flood stage; 1,770 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 1966: 9.67 ft, below flood stage; 1,720 cubic feet per secondOct 22, 1966: 8.68 ft, below flood stage; 1,280 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1968: 10.64 ft, action stage; 2,160 cubic feet per secondAug 21, 1969: 16.70 ft, minor flooding; 8,960 cubic feet per secondJan 2, 1970: 10.06 ft, action stage; 1,910 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1971: 12.66 ft, minor flooding; 3,840 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 1972: 18.95 ft, minor flooding; 13,400 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 1973: 13.00 ft, minor flooding; 4,500 cubic feet per secondDec 23, 1973: 12.69 ft, minor flooding; 4,230 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 1975: 15.58 ft, minor flooding; 7,640 cubic feet per secondJan 2, 1976: 12.19 ft, minor flooding; 3,780 cubic feet per secondOct 23, 1976: 9.47 ft, below flood stage; 1,750 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 1978: 15.05 ft, minor flooding; 6,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 1979: 16.01 ft, minor flooding; 8,600 cubic feet per secondOct 3, 1979: 12.71 ft, minor flooding; 4,600 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 1981: 5.87 ft, below flood stage; 655 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 1982: 8.27 ft, below flood stage; 1,300 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1983: 12.69 ft, minor flooding; 4,590 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1984: 15.16 ft, minor flooding; 7,470 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 1985: 9.24 ft, below flood stage; 1,680 cubic feet per secondNov 6, 1985: 11.30 ft, minor flooding; 3,240 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 1987: 12.37 ft, minor flooding; 4,260 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 1988: 10.38 ft, action stage; 2,460 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1989: 10.06 ft, action stage; 2,240 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1990: 10.75 ft, action stage; 2,780 cubic feet per secondJan 14, 1991: 10.56 ft, action stage; 2,620 cubic feet per secondJul 26, 1992: 9.82 ft, below flood stage; 2,030 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1993: 13.93 ft, minor flooding; 5,920 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1994: 15.63 ft, minor flooding; 8,080 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1995: 9.57 ft, below flood stage; 1,860 cubic feet per secondJan 21, 1996: 13.05 ft, minor flooding; 4,950 cubic feet per secondOct 21, 1996: 10.12 ft, action stage; 2,260 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 1998: 14.45 ft, minor flooding; 6,540 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1999: 9.18 ft, below flood stage; 1,640 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 2000: 9.13 ft, below flood stage; 1,610 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 2001: 10.00 ft, action stage; 2,100 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2002: 5.67 ft, below flood stage; 475 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 2003: 13.60 ft, minor flooding; 5,520 cubic feet per secondDec 13, 2003: 12.36 ft, minor flooding; 4,230 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 2005: 10.69 ft, action stage; 2,770 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 2006: 10.73 ft, action stage; 2,800 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 2007: 12.11 ft, minor flooding; 3,990 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 2008: 13.40 ft, minor flooding; 5,300 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 2009: 13.41 ft, minor flooding; 5,310 cubic feet per secondDec 28, 2009: 11.81 ft, minor flooding; 3,270 cubic feet per secondSep 10, 2011: 11.61 ft, minor flooding; 3,530 cubic feet per secondDec 9, 2011: 14.10 ft, minor flooding; 6,100 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 2013: 10.31 ft, action stage; 2,480 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 2014: 14.77 ft, minor flooding; 6,820 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 2016: 10.89 ft, action stage; 2,930 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 2016: 9.12 ft, below flood stage; 1,670 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 2018: 13.21 ft, minor flooding; 4,320 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 2018: 10.46 ft, action stage; 2,210 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 2018: 12.98 ft, minor flooding; 4,100 cubic feet per secondOct 13, 2018: 12.50 ft, minor flooding; 3,660 cubic feet per secondNov 7, 2018: 11.08 ft, minor flooding; 2,590 cubic feet per secondNov 17, 2018: 11.21 ft, minor flooding; 2,680 cubic feet per secondDec 18, 2018: 9.99 ft, below flood stage; 1,940 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 2018: 9.46 ft, below flood stage; 1,660 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 2019: 8.78 ft, below flood stage; 1,330 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 2019: 10.68 ft, action stage; 2,340 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 2019: 11.87 ft, minor flooding; 3,140 cubic feet per secondOct 31, 2020: 12.02 ft, minor flooding; 3,270 cubic feet per secondNov 13, 2020: 15.26 ft, minor flooding; 6,820 cubic feet per secondDec 7, 2020: 11.04 ft, minor flooding; 2,510 cubic feet per secondDec 26, 2020: 11.85 ft, minor flooding; 3,120 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 2023: 9.96 ft, below flood stage; 1,820 cubic feet per secondDec 29, 2023: 9.00 ft, below flood stage; 1,370 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 2024: 13.38 ft, minor flooding; 4,544 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 2025: 11.92 ft, minor flooding; 3,182 cubic feet per second Highest, 18.95 ft, Jun 23, 1972 1960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Mattaponi River at Bowling Green 1940s: 4 1950s: 6 1960s: 5 1970s: 9 9 1980s: 4 1990s: 4 2000s: 6 2010s: 9 2020s: 6 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.
  3. 1 crest measured on an earlier gauge datum is left out: 19.50 ft on Aug 15, 1928.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 93 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Mattaponi River at Bowling Green
1Jun 23, 197218.95+7.95Minor13,400
2Oct 17, 194217.45+6.45Minor10,400
3Aug 21, 196916.70+5.70Minor8,960
4Dec 5, 194816.21+5.21Minor8,060
5Feb 27, 197916.01+5.01Minor8,600
6Mar 29, 199415.63+4.63Minor8,080
7Aug 20, 195515.60+4.60Minor7,060
8Sep 27, 197515.58+4.58Minor7,640
9Aug 5, 194815.34+4.34Minor6,580
10Nov 13, 202015.26+4.26Minor6,820
11Mar 30, 198415.16+4.16Minor7,470
12Jan 27, 197815.05+4.05Minor6,800
13May 2, 201414.77+3.77Minor6,820
14Feb 6, 199814.45+3.45Minor6,540
15Jul 18, 194514.23+3.23Minor4,980
16Nov 23, 195214.22+3.22Minor4,980
17Dec 9, 201114.10+3.10Minor6,100
18Feb 20, 196114.03+3.03Minor4,760
19Mar 6, 199313.93+2.93Minor5,920
20Sep 11, 195013.78+2.78Minor4,130
21Feb 24, 200313.60+2.60Minor5,520
22Mar 14, 196213.58+2.58Minor4,310
23Jun 5, 200913.41+2.41Minor5,310
24May 13, 200813.40+2.40Minor5,300
25Jan 11, 202413.38+2.38Minor4,544
26Feb 13, 201813.21+2.21Minor4,320
27Dec 23, 195113.14+2.14Minor3,600
28Mar 14, 196313.12+2.12Minor3,830
29Jan 21, 199613.05+2.05Minor4,950
30Apr 29, 197313.00+2.00Minor4,500
31Jun 24, 201812.98+1.98Minor4,100
32Apr 7, 196012.82+1.82Minor3,560
33Mar 22, 195812.80+1.80Minor3,420
34Oct 3, 197912.71+1.71Minor4,600
35Dec 23, 197312.69+1.69Minor4,230
36Apr 17, 198312.69+1.69Minor4,590
37Jun 1, 197112.66+1.66Minor3,840
38Oct 13, 201812.50+1.50Minor3,660
39Apr 20, 198712.37+1.37Minor4,260
40Dec 13, 200312.36+1.36Minor4,230
41Jan 2, 197612.19+1.19Minor3,780
42Mar 18, 200712.11+1.11Minor3,990
43Oct 31, 202012.02+1.02Minor3,270
44Jun 16, 202511.92+0.92Minor3,182
45Mar 23, 201911.87+0.87Minor3,140
46Dec 26, 202011.85+0.85Minor3,120
47Dec 28, 200911.81+0.81Minor3,270
48Nov 3, 195611.70+0.70Minor2,570
49Sep 10, 201111.61+0.61Minor3,530
50Nov 6, 198511.30+0.30Minor3,240

The worst floods along the Mattaponi River

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

June 23, 1972: 18.95 ft here, minor flooding

August 21, 1969: 16.70 ft here, minor flooding

  • BeulahvilleVA · Aug 23, 1969 · 24.04 ft · Minor · its highest

February 27, 1979: 16.01 ft here, minor flooding

Gauges on the Mattaponi River

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

Flood gauges on the Mattaponi River
Bowling Green this gaugeVA11.018.95 ft, Jun 23, 19720
BeulahvilleVA20.024.04 ft, Aug 23, 19690

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BWLV2, 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.