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Middle Fork Holston River at Seven Mile Ford

Highest listed crest 10.75 ftFlood stage 8.0 ft75 crests since 1942

The Middle Fork Holston River at Seven Mile Ford crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 75 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1942 to 2025. The highest, 10.75 ft on January 29, 1957, was major flooding, 2.75 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
10.75 ft
January 29, 1957; 7,680 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
8.0 ft
Major flooding from 10.0 ft
Crests at major
3
55th of 242 gauges in Virginia
Most recent flood crest
September 27, 2024
9.00 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Smyth County
Virginia

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Middle Fork Holston River at Seven Mile Ford
Action stage7.06May 7, 1984The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)8.010Nov 19, 2003Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage9.02Sep 27, 2024Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage10.03Nov 6, 1977Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

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

Listed crests at the Middle Fork Holston River at Seven Mile Ford, 1942 to 2025 24681012ft Flood stage 8.0 ftMajor 10.0 ft Aug 9, 1942: 8.30 ft, minor flooding; 4,290 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 1942: 7.77 ft, action stage; 3,840 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 1944: 8.98 ft, minor flooding; 4,980 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 1945: 7.74 ft, action stage; 3,750 cubic feet per secondJan 7, 1946: 8.30 ft, minor flooding; 4,290 cubic feet per secondAug 4, 1947: 9.86 ft, moderate flooding; 6,570 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1948: 7.33 ft, action stage; 3,390 cubic feet per secondFeb 2, 1950: 7.28 ft, action stage; 3,190 cubic feet per secondDec 7, 1950: 7.44 ft, action stage; 3,280 cubic feet per secondJan 28, 1952: 5.14 ft, below flood stage; 1,540 cubic feet per secondJul 7, 1953: 6.54 ft, below flood stage; 2,540 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 1954: 8.08 ft, minor flooding; 3,910 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1955: 8.28 ft, minor flooding; 4,600 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1956: 8.62 ft, minor flooding; 5,020 cubic feet per secondJan 29, 1957: 10.75 ft, major flooding; 7,680 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 1958: 5.67 ft, below flood stage; 1,820 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 1959: 6.65 ft, below flood stage; 2,540 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1960: 6.30 ft, below flood stage; 2,290 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 1961: 10.35 ft, major flooding; 7,220 cubic feet per secondDec 18, 1961: 5.53 ft, below flood stage; 4,880 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1963: 6.08 ft, below flood stage; 5,800 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1964: 3.68 ft, below flood stage; 2,200 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 1965: 4.90 ft, below flood stage; 4,590 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1966: 3.71 ft, below flood stage; 2,260 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1967: 3.92 ft, below flood stage; 2,680 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 1968: 3.71 ft, below flood stage; 2,260 cubic feet per secondFeb 2, 1969: 3.17 ft, below flood stage; 1,480 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1969: 4.29 ft, below flood stage; 3,500 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 1969: 4.19 ft, below flood stage; 3,280 cubic feet per secondSep 30, 1972: 5.71 ft, below flood stage; 5,720 cubic feet per secondDec 10, 1972: 6.15 ft, below flood stage; 6,240 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 1974: 3.80 ft, below flood stage; 2,440 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1975: 6.15 ft, below flood stage; 6,240 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1977: 8.54 ft, minor flooding; 10,900 cubic feet per secondNov 6, 1977: 10.33 ft, major flooding; 14,500 cubic feet per secondJan 21, 1979: 3.72 ft, below flood stage; 2,280 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1980: 3.46 ft, below flood stage; 1,840 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1981: 3.67 ft, below flood stage; 2,200 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1982: 4.06 ft, below flood stage; 2,960 cubic feet per secondDec 16, 1982: 3.26 ft, below flood stage; 1,580 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1984: 7.07 ft, action stage; 8,030 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 1985: 3.61 ft, below flood stage; 2,100 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1987: 4.20 ft, below flood stage; 3,260 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 1988: 3.20 ft, below flood stage; 1,510 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 1989: 5.14 ft, below flood stage; 4,860 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 1990: 4.65 ft, below flood stage; 4,070 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 1991: 4.73 ft, below flood stage; 4,210 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1992: 3.58 ft, below flood stage; 2,050 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1993: 4.48 ft, below flood stage; 3,780 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1994: 5.80 ft, below flood stage; 5,880 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 1996: 5.29 ft, below flood stage; 5,080 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1997: 4.61 ft, below flood stage; 4,000 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1998: 3.63 ft, below flood stage; 2,130 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 1999: 2.83 ft, below flood stage; 1,110 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 2000: 2.73 ft, below flood stage; 1,010 cubic feet per secondJul 30, 2001: 8.05 ft, minor flooding; 9,900 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 2002: 8.09 ft, minor flooding; 9,980 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 2003: 6.40 ft, below flood stage; 6,870 cubic feet per secondNov 19, 2003: 8.31 ft, minor flooding; 10,400 cubic feet per secondJan 14, 2005: 2.66 ft, below flood stage; 936 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2006: 3.00 ft, below flood stage; 1,290 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 2007: 2.96 ft, below flood stage; 1,240 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 2008: 3.39 ft, below flood stage; 1,740 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 2009: 3.46 ft, below flood stage; 1,850 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 2011: 4.83 ft, below flood stage; 4,354 cubic feet per secondDec 7, 2011: 3.55 ft, below flood stage; 2,000 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 2013: 5.31 ft, below flood stage; 5,110 cubic feet per secondDec 29, 2013: 2.98 ft, below flood stage; 1,260 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 2015: 4.02 ft, below flood stage; 2,870 cubic feet per secondDec 24, 2015: 3.82 ft, below flood stage; 2,480 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 2017: 6.70 ft, below flood stage; 6,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 2023: 4.54 ft, below flood stage; 3,530 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 2024: 3.33 ft, below flood stage; 1,810 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 2024: 9.00 ft, moderate flooding; 11,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 2025: 6.81 ft, below flood stage; 7,571 cubic feet per second Highest, 10.75 ft, Jan 29, 1957 1960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Middle Fork Holston River at Seven Mile Ford 1940s: 4 4 1950s: 4 1960s: 1 1970s: 2 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 3 2010s: 0 2020s: 1 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.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 75 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Middle Fork Holston River at Seven Mile Ford
1Jan 29, 195710.75+2.75Major7,680
2May 12, 196110.35+2.35Major7,220
3Nov 6, 197710.33+2.33Major14,500
4Aug 4, 19479.86+1.86Moderate6,570
5Sep 27, 20249.00+1.00Moderate11,800
6Feb 18, 19448.98+0.98Minor4,980
7Apr 16, 19568.62+0.62Minor5,020
8Apr 5, 19778.54+0.54Minor10,900
9Nov 19, 20038.31+0.31Minor10,400
10Aug 9, 19428.30+0.30Minor4,290
11Jan 7, 19468.30+0.30Minor4,290
12Mar 18, 19558.28+0.28Minor4,600
13Mar 18, 20028.09+0.09Minor9,980
14Jan 22, 19548.08+0.08Minor3,910
15Jul 30, 20018.05+0.05Minor9,900
16Dec 30, 19427.77−0.23Action3,840
17Feb 17, 19457.74−0.26Action3,750
18Dec 7, 19507.44−0.56Action3,280
19Feb 14, 19487.33−0.67Action3,390
20Feb 2, 19507.28−0.72Action3,190
21May 7, 19847.07−0.93Action8,030
22Feb 16, 20256.81−1.19Below flood stage7,571
23Apr 24, 20176.70−1.30Below flood stage6,800
24Apr 12, 19596.65−1.35Below flood stage2,540
25Jul 7, 19536.54−1.46Below flood stage2,540
26Feb 22, 20036.40−1.60Below flood stage6,870
27Mar 30, 19606.30−1.70Below flood stage2,290
28Dec 10, 19726.15−1.85Below flood stage6,240
29Mar 30, 19756.15−1.85Below flood stage6,240
30Mar 12, 19636.08−1.92Below flood stage5,800
31Mar 28, 19945.80−2.20Below flood stage5,880
32Sep 30, 19725.71−2.29Below flood stage5,720
33May 6, 19585.67−2.33Below flood stage1,820
34Dec 18, 19615.53−2.47Below flood stage4,880
35Jan 31, 20135.31−2.69Below flood stage5,110
36Jan 9, 19965.29−2.71Below flood stage5,080
37Jan 28, 19525.14−2.86Below flood stage1,540
38Sep 22, 19895.14−2.86Below flood stage4,860
39Mar 26, 19654.90−3.10Below flood stage4,590
40Mar 1, 20114.83−3.17Below flood stage4,354
41Jun 23, 19914.73−3.27Below flood stage4,210
42Jan 1, 19904.65−3.35Below flood stage4,070
43Mar 3, 19974.61−3.39Below flood stage4,000
44Feb 17, 20234.54−3.46Below flood stage3,530
45Mar 24, 19934.48−3.52Below flood stage3,780
46May 7, 19694.29−3.71Below flood stage3,500
47Apr 16, 19874.20−3.80Below flood stage3,260
48Dec 31, 19694.19−3.81Below flood stage3,280
49Jun 13, 19824.06−3.94Below flood stage2,960
50Apr 20, 20154.02−3.98Below flood stage2,870

The worst floods along the Middle Fork Holston River

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

September 27, 2024: 9.00 ft here, moderate flooding

Gauges on the Middle Fork Holston River

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

Flood gauges on the Middle Fork Holston River
Seven Mile Ford this gaugeVA8.010.75 ft, Jan 29, 19573
Meadowview 4SEVA8.012.05 ft, Sep 28, 20240

Other gauges in Smyth County

Flood gauges in Smyth County
Saltville10.015.46 ft, Nov 19, 20032
Riverside nr Chilhowie7.010.87 ft, Sep 27, 20240

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SMFV2, 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.