Nansemond River at Suffolk (IN MLLW)

Highest listed crest 10.71 ftFlood stage 5.5 ft70 crests since 2015

The Nansemond River at Suffolk (IN MLLW) crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 70 crests the National Weather Service lists from 2015 to 2026. The highest, 10.71 ft on October 9, 2016, was major flooding, 5.21 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
10.71 ft
October 9, 2016
Flood stage
5.5 ft
Major flooding from 8.0 ft
Crests at major
3
55th of 242 gauges in Virginia
Most recent flood crest
September 25, 2026
7.42 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Suffolk city
Near Suffolk (4.1 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Nansemond River at Suffolk (IN MLLW)
Action stage5.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)5.563Dec 8, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage7.04Sep 25, 2026Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage8.03Jan 3, 2022Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

70 crests from 2015 to 2026. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Nansemond River at Suffolk (IN MLLW), 2015 to 2026 4681012ft Flood stage 5.5 ftMajor 8.0 ft Sep 26, 2015: 6.61 ft, minor floodingOct 4, 2015: 8.47 ft, major floodingJan 23, 2016: 6.35 ft, minor floodingFeb 9, 2016: 5.83 ft, minor floodingMay 5, 2016: 6.21 ft, minor floodingSep 3, 2016: 7.76 ft, moderate floodingSep 29, 2016: 5.93 ft, minor floodingOct 9, 2016: 10.71 ft, major floodingJan 24, 2017: 5.77 ft, minor floodingMay 13, 2017: 5.53 ft, minor floodingJun 7, 2017: 5.55 ft, minor floodingJul 29, 2017: 5.64 ft, minor floodingAug 29, 2017: 6.64 ft, minor floodingSep 19, 2017: 6.24 ft, minor floodingNov 4, 2017: 5.50 ft, minor floodingNov 8, 2017: 5.85 ft, minor floodingMar 4, 2018: 5.93 ft, minor floodingMar 21, 2018: 6.20 ft, minor floodingAug 26, 2019: 6.25 ft, minor floodingSep 6, 2019: 6.70 ft, minor floodingSep 19, 2019: 5.62 ft, minor floodingOct 4, 2019: 5.58 ft, minor floodingOct 11, 2019: 6.32 ft, minor floodingOct 28, 2019: 5.59 ft, minor floodingNov 17, 2019: 6.45 ft, minor floodingMar 26, 2020: 5.60 ft, minor floodingApr 1, 2020: 6.98 ft, minor floodingMay 6, 2020: 5.51 ft, minor floodingMay 19, 2020: 6.73 ft, minor floodingJun 16, 2020: 6.08 ft, minor floodingAug 16, 2020: 5.70 ft, minor floodingSep 21, 2020: 6.35 ft, minor floodingOct 17, 2020: 5.76 ft, minor floodingOct 31, 2020: 5.57 ft, minor floodingNov 12, 2020: 5.78 ft, minor floodingJan 28, 2021: 5.60 ft, minor floodingMar 19, 2021: 6.04 ft, minor floodingMay 30, 2021: 6.75 ft, minor floodingOct 10, 2021: 6.36 ft, minor floodingNov 7, 2021: 6.55 ft, minor floodingJan 3, 2022: 8.05 ft, major floodingMay 10, 2022: 6.97 ft, minor floodingSep 8, 2022: 6.04 ft, minor floodingSep 30, 2022: 7.63 ft, moderate floodingOct 29, 2022: 5.51 ft, minor floodingNov 8, 2022: 5.82 ft, minor floodingJun 3, 2023: 6.01 ft, minor floodingJun 21, 2023: 6.13 ft, minor floodingSep 1, 2023: 5.79 ft, minor floodingSep 22, 2023: 6.14 ft, minor floodingSep 27, 2023: 6.45 ft, minor floodingOct 15, 2023: 5.94 ft, minor floodingNov 1, 2023: 5.52 ft, minor floodingNov 25, 2023: 5.84 ft, minor floodingDec 18, 2023: 5.52 ft, minor floodingFeb 6, 2024: 6.06 ft, minor floodingMar 9, 2024: 5.73 ft, minor floodingMar 25, 2024: 5.68 ft, minor floodingMay 11, 2024: 6.16 ft, minor floodingSep 22, 2024: 6.09 ft, minor floodingOct 1, 2024: 5.80 ft, minor floodingNov 15, 2024: 6.51 ft, minor floodingMay 21, 2025: 5.79 ft, minor floodingAug 21, 2025: 6.56 ft, minor floodingSep 10, 2025: 5.92 ft, minor floodingSep 16, 2025: 6.61 ft, minor floodingOct 12, 2025: 7.64 ft, moderate floodingOct 28, 2025: 6.63 ft, minor floodingDec 8, 2025: 5.58 ft, minor floodingSep 25, 2026: 7.42 ft, moderate flooding Highest, 10.71 ft, Oct 9, 2016 201520202025

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Nansemond River at Suffolk (IN MLLW) 2010s: 25 2020s: 45 45 2010s2020s
  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 70 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Nansemond River at Suffolk (IN MLLW)
1Oct 9, 201610.71+5.21Major—
2Oct 4, 20158.47+2.97Major—
3Jan 3, 20228.05+2.55Major—
4Sep 3, 20167.76+2.26Moderate—
5Oct 12, 20257.64+2.14Moderate—
6Sep 30, 20227.63+2.13Moderate—
7Sep 25, 20267.42+1.92Moderate—
8Apr 1, 20206.98+1.48Minor—
9May 10, 20226.97+1.47Minor—
10May 30, 20216.75+1.25Minor—
11May 19, 20206.73+1.23Minor—
12Sep 6, 20196.70+1.20Minor—
13Aug 29, 20176.64+1.14Minor—
14Oct 28, 20256.63+1.13Minor—
15Sep 26, 20156.61+1.11Minor—
16Sep 16, 20256.61+1.11Minor—
17Aug 21, 20256.56+1.06Minor—
18Nov 7, 20216.55+1.05Minor—
19Nov 15, 20246.51+1.01Minor—
20Nov 17, 20196.45+0.95Minor—
21Sep 27, 20236.45+0.95Minor—
22Oct 10, 20216.36+0.86Minor—
23Jan 23, 20166.35+0.85Minor—
24Sep 21, 20206.35+0.85Minor—
25Oct 11, 20196.32+0.82Minor—
26Aug 26, 20196.25+0.75Minor—
27Sep 19, 20176.24+0.74Minor—
28May 5, 20166.21+0.71Minor—
29Mar 21, 20186.20+0.70Minor—
30May 11, 20246.16+0.66Minor—
31Sep 22, 20236.14+0.64Minor—
32Jun 21, 20236.13+0.63Minor—
33Sep 22, 20246.09+0.59Minor—
34Jun 16, 20206.08+0.58Minor—
35Feb 6, 20246.06+0.56Minor—
36Mar 19, 20216.04+0.54Minor—
37Sep 8, 20226.04+0.54Minor—
38Jun 3, 20236.01+0.51Minor—
39Oct 15, 20235.94+0.44Minor—
40Sep 29, 20165.93+0.43Minor—
41Mar 4, 20185.93+0.43Minor—
42Sep 10, 20255.92+0.42Minor—
43Nov 8, 20175.85+0.35Minor—
44Nov 25, 20235.84+0.34Minor—
45Feb 9, 20165.83+0.33Minor—
46Nov 8, 20225.82+0.32Minor—
47Oct 1, 20245.80+0.30Minor—
48Sep 1, 20235.79+0.29Minor—
49May 21, 20255.79+0.29Minor—
50Nov 12, 20205.78+0.28Minor—

The worst floods along the Nansemond River

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

October 12, 2025: 7.64 ft here, moderate flooding

Gauges on the Nansemond River

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

Flood gauges on the Nansemond River
Sleepy Hole Park (IN MLLW)VA6.07.30 ft, Oct 12, 20250
Suffolk (IN MLLW) this gaugeVA5.510.71 ft, Oct 9, 20163

Other gauges in Suffolk city

Flood gauges in Suffolk city
Sleepy Hole Park (IN MLLW)6.07.30 ft, Oct 12, 20250

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge NMDV2, 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.