Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

North Fork Holston River near Gate City

Highest listed crest 22.50 ftFlood stage 12.0 ft45 crests since 1862

The North Fork Holston River near Gate City crested at major flood stage 4 times among the 45 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1862 to 2025. The highest, 22.50 ft on February 1, 1862, was major flooding, 10.50 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
22.50 ft
February 1, 1862; 54,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
12.0 ft
Major flooding from 18.0 ft
Crests at major
4
40th of 242 gauges in Virginia
Most recent flood crest
February 16, 2025
15.89 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Scott County
Near Kingsport (6.3 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, North Fork Holston River near Gate City
Action stage10.01Apr 11, 2003The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)12.027Feb 18, 2023Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage15.013Feb 16, 2025Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage18.04Apr 24, 2017Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

45 crests from 1862 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the North Fork Holston River near Gate City, 1862 to 2025 10152025ft Flood stage 12.0 ftMajor 18.0 ft Feb 1, 1862: 22.50 ft, major flooding; 54,000 cubic feet per secondAug 14, 1940: 14.75 ft, minor flooding; 23,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 1944: 14.44 ft, minor flooding; 22,700 cubic feet per secondJan 8, 1946: 13.70 ft, minor flooding; 21,000 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 1947: 12.10 ft, minor flooding; 17,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1948: 12.10 ft, minor flooding; 17,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 2, 1950: 12.75 ft, minor flooding; 18,700 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1956: 14.10 ft, minor flooding; 22,000 cubic feet per secondJan 30, 1957: 16.73 ft, moderate flooding; 28,700 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1958: 13.95 ft, minor flooding; 21,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 1961: 12.96 ft, minor flooding; 19,200 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1963: 16.42 ft, moderate flooding; 30,000 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 1969: 14.13 ft, minor floodingApr 28, 1970: 14.32 ft, minor flooding; 23,400 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1971: 13.59 ft, minor flooding; 21,200 cubic feet per secondDec 11, 1972: 15.62 ft, moderate flooding; 27,400 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1973: 15.14 ft, moderate floodingMar 14, 1975: 13.66 ft, minor floodingMar 30, 1975: 15.83 ft, moderate flooding; 28,100 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1977: 19.79 ft, major flooding; 41,000 cubic feet per secondNov 7, 1977: 13.91 ft, minor floodingJan 26, 1978: 14.42 ft, minor flooding; 23,600 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 1979: 13.75 ft, minor flooding; 21,700 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1984: 15.27 ft, moderate flooding; 26,100 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1987: 12.28 ft, minor flooding; 17,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 11, 1994: 15.00 ft, moderate flooding; 25,300 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 1996: 13.96 ft, minor flooding; 22,200 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1997: 12.17 ft, minor flooding; 17,300 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1998: 14.11 ft, minor flooding; 22,700 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 2002: 19.36 ft, major flooding; 39,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 2003: 13.60 ft, minor floodingApr 11, 2003: 11.92 ft, action stageNov 20, 2003: 15.10 ft, moderate flooding; 25,690 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 2013: 13.61 ft, minor flooding; 19,700 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 2013: 12.95 ft, minor flooding; 17,900 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 2015: 12.46 ft, minor flooding; 16,600 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 2017: 18.54 ft, major flooding; 19,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 12, 2018: 17.45 ft, moderate flooding; 21,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 2019: 15.89 ft, moderate flooding; 21,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 2020: 16.33 ft, moderate flooding; 29,100 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 2020: 15.97 ft, moderate flooding; 28,000 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 2021: 14.99 ft, minor flooding; 23,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 2022: 12.45 ft, minor flooding; 16,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 2023: 12.72 ft, minor flooding; 17,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 2025: 15.89 ft, moderate flooding; 26,200 cubic feet per second Highest, 22.50 ft, Feb 1, 1862 1880192019602000

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, North Fork Holston River near Gate City 1860s: 1 1870s: 0 1880s: 0 1890s: 0 1900s: 0 1910s: 0 1920s: 0 1930s: 0 1940s: 5 1950s: 4 1960s: 3 1970s: 10 10 1980s: 2 1990s: 4 2000s: 3 2010s: 6 2020s: 6 1860s1880s1900s1920s1940s1960s1980s2000s2020s
  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

Highest listed crests, North Fork Holston River near Gate City
1Feb 1, 186222.50+10.50Major54,000
2Apr 5, 197719.79+7.79Major41,000
3Mar 18, 200219.36+7.36Major39,400
4Apr 24, 201718.54+6.54Major19,600
5Feb 12, 201817.45+5.45Moderate21,200
6Jan 30, 195716.73+4.73Moderate28,700
7Mar 12, 196316.42+4.42Moderate30,000
8Feb 7, 202016.33+4.33Moderate29,100
9Apr 13, 202015.97+3.97Moderate28,000
10Feb 24, 201915.89+3.89Moderate21,300
11Feb 16, 202515.89+3.89Moderate26,200
12Mar 30, 197515.83+3.83Moderate28,100
13Dec 11, 197215.62+3.62Moderate27,400
14May 8, 198415.27+3.27Moderate26,100
15Mar 17, 197315.14+3.14Moderate—
16Nov 20, 200315.10+3.10Moderate25,690
17Feb 11, 199415.00+3.00Moderate25,300
18Mar 28, 202114.99+2.99Minor23,900
19Aug 14, 194014.75+2.75Minor23,700
20Feb 18, 194414.44+2.44Minor22,700
21Jan 26, 197814.42+2.42Minor23,600
22Apr 28, 197014.32+2.32Minor23,400
23Dec 31, 196914.13+2.13Minor—
24Apr 17, 199814.11+2.11Minor22,700
25Apr 16, 195614.10+2.10Minor22,000
26Jan 27, 199613.96+1.96Minor22,200
27May 7, 195813.95+1.95Minor21,600
28Nov 7, 197713.91+1.91Minor—
29Jan 22, 197913.75+1.75Minor21,700
30Jan 8, 194613.70+1.70Minor21,000
31Mar 14, 197513.66+1.66Minor—
32Jan 16, 201313.61+1.61Minor19,700
33Feb 17, 200313.60+1.60Minor—
34May 7, 197113.59+1.59Minor21,200
35Feb 26, 196112.96+0.96Minor19,200
36Jan 31, 201312.95+0.95Minor17,900
37Feb 2, 195012.75+0.75Minor18,700
38Feb 18, 202312.72+0.72Minor17,200
39Mar 5, 201512.46+0.46Minor16,600
40Feb 25, 202212.45+0.45Minor16,500
41Apr 17, 198712.28+0.28Minor17,600
42Mar 4, 199712.17+0.17Minor17,300
43Jan 16, 194712.10+0.10Minor17,000
44Feb 14, 194812.10+0.10Minor17,000
45Apr 11, 200311.92−0.08Action—

The worst floods along the North Fork Holston River

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

April 5, 1977: 19.79 ft here, major flooding

  • SaltvilleVA · Apr 5, 1977 · 12.98 ft · Moderate

March 18, 2002: 19.36 ft here, major flooding

  • SaltvilleVA · Mar 18, 2002 · 14.83 ft · Major

Gauges on the North Fork Holston River

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

Flood gauges on the North Fork Holston River
SaltvilleVA10.015.46 ft, Nov 19, 20032
Gate City this gaugeVA12.022.50 ft, Feb 1, 18624

Other gauges in Scott County

Flood gauges in Scott County
Gate City9.011.23 ft, Feb 16, 20250
Dungannon12.014.85 ft, Feb 16, 20250
Speers Ferry18.036.69 ft, Apr 5, 19773
Stoney Creek6.58.60 ft, Mar 28, 20210
Fort Blackmore 3NNW13.014.94 ft, Feb 15, 20250

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge GATV2, 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.