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North Fork Shenandoah River near Mount Jackson

Highest listed crest 22.17 ftFlood stage 13.0 ft42 crests since 1956

The North Fork Shenandoah River near Mount Jackson crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 42 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1956 to 2021. The highest, 22.17 ft on September 6, 1996, was major flooding, 9.17 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the North Fork Shenandoah River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 2 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
22.17 ft
September 6, 1996; 103,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
13.0 ft
Major flooding from 22.0 ft
Crests at major
1
90th of 242 gauges in Virginia
Most recent flood crest
September 18, 2018
13.05 ft, minor flooding
Location
Shenandoah County
Virginia

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, North Fork Shenandoah River near Mount Jackson
Action stage6.018Sep 2, 2021The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)13.023Sep 18, 2018Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage18.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage22.01Sep 6, 1996Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

42 crests from 1956 to 2021. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the North Fork Shenandoah River near Mount Jackson, 1956 to 2021 510152025ft Flood stage 13.0 ftMajor 22.0 ft Aug 6, 1956: 7.30 ft, action stage; 3,300 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 1976: 12.29 ft, action stage; 9,800 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1982: 11.15 ft, action stage; 7,840 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 1983: 11.51 ft, action stage; 8,420 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1984: 14.06 ft, minor flooding; 15,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 12, 1985: 9.90 ft, action stage; 6,960 cubic feet per secondNov 5, 1985: 17.79 ft, minor flooding; 50,800 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1987: 15.08 ft, minor flooding; 19,600 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 1988: 12.74 ft, action stage; 12,500 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 1989: 8.95 ft, action stage; 5,570 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 1990: 8.79 ft, action stage; 5,350 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1991: 13.88 ft, minor flooding; 15,000 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1992: 14.22 ft, minor flooding; 16,000 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1993: 15.26 ft, minor flooding; 20,700 cubic feet per secondAug 18, 1994: 15.11 ft, minor flooding; 19,800 cubic feet per secondJan 15, 1995: 13.14 ft, minor flooding; 13,400 cubic feet per secondSep 6, 1996: 22.17 ft, major flooding; 103,000 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1997: 11.92 ft, action stage; 10,200 cubic feet per secondJan 8, 1998: 13.54 ft, minor flooding; 13,300 cubic feet per secondSep 6, 1999: 7.95 ft, action stage; 4,260 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 2000: 6.09 ft, action stage; 2,260 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 2001: 14.15 ft, minor flooding; 14,900 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 2002: 12.21 ft, action stage; 10,800 cubic feet per secondSep 19, 2003: 16.36 ft, minor flooding; 27,900 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 2004: 14.11 ft, minor flooding; 14,700 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 2005: 8.92 ft, action stage; 5,510 cubic feet per secondNov 30, 2005: 14.12 ft, minor flooding; 14,800 cubic feet per secondNov 16, 2006: 14.08 ft, minor flooding; 14,600 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 2008: 7.46 ft, action stage; 3,680 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 2009: 8.07 ft, action stage; 4,410 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 2010: 14.03 ft, minor flooding; 14,500 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 2011: 12.41 ft, action stageApr 17, 2011: 15.08 ft, minor floodingApr 28, 2011: 12.19 ft, action stageMay 18, 2011: 14.34 ft, minor floodingMay 8, 2013: 13.23 ft, minor flooding; 12,659 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 2014: 13.27 ft, minor flooding; 12,740 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 2018: 14.67 ft, minor flooding; 17,222 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 2018: 14.20 ft, minor flooding; 15,060 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 2018: 14.54 ft, minor flooding; 16,553 cubic feet per secondSep 18, 2018: 13.05 ft, minor flooding; 12,347 cubic feet per secondSep 2, 2021: 11.16 ft, action stage; 8,930 cubic feet per second Highest, 22.17 ft, Sep 6, 1996 1960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, North Fork Shenandoah River near Mount Jackson 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 3 1990s: 7 2000s: 5 2010s: 9 9 2020s: 0 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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. 36 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 20.20 ft on Oct 1, 1942; 11.35 ft on May 7, 1944; 16.00 ft on Sep 18, 1945; 10.02 ft on May 4, 1946; 8.00 ft on Mar 14, 1947; 11.30 ft on Feb 14, 1948; and more.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, North Fork Shenandoah River near Mount Jackson
1Sep 6, 199622.17+9.17Major103,000
2Nov 5, 198517.79+4.79Minor50,800
3Sep 19, 200316.36+3.36Minor27,900
4Mar 4, 199315.26+2.26Minor20,700
5Aug 18, 199415.11+2.11Minor19,800
6Apr 17, 198715.08+2.08Minor19,600
7Apr 17, 201115.08+2.08Minor—
8May 22, 201814.67+1.67Minor17,222
9Jun 22, 201814.54+1.54Minor16,553
10May 18, 201114.34+1.34Minor—
11Apr 22, 199214.22+1.22Minor16,000
12Jun 3, 201814.20+1.20Minor15,060
13Jun 23, 200114.15+1.15Minor14,900
14Nov 30, 200514.12+1.12Minor14,800
15Sep 28, 200414.11+1.11Minor14,700
16Nov 16, 200614.08+1.08Minor14,600
17Feb 14, 198414.06+1.06Minor15,500
18Jan 25, 201014.03+1.03Minor14,500
19Mar 23, 199113.88+0.88Minor15,000
20Jan 8, 199813.54+0.54Minor13,300
21May 16, 201413.27+0.27Minor12,740
22May 8, 201313.23+0.23Minor12,659
23Jan 15, 199513.14+0.14Minor13,400
24Sep 18, 201813.05+0.05Minor12,347
25May 6, 198812.74−0.26Action12,500
26Mar 11, 201112.41−0.59Action—
27Jan 1, 197612.29−0.71Action9,800
28Apr 22, 200212.21−0.79Action10,800
29Apr 28, 201112.19−0.81Action—
30Mar 3, 199711.92−1.08Action10,200
31Apr 15, 198311.51−1.49Action8,420
32Sep 2, 202111.16−1.84Action8,930
33Jun 13, 198211.15−1.85Action7,840
34Feb 12, 19859.90−3.10Action6,960
35May 2, 19898.95−4.05Action5,570
36Mar 28, 20058.92−4.08Action5,510
37May 29, 19908.79−4.21Action5,350
38May 4, 20098.07−4.93Action4,410
39Sep 6, 19997.95−5.05Action4,260
40May 12, 20087.46−5.54Action3,680
41Aug 6, 19567.30−5.70Action3,300
42Feb 19, 20006.09−6.91Action2,260

The worst floods along the North Fork Shenandoah River

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

September 6, 1996: 22.17 ft here, major flooding

  • StrasburgVA · Sep 7, 1996 · 32.27 ft · Major · its highest
  • Cootes StoreVA · Sep 6, 1996 · 27.86 ft · Major · its highest

November 5, 1985: 17.79 ft here, minor flooding

September 19, 2003: 16.36 ft here, minor flooding

Gauges on the North Fork Shenandoah River

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

Flood gauges on the North Fork Shenandoah River
Cootes StoreVA15.027.86 ft, Sep 6, 19964
Mount Jackson this gaugeVA13.022.17 ft, Sep 6, 19961
StrasburgVA17.032.27 ft, Sep 7, 19965

Other gauges in Shenandoah County

Flood gauges in Shenandoah County
New Market8.017.62 ft, Sep 6, 19963

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge MOJV2, 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.