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North Fork Shenandoah River near Strasburg

Highest listed crest 32.27 ftFlood stage 17.0 ft74 crests since 1926

The North Fork Shenandoah River near Strasburg crested at major flood stage 5 times among the 74 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1926 to 2018. The highest, 32.27 ft on September 7, 1996, was major flooding, 15.27 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
32.27 ft
September 7, 1996; 114,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
17.0 ft
Major flooding from 25.0 ft
Crests at major
5
32nd of 242 gauges in Virginia
Most recent flood crest
June 23, 2018
17.77 ft, minor flooding
Location
Warren County
Near Front Royal (9.0 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 Shenandoah River near Strasburg
Action stage10.050Oct 30, 2012The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)17.013Jun 23, 2018Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage20.06Mar 20, 1975Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage25.05Sep 7, 1996Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

74 crests from 1926 to 2018. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the North Fork Shenandoah River near Strasburg, 1926 to 2018 101520253035ft Flood stage 17.0 ftMajor 25.0 ft Nov 17, 1926: 12.11 ft, action stage; 10,100 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 1928: 15.50 ft, action stage; 14,200 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1929: 16.30 ft, action stage; 15,600 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 1932: 12.72 ft, action stage; 9,600 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1933: 16.65 ft, action stage; 16,200 cubic feet per secondDec 2, 1934: 18.99 ft, minor flooding; 20,500 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1936: 30.21 ft, major flooding; 89,000 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 1937: 20.93 ft, moderate flooding; 24,900 cubic feet per secondOct 29, 1937: 13.48 ft, action stage; 10,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 1939: 15.65 ft, action stage; 14,200 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1940: 10.02 ft, action stage; 6,740 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1941: 10.42 ft, action stage; 7,160 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1942: 19.28 ft, minor flooding; 21,400 cubic feet per secondOct 16, 1942: 31.20 ft, major flooding; 100,000 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1944: 11.80 ft, action stage; 8,810 cubic feet per secondSep 19, 1945: 20.40 ft, moderate flooding; 24,000 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 1946: 10.02 ft, action stage; 6,740 cubic feet per secondOct 6, 1948: 12.50 ft, action stage; 9,720 cubic feet per secondSep 14, 1950: 10.96 ft, action stage; 7,820 cubic feet per secondDec 5, 1950: 16.91 ft, action stage; 16,700 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 1952: 16.24 ft, action stage; 15,500 cubic feet per secondNov 22, 1952: 14.20 ft, action stage; 12,100 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 1954: 13.63 ft, action stage; 11,500 cubic feet per secondOct 16, 1954: 18.25 ft, minor flooding; 19,300 cubic feet per secondAug 18, 1955: 23.55 ft, moderate flooding; 36,100 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1957: 11.47 ft, action stage; 8,760 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 1959: 14.89 ft, action stage; 13,400 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 1959: 15.31 ft, action stage; 14,100 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 1961: 11.26 ft, action stage; 8,890 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1962: 11.93 ft, action stage; 9,670 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1963: 16.44 ft, action stage; 16,400 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1964: 10.77 ft, action stage; 8,260 cubic feet per secondFeb 8, 1965: 11.58 ft, action stage; 9,280 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1967: 15.56 ft, action stage; 15,000 cubic feet per secondAug 2, 1969: 10.62 ft, action stage; 8,040 cubic feet per secondJul 10, 1970: 11.31 ft, action stage; 8,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1971: 16.13 ft, action stage; 15,900 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1972: 20.88 ft, moderate flooding; 25,100 cubic feet per secondOct 6, 1972: 23.48 ft, moderate flooding; 35,700 cubic feet per secondDec 27, 1973: 17.33 ft, minor flooding; 18,000 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1975: 21.22 ft, moderate flooding; 26,100 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 1976: 15.19 ft, action stage; 14,400 cubic feet per secondOct 10, 1976: 19.33 ft, minor flooding; 21,800 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 1978: 17.21 ft, minor flooding; 17,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 1979: 15.42 ft, action stage; 14,800 cubic feet per secondOct 3, 1979: 14.67 ft, action stage; 13,600 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1982: 11.90 ft, action stage; 9,670 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1983: 12.04 ft, action stage; 9,860 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 1984: 16.86 ft, action stage; 17,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1985: 10.36 ft, action stage; 7,720 cubic feet per secondNov 5, 1985: 27.37 ft, major flooding; 62,600 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1987: 18.27 ft, minor flooding; 19,800 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1988: 13.03 ft, action stage; 11,200 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1991: 15.28 ft, action stage; 14,600 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1992: 15.88 ft, action stage; 15,600 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1993: 19.06 ft, minor flooding; 21,300 cubic feet per secondAug 18, 1994: 15.38 ft, action stage; 14,700 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 1995: 13.06 ft, action stage; 11,300 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 1996: 27.96 ft, major flooding; 67,600 cubic feet per secondSep 7, 1996: 32.27 ft, major flooding; 114,000 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1997: 12.51 ft, action stage; 10,500 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 1998: 14.90 ft, action stage; 14,000 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 2001: 14.37 ft, action stage; 13,300 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 2002: 12.21 ft, action stage; 10,200 cubic feet per secondSep 20, 2003: 19.27 ft, minor floodingSep 29, 2004: 14.14 ft, action stage; 12,900 cubic feet per secondNov 30, 2005: 14.37 ft, action stage; 13,300 cubic feet per secondNov 17, 2006: 14.16 ft, action stage; 12,900 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 2010: 15.72 ft, action stage; 15,300 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 2011: 18.33 ft, minor flooding; 19,799 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 2011: 19.07 ft, minor flooding; 21,459 cubic feet per secondOct 30, 2012: 15.63 ft, action stage; 15,500 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2018: 18.13 ft, minor flooding; 19,147 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 2018: 17.77 ft, minor flooding; 18,567 cubic feet per second Highest, 32.27 ft, Sep 7, 1996 1940196019802000

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, North Fork Shenandoah River near Strasburg 1920s: 0 1930s: 3 1940s: 3 1950s: 2 1960s: 0 1970s: 6 6 1980s: 2 1990s: 3 2000s: 1 2010s: 4 1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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 74 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, North Fork Shenandoah River near Strasburg
1Sep 7, 199632.27+15.27Major114,000
2Oct 16, 194231.20+14.20Major100,000
3Mar 18, 193630.21+13.21Major89,000
4Jan 20, 199627.96+10.96Major67,600
5Nov 5, 198527.37+10.37Major62,600
6Aug 18, 195523.55+6.55Moderate36,100
7Oct 6, 197223.48+6.48Moderate35,700
8Mar 20, 197521.22+4.22Moderate26,100
9Apr 26, 193720.93+3.93Moderate24,900
10Jun 22, 197220.88+3.88Moderate25,100
11Sep 19, 194520.40+3.40Moderate24,000
12Oct 10, 197619.33+2.33Minor21,800
13May 23, 194219.28+2.28Minor21,400
14Sep 20, 200319.27+2.27Minor—
15May 18, 201119.07+2.07Minor21,459
16Mar 5, 199319.06+2.06Minor21,300
17Dec 2, 193418.99+1.99Minor20,500
18Apr 17, 201118.33+1.33Minor19,799
19Apr 17, 198718.27+1.27Minor19,800
20Oct 16, 195418.25+1.25Minor19,300
21Jun 4, 201818.13+1.13Minor19,147
22Jun 23, 201817.77+0.77Minor18,567
23Dec 27, 197317.33+0.33Minor18,000
24Jan 27, 197817.21+0.21Minor17,800
25Dec 5, 195016.91−0.09Action16,700
26Feb 15, 198416.86−0.14Action17,200
27Apr 21, 193316.65−0.35Action16,200
28Mar 20, 196316.44−0.56Action16,400
29Apr 17, 192916.30−0.70Action15,600
30Apr 28, 195216.24−0.76Action15,500
31Feb 14, 197116.13−0.87Action15,900
32Apr 22, 199215.88−1.12Action15,600
33Jan 26, 201015.72−1.28Action15,300
34Feb 4, 193915.65−1.35Action14,200
35Oct 30, 201215.63−1.37Action15,500
36Mar 8, 196715.56−1.44Action15,000
37May 1, 192815.50−1.50Action14,200
38Feb 26, 197915.42−1.58Action14,800
39Aug 18, 199415.38−1.62Action14,700
40Oct 1, 195915.31−1.69Action14,100
41Mar 24, 199115.28−1.72Action14,600
42Jan 1, 197615.19−1.81Action14,400
43Jan 9, 199814.90−2.10Action14,000
44Jun 3, 195914.89−2.11Action13,400
45Oct 3, 197914.67−2.33Action13,600
46Jun 23, 200114.37−2.63Action13,300
47Nov 30, 200514.37−2.63Action13,300
48Nov 22, 195214.20−2.80Action12,100
49Nov 17, 200614.16−2.84Action12,900
50Sep 29, 200414.14−2.86Action12,900

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 7, 1996: 32.27 ft here, major flooding

  • Cootes StoreVA · Sep 6, 1996 · 27.86 ft · Major · its highest
  • Mount JacksonVA · Sep 6, 1996 · 22.17 ft · Major · its highest

October 16, 1942: 31.20 ft here, major flooding

March 18, 1936: 30.21 ft here, major 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 JacksonVA13.022.17 ft, Sep 6, 19961
Strasburg this gaugeVA17.032.27 ft, Sep 7, 19965

Other gauges in Warren County

Flood gauges in Warren County
Buckton9.015.89 ft, Sep 6, 19960
Front Royal12.034.80 ft, Oct 16, 194214

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge STGV2, 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.