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North Mayo River near Spencer

Highest listed crest 15.80 ftFlood stage 8.0 ft84 crests since 1937

The North Mayo River near Spencer crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 84 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1937 to 2024. The highest, 15.80 ft on October 9, 1947, was major flooding, 7.80 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
15.80 ft
October 9, 1947; 17,200 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
8.0 ft
Major flooding from 14.0 ft
Crests at major
3
55th of 242 gauges in Virginia
Most recent flood crest
January 10, 2024
8.58 ft, minor flooding
Location
Henry County
Near Martinsville (10.5 mi), Eden (14.4 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, North Mayo River near Spencer
Action stage7.013Aug 22, 2020The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)8.018Jan 10, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage11.05May 22, 2020Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage14.03Aug 18, 1985Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

84 crests from 1937 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the North Mayo River near Spencer, 1937 to 2024 05101520ft Flood stage 8.0 ftMajor 14.0 ft Oct 19, 1937: 14.33 ft, major flooding; 14,300 cubic feet per secondAug 14, 1940: 10.11 ft, minor flooding; 6,800 cubic feet per secondDec 29, 1940: 4.45 ft, below flood stage; 1,180 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1942: 8.75 ft, minor flooding; 4,980 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 1943: 6.48 ft, below flood stage; 2,660 cubic feet per secondSep 30, 1944: 6.38 ft, below flood stage; 2,580 cubic feet per secondSep 18, 1945: 10.40 ft, minor flooding; 7,280 cubic feet per secondJan 8, 1946: 5.38 ft, below flood stage; 1,850 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 1947: 4.86 ft, below flood stage; 1,480 cubic feet per secondOct 9, 1947: 15.80 ft, major flooding; 17,200 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 1949: 6.32 ft, below flood stage; 2,500 cubic feet per secondSep 10, 1950: 4.68 ft, below flood stage; 1,390 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 1951: 5.17 ft, below flood stage; 1,680 cubic feet per secondDec 21, 1951: 6.05 ft, below flood stage; 2,270 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1953: 6.28 ft, below flood stage; 2,500 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 1954: 5.88 ft, below flood stage; 2,200 cubic feet per secondOct 15, 1954: 6.15 ft, below flood stage; 2,420 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1956: 5.16 ft, below flood stage; 1,680 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 1957: 9.77 ft, minor flooding; 6,350 cubic feet per secondNov 19, 1957: 6.42 ft, below flood stage; 2,580 cubic feet per secondDec 29, 1958: 7.11 ft, action stage; 3,150 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 1959: 8.38 ft, minor flooding; 4,490 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1961: 5.43 ft, below flood stage; 1,870 cubic feet per secondDec 12, 1961: 5.90 ft, below flood stage; 2,200 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1963: 6.87 ft, below flood stage; 2,980 cubic feet per secondSep 1, 1964: 6.33 ft, below flood stage; 2,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 8, 1965: 6.04 ft, below flood stage; 2,270 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1966: 6.02 ft, below flood stage; 2,270 cubic feet per secondAug 24, 1967: 4.50 ft, below flood stage; 1,310 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1968: 5.35 ft, below flood stage; 1,870 cubic feet per secondOct 19, 1968: 6.10 ft, below flood stage; 2,340 cubic feet per secondAug 10, 1970: 6.32 ft, below flood stage; 2,500 cubic feet per secondOct 31, 1970: 7.63 ft, action stage; 3,620 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1972: 13.41 ft, moderate flooding; 12,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 2, 1973: 6.56 ft, below flood stage; 2,740 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1974: 7.35 ft, action stage; 3,420 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1975: 7.53 ft, action stage; 3,520 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1976: 4.77 ft, below flood stage; 1,460 cubic feet per secondOct 9, 1976: 6.77 ft, below flood stage; 2,900 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 1978: 7.27 ft, action stage; 3,330 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 1979: 13.70 ft, moderate flooding; 13,100 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1980: 7.96 ft, action stage; 4,040 cubic feet per secondSep 16, 1981: 3.52 ft, below flood stage; 745 cubic feet per secondOct 27, 1981: 4.30 ft, below flood stage; 1,190 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 1983: 7.17 ft, action stage; 3,210 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1984: 5.48 ft, below flood stage; 1,920 cubic feet per secondAug 18, 1985: 14.22 ft, major flooding; 14,100 cubic feet per secondNov 5, 1985: 11.95 ft, moderate flooding; 9,910 cubic feet per secondSep 7, 1987: 13.39 ft, moderate flooding; 12,500 cubic feet per secondNov 10, 1987: 3.71 ft, below flood stage; 845 cubic feet per secondJul 6, 1989: 10.16 ft, minor flooding; 6,900 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1990: 7.96 ft, action stage; 4,000 cubic feet per secondOct 23, 1990: 8.51 ft, minor flooding; 4,620 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1992: 9.32 ft, minor flooding; 5,670 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1993: 7.97 ft, action stage; 4,010 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1994: 6.69 ft, below flood stage; 2,820 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 1995: 6.65 ft, below flood stage; 2,790 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1996: 9.54 ft, minor flooding; 5,880 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1997: 6.29 ft, below flood stage; 2,490 cubic feet per secondJan 28, 1998: 6.48 ft, below flood stage; 2,650 cubic feet per secondSep 29, 1999: 4.33 ft, below flood stage; 1,160 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 2000: 4.16 ft, below flood stage; 1,070 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 2002: 4.13 ft, below flood stage; 1,050 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 2003: 9.04 ft, minor flooding; 5,250 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 2004: 7.51 ft, action stage; 3,570 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 2005: 5.64 ft, below flood stage; 2,000 cubic feet per secondOct 8, 2005: 5.52 ft, below flood stage; 1,910 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 2007: 6.25 ft, below flood stage; 2,460 cubic feet per secondNov 12, 2009: 7.49 ft, action stage; 3,550 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 2010: 10.95 ft, minor flooding; 7,890 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 2011: 5.75 ft, below flood stage; 2,080 cubic feet per secondDec 8, 2011: 6.03 ft, below flood stage; 2,290 cubic feet per secondJan 18, 2013: 6.45 ft, below flood stage; 2,620 cubic feet per secondJan 14, 2014: 4.88 ft, below flood stage; 1,480 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 2015: 7.74 ft, action stage; 3,800 cubic feet per secondSep 30, 2015: 9.30 ft, minor flooding; 5,570 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 2018: 9.31 ft, minor flooding; 5,591 cubic feet per secondOct 12, 2018: 8.72 ft, minor flooding; 4,864 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 2020: 8.97 ft, minor flooding; 5,164 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 2020: 11.22 ft, moderate flooding; 8,310 cubic feet per secondAug 22, 2020: 7.16 ft, action stage; 3,240 cubic feet per secondOct 30, 2020: 8.48 ft, minor flooding; 4,580 cubic feet per secondNov 12, 2020: 8.94 ft, minor flooding; 5,120 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 2024: 8.58 ft, minor flooding; 4,696 cubic feet per second Highest, 15.80 ft, Oct 9, 1947 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, North Mayo River near Spencer 1930s: 1 1940s: 4 1950s: 2 1960s: 0 1970s: 2 1980s: 4 1990s: 3 2000s: 1 2010s: 4 2020s: 5 5 1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 84 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, North Mayo River near Spencer
1Oct 9, 194715.80+7.80Major17,200
2Oct 19, 193714.33+6.33Major14,300
3Aug 18, 198514.22+6.22Major14,100
4Sep 22, 197913.70+5.70Moderate13,100
5Jun 22, 197213.41+5.41Moderate12,600
6Sep 7, 198713.39+5.39Moderate12,500
7Nov 5, 198511.95+3.95Moderate9,910
8May 22, 202011.22+3.22Moderate8,310
9Jan 25, 201010.95+2.95Minor7,890
10Sep 18, 194510.40+2.40Minor7,280
11Jul 6, 198910.16+2.16Minor6,900
12Aug 14, 194010.11+2.11Minor6,800
13Sep 17, 19579.77+1.77Minor6,350
14Jun 10, 19969.54+1.54Minor5,880
15Jun 5, 19929.32+1.32Minor5,670
16Sep 17, 20189.31+1.31Minor5,591
17Sep 30, 20159.30+1.30Minor5,570
18Mar 20, 20039.04+1.04Minor5,250
19Feb 7, 20208.97+0.97Minor5,164
20Nov 12, 20208.94+0.94Minor5,120
21Jun 10, 19428.75+0.75Minor4,980
22Oct 12, 20188.72+0.72Minor4,864
23Jan 10, 20248.58+0.58Minor4,696
24Oct 23, 19908.51+0.51Minor4,620
25Oct 30, 20208.48+0.48Minor4,580
26Oct 1, 19598.38+0.38Minor4,490
27Mar 4, 19937.97−0.03Action4,010
28Apr 9, 19807.96−0.04Action4,040
29Mar 17, 19907.96−0.04Action4,000
30Apr 20, 20157.74−0.26Action3,800
31Oct 31, 19707.63−0.37Action3,620
32Mar 14, 19757.53−0.47Action3,520
33Sep 28, 20047.51−0.49Action3,570
34Nov 12, 20097.49−0.51Action3,550
35Apr 5, 19747.35−0.65Action3,420
36Jan 26, 19787.27−0.73Action3,330
37Apr 10, 19837.17−0.83Action3,210
38Aug 22, 20207.16−0.84Action3,240
39Dec 29, 19587.11−0.89Action3,150
40Mar 12, 19636.87−1.13Below flood stage2,980
41Oct 9, 19766.77−1.23Below flood stage2,900
42Mar 28, 19946.69−1.31Below flood stage2,820
43Jun 29, 19956.65−1.35Below flood stage2,790
44Feb 2, 19736.56−1.44Below flood stage2,740
45Apr 19, 19436.48−1.52Below flood stage2,660
46Jan 28, 19986.48−1.52Below flood stage2,650
47Jan 18, 20136.45−1.55Below flood stage2,620
48Nov 19, 19576.42−1.58Below flood stage2,580
49Sep 30, 19446.38−1.62Below flood stage2,580
50Sep 1, 19646.33−1.67Below flood stage2,500

Other gauges in Henry County

Flood gauges in Henry County
Martinsville11.020.08 ft, Sep 8, 19873

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge NMRV2, 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.