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Nottoway River near Rawlings

Highest listed crest 23.25 ftFlood stage 10.0 ft67 crests since 1951

The Nottoway River near Rawlings crested at major flood stage 9 times among the 67 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1951 to 2025. The highest, 23.25 ft on October 6, 1972, was major flooding, 13.25 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Nottoway River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
23.25 ft
October 6, 1972; 29,900 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
10.0 ft
Major flooding from 16.0 ft
Crests at major
9
18th of 242 gauges in Virginia
Most recent flood crest
February 17, 2025
10.65 ft, minor flooding
Location
Brunswick County
Virginia

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Nottoway River near Rawlings
Action stage8.016Feb 25, 2019The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)10.031Feb 17, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage13.011Jan 11, 2024Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage16.09Oct 12, 2018Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

67 crests from 1951 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Nottoway River near Rawlings, 1951 to 2025 510152025ft Flood stage 10.0 ftMajor 16.0 ft Dec 22, 1951: 9.80 ft, action stage; 4,240 cubic feet per secondAug 19, 1955: 12.61 ft, minor flooding; 6,420 cubic feet per secondOct 2, 1955: 12.82 ft, minor flooding; 6,580 cubic feet per secondSep 19, 1957: 9.57 ft, action stage; 4,090 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1958: 11.21 ft, minor flooding; 5,300 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 1958: 9.42 ft, action stage; 3,940 cubic feet per secondNov 25, 1959: 10.98 ft, minor flooding; 5,140 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 1961: 8.00 ft, action stage; 2,940 cubic feet per secondJan 7, 1962: 12.70 ft, minor flooding; 6,500 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1963: 8.63 ft, action stage; 3,360 cubic feet per secondAug 31, 1964: 9.20 ft, action stage; 3,790 cubic feet per secondFeb 9, 1965: 9.68 ft, action stage; 4,160 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1971: 11.65 ft, minor flooding; 5,620 cubic feet per secondOct 24, 1971: 21.36 ft, major flooding; 23,900 cubic feet per secondOct 6, 1972: 23.25 ft, major flooding; 29,900 cubic feet per secondSep 8, 1974: 12.64 ft, minor flooding; 6,420 cubic feet per secondJul 16, 1975: 14.39 ft, moderate flooding; 8,900 cubic feet per secondJan 28, 1976: 10.04 ft, minor flooding; 4,390 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 1978: 17.58 ft, major flooding; 14,500 cubic feet per secondSep 23, 1979: 15.76 ft, moderate flooding; 11,100 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 1979: 13.48 ft, moderate flooding; 7,430 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1981: 11.16 ft, minor flooding; 5,270 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1983: 12.16 ft, minor flooding; 6,070 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 1984: 15.06 ft, moderate flooding; 9,960 cubic feet per secondFeb 3, 1985: 8.51 ft, action stage; 3,300 cubic feet per secondNov 4, 1985: 16.43 ft, major flooding; 12,200 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1987: 16.78 ft, major flooding; 12,900 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1989: 8.09 ft, action stage; 3,000 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1990: 8.38 ft, action stage; 3,210 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1991: 11.72 ft, minor flooding; 5,720 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1992: 11.35 ft, minor flooding; 5,420 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1993: 15.63 ft, moderate flooding; 10,900 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1994: 12.87 ft, minor flooding; 6,660 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 1996: 10.48 ft, minor flooding; 4,590 cubic feet per secondSep 7, 1996: 11.04 ft, minor flooding; 5,050 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 1997: 12.67 ft, minor flooding; 6,480 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1998: 15.26 ft, moderate flooding; 10,100 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 1999: 13.82 ft, moderate flooding; 7,850 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2000: 10.56 ft, minor flooding; 5,030 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 2001: 10.43 ft, minor flooding; 4,890 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 2001: 11.61 ft, minor flooding; 6,220 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 2003: 13.66 ft, moderate flooding; 8,980 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 2003: 10.11 ft, minor flooding; 4,560 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 2003: 22.65 ft, major flooding; 28,100 cubic feet per secondSep 20, 2003: 16.77 ft, major flooding; 14,300 cubic feet per secondAug 4, 2004: 10.34 ft, minor flooding; 4,640 cubic feet per secondAug 31, 2004: 18.92 ft, major flooding; 18,700 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 2005: 8.46 ft, action stage; 3,310 cubic feet per secondOct 8, 2006: 11.84 ft, minor flooding; 6,500 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 2008: 8.16 ft, action stage; 3,130 cubic feet per secondDec 13, 2008: 11.15 ft, minor flooding; 5,680 cubic feet per secondNov 13, 2009: 12.18 ft, minor flooding; 6,930 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 2010: 10.18 ft, minor flooding; 4,470 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 2010: 12.08 ft, minor flooding; 6,620 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 2013: 11.26 ft, minor flooding; 5,810 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 2014: 13.81 ft, moderate flooding; 9,140 cubic feet per secondDec 25, 2015: 12.18 ft, minor flooding; 6,930 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 2016: 9.27 ft, action stage; 3,810 cubic feet per secondOct 10, 2016: 9.24 ft, action stage; 3,790 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 2018: 13.39 ft, moderate flooding; 8,580 cubic feet per secondOct 12, 2018: 20.86 ft, major flooding; 23,300 cubic feet per secondNov 14, 2018: 9.00 ft, action stage; 3,640 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 2019: 8.73 ft, action stage; 3,480 cubic feet per secondFeb 8, 2020: 10.63 ft, minor flooding; 5,100 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 2024: 13.15 ft, moderate flooding; 8,240 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 2024: 12.01 ft, minor flooding; 6,720 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 2025: 10.65 ft, minor flooding; 5,123 cubic feet per second Highest, 23.25 ft, Oct 6, 1972 1960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Nottoway River near Rawlings 1950s: 4 1960s: 1 1970s: 9 1980s: 5 1990s: 9 2000s: 12 12 2010s: 7 2020s: 4 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. 2 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 20.80 ft on Aug 17, 1940; 12.14 ft on Nov 21, 1952.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 67 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Nottoway River near Rawlings
1Oct 6, 197223.25+13.25Major29,900
2May 26, 200322.65+12.65Major28,100
3Oct 24, 197121.36+11.36Major23,900
4Oct 12, 201820.86+10.86Major23,300
5Aug 31, 200418.92+8.92Major18,700
6Apr 27, 197817.58+7.58Major14,500
7Apr 17, 198716.78+6.78Major12,900
8Sep 20, 200316.77+6.77Major14,300
9Nov 4, 198516.43+6.43Major12,200
10Sep 23, 197915.76+5.76Moderate11,100
11Mar 5, 199315.63+5.63Moderate10,900
12Mar 20, 199815.26+5.26Moderate10,100
13Feb 15, 198415.06+5.06Moderate9,960
14Jul 16, 197514.39+4.39Moderate8,900
15Sep 17, 199913.82+3.82Moderate7,850
16May 17, 201413.81+3.81Moderate9,140
17Mar 21, 200313.66+3.66Moderate8,980
18Oct 1, 197913.48+3.48Moderate7,430
19May 19, 201813.39+3.39Moderate8,580
20Jan 11, 202413.15+3.15Moderate8,240
21Mar 3, 199412.87+2.87Minor6,660
22Oct 2, 195512.82+2.82Minor6,580
23Jan 7, 196212.70+2.70Minor6,500
24Apr 30, 199712.67+2.67Minor6,480
25Sep 8, 197412.64+2.64Minor6,420
26Aug 19, 195512.61+2.61Minor6,420
27Nov 13, 200912.18+2.18Minor6,930
28Dec 25, 201512.18+2.18Minor6,930
29Apr 17, 198312.16+2.16Minor6,070
30Mar 30, 201012.08+2.08Minor6,620
31May 16, 202412.01+2.01Minor6,720
32Oct 8, 200611.84+1.84Minor6,500
33Mar 31, 199111.72+1.72Minor5,720
34May 31, 197111.65+1.65Minor5,620
35Mar 31, 200111.61+1.61Minor6,220
36Mar 8, 199211.35+1.35Minor5,420
37Jan 16, 201311.26+1.26Minor5,810
38May 7, 195811.21+1.21Minor5,300
39Jun 8, 198111.16+1.16Minor5,270
40Dec 13, 200811.15+1.15Minor5,680
41Sep 7, 199611.04+1.04Minor5,050
42Nov 25, 195910.98+0.98Minor5,140
43Feb 17, 202510.65+0.65Minor5,123
44Feb 8, 202010.63+0.63Minor5,100
45Apr 18, 200010.56+0.56Minor5,030
46Jan 20, 199610.48+0.48Minor4,590
47Mar 23, 200110.43+0.43Minor4,890
48Aug 4, 200410.34+0.34Minor4,640
49Feb 7, 201010.18+0.18Minor4,470
50Apr 10, 200310.11+0.11Minor4,560

The worst floods along the Nottoway River

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

October 6, 1972: 23.25 ft here, major flooding

  • SebrellVA · Oct 11, 1972 · 24.13 ft · Major
  • Stony CreekVA · Oct 7, 1972 · 21.69 ft · Major

May 26, 2003: 22.65 ft here, major flooding

  • Stony CreekVA · May 28, 2003 · 20.35 ft · Major
  • SebrellVA · May 31, 2003 · 20.62 ft · Moderate

October 24, 1971: 21.36 ft here, major flooding

  • SebrellVA · Oct 29, 1971 · 21.44 ft · Major
  • Stony CreekVA · Oct 26, 1971 · 20.32 ft · Major

Gauges on the Nottoway River

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

Flood gauges on the Nottoway River
Rawlings this gaugeVA10.023.25 ft, Oct 6, 19729
MCKENNEYVA12.517.92 ft, Oct 13, 20180
Stony CreekVA15.023.66 ft, Aug 17, 194011
SebrellVA16.029.70 ft, Aug 20, 194011

Other gauges in Brunswick County

Flood gauges in Brunswick County
Lawrenceville15.042.00 ft, Aug 17, 194010
MCKENNEY12.517.92 ft, Oct 13, 20180

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge RAWV2, 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.