Powell River at Dorchester

Highest listed crest 8.46 ftFlood stage 7.0 ft1 crests since 2025

The Powell River at Dorchester crested above flood stage 1 time among the 1 crests the National Weather Service lists from 2025 to 2025. The highest, 8.46 ft on February 15, 2025, was minor flooding, 1.46 feet above flood stage. 3 other gauges on the Powell River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest: 8.46 ft; February 15, 2025
Flood stage: 7.0 ft; Major flooding from 12.0 ft
Crests at major: 0; 1 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest: February 15, 2025; 8.46 ft, minor flooding
Location: Wise County; Virginia
Identifiers: NWS PDOV2; No USGS station

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Powell River at Dorchester

Action stage	6.0	0	—	The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)	7.0	1	Feb 15, 2025	Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage	10.0	0	—	Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage	12.0	0	—	Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

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

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.
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, Powell River at Dorchester

1	Feb 15, 2025	8.46	+1.46	Minor	—

The worst floods along the Powell River

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

February 15, 2025: 8.46 ft here, minor flooding

ArthurTN · Feb 17, 2025 · 25.57 ft · Moderate
JonesvilleVA · Feb 16, 2025 · 28.09 ft · Minor
Big Stone GapVA · Feb 15, 2025 · 11.30 ft · Minor · its highest

Gauges on the Powell River

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Powell River

Big Stone Gap	VA	10.0	11.30 ft, Feb 15, 2025	0
Dorchester this gauge	VA	7.0	8.46 ft, Feb 15, 2025	0
Arthur	TN	17.0	38.96 ft, Apr 6, 1977	11
Jonesville	VA	18.0	44.32 ft, Apr 5, 1977	1

Other gauges in Wise County

Flood gauges in Wise County

Riverview	14.0	18.06 ft, Feb 15, 2025
Indian Creek near Pound	13.0	17.86 ft, Jul 28, 2022
Bold Camp Creek near Pound	17.0	21.33 ft, Jul 28, 2022
Big Stone Gap	10.0	11.30 ft, Feb 15, 2025
Big Stone Gap	11.0	12.62 ft, Feb 15, 2025

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge PDOV2, 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.