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Powell River near Jonesville

Highest listed crest 44.32 ftFlood stage 18.0 ft57 crests since 1918

The Powell River near Jonesville crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 57 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1918 to 2025. The highest, 44.32 ft on April 5, 1977, was major flooding, 26.32 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge 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
44.32 ft
April 5, 1977; 57,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
18.0 ft
Major flooding from 35.0 ft
Crests at major
1
90th of 242 gauges in Virginia
Most recent flood crest
February 16, 2025
28.09 ft, minor flooding
Location
Lee County
Virginia

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Powell River near Jonesville
Action stage15.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)18.050Feb 16, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage30.06Feb 16, 2003Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage35.01Apr 5, 1977Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

57 crests from 1918 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Powell River near Jonesville, 1918 to 2025 1020304050ft Flood stage 18.0 ftMajor 35.0 ft Jan 18, 1918: 33.00 ft, moderate floodingJan 30, 1932: 25.64 ft, minor flooding; 22,900 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1935: 18.37 ft, minor flooding; 11,000 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1936: 22.07 ft, minor flooding; 16,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 9, 1937: 22.59 ft, minor flooding; 17,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 3, 1939: 24.28 ft, minor flooding; 20,200 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 1943: 18.58 ft, minor flooding; 11,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 1944: 25.64 ft, minor flooding; 22,900 cubic feet per secondJan 8, 1946: 30.80 ft, moderate flooding; 30,000 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 1947: 20.65 ft, minor flooding; 13,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1948: 25.85 ft, minor flooding; 20,600 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 1950: 22.53 ft, minor flooding; 16,500 cubic feet per secondDec 15, 1951: 20.74 ft, minor floodingFeb 21, 1953: 19.45 ft, minor flooding; 11,400 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1955: 19.38 ft, minor flooding; 11,400 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1956: 23.53 ft, minor flooding; 15,800 cubic feet per secondJan 30, 1957: 26.87 ft, minor flooding; 19,800 cubic feet per secondDec 8, 1957: 18.64 ft, minor flooding; 10,700 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 1959: 18.86 ft, minor flooding; 10,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 1962: 19.16 ft, minor flooding; 11,200 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1963: 23.73 ft, minor floodingMar 12, 1963: 33.36 ft, moderate flooding; 31,100 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 1965: 21.60 ft, minor flooding; 13,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1966: 21.70 ft, minor flooding; 13,900 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1967: 29.03 ft, minor flooding; 22,800 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 1969: 32.16 ft, moderate flooding; 28,400 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 1970: 22.75 ft, minor floodingDec 10, 1971: 23.62 ft, minor floodingMar 17, 1973: 26.75 ft, minor flooding; 19,700 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 1974: 24.04 ft, minor floodingMar 30, 1975: 20.10 ft, minor flooding; 12,100 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1976: 18.52 ft, minor flooding; 10,600 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1977: 44.32 ft, major flooding; 57,000 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 1978: 19.27 ft, minor floodingJan 21, 1979: 18.70 ft, minor flooding; 10,800 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1984: 25.59 ft, minor flooding; 18,400 cubic feet per secondDec 3, 1991: 20.89 ft, minor flooding; 13,000 cubic feet per secondDec 5, 1993: 20.88 ft, minor flooding; 13,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 11, 1994: 26.59 ft, minor flooding; 19,700 cubic feet per secondDec 1, 1996: 19.26 ft, minor flooding; 11,400 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1997: 18.20 ft, minor floodingApr 17, 1998: 21.55 ft, minor flooding; 13,700 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 2002: 32.40 ft, moderate flooding; 28,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 2003: 30.34 ft, moderate flooding; 25,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 2003: 20.15 ft, minor floodingApr 16, 2007: 18.70 ft, minor flooding; 10,900 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 2010: 18.94 ft, minor flooding; 12,200 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 2013: 18.22 ft, minor flooding; 11,600 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 2015: 26.23 ft, minor flooding; 20,200 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 2017: 21.24 ft, minor flooding; 14,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 11, 2018: 29.28 ft, minor flooding; 20,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 2019: 19.98 ft, minor flooding; 12,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 2020: 27.25 ft, minor flooding; 18,200 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 2020: 19.27 ft, minor flooding; 12,000 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 2021: 23.84 ft, minor flooding; 15,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 2023: 21.29 ft, minor flooding; 13,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 2025: 28.09 ft, minor flooding; 18,800 cubic feet per second Highest, 44.32 ft, Apr 5, 1977 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Powell River near Jonesville 1910s: 1 1920s: 0 1930s: 5 1940s: 5 1950s: 8 1960s: 7 1970s: 9 9 1980s: 1 1990s: 6 2000s: 4 2010s: 6 2020s: 5 1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 57 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Powell River near Jonesville
1Apr 5, 197744.32+26.32Major57,000
2Mar 12, 196333.36+15.36Moderate31,100
3Jan 18, 191833.00+15.00Moderate—
4Mar 18, 200232.40+14.40Moderate28,700
5Dec 31, 196932.16+14.16Moderate28,400
6Jan 8, 194630.80+12.80Moderate30,000
7Feb 16, 200330.34+12.34Moderate25,100
8Feb 11, 201829.28+11.28Minor20,400
9Mar 7, 196729.03+11.03Minor22,800
10Feb 16, 202528.09+10.09Minor18,800
11Feb 6, 202027.25+9.25Minor18,200
12Jan 30, 195726.87+8.87Minor19,800
13Mar 17, 197326.75+8.75Minor19,700
14Feb 11, 199426.59+8.59Minor19,700
15Mar 5, 201526.23+8.23Minor20,200
16Feb 14, 194825.85+7.85Minor20,600
17Jan 30, 193225.64+7.64Minor22,900
18Feb 18, 194425.64+7.64Minor22,900
19May 7, 198425.59+7.59Minor18,400
20Feb 3, 193924.28+6.28Minor20,200
21Jan 11, 197424.04+6.04Minor—
22Mar 28, 202123.84+5.84Minor15,500
23Mar 6, 196323.73+5.73Minor—
24Dec 10, 197123.62+5.62Minor—
25Apr 16, 195623.53+5.53Minor15,800
26Apr 28, 197022.75+4.75Minor—
27Feb 9, 193722.59+4.59Minor17,000
28Jan 31, 195022.53+4.53Minor16,500
29Apr 6, 193622.07+4.07Minor16,200
30Feb 13, 196621.70+3.70Minor13,900
31Mar 26, 196521.60+3.60Minor13,800
32Apr 17, 199821.55+3.55Minor13,700
33Feb 17, 202321.29+3.29Minor13,600
34Apr 24, 201721.24+3.24Minor14,200
35Dec 3, 199120.89+2.89Minor13,000
36Dec 5, 199320.88+2.88Minor13,000
37Dec 15, 195120.74+2.74Minor—
38Jan 16, 194720.65+2.65Minor13,800
39Feb 23, 200320.15+2.15Minor—
40Mar 30, 197520.10+2.10Minor12,100
41Feb 24, 201919.98+1.98Minor12,600
42Feb 21, 195319.45+1.45Minor11,400
43Mar 16, 195519.38+1.38Minor11,400
44Jan 26, 197819.27+1.27Minor—
45Apr 13, 202019.27+1.27Minor12,000
46Dec 1, 199619.26+1.26Minor11,400
47Feb 28, 196219.16+1.16Minor11,200
48May 3, 201018.94+0.94Minor12,200
49Jan 22, 195918.86+0.86Minor10,900
50Jan 21, 197918.70+0.70Minor10,800

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.

April 5, 1977: 44.32 ft here, major flooding

  • ArthurTN · Apr 6, 1977 · 38.96 ft · Major · its highest

March 12, 1963: 33.36 ft here, moderate flooding

  • ArthurTN · Mar 13, 1963 · 28.08 ft · Major

March 18, 2002: 32.40 ft here, moderate flooding

  • ArthurTN · Mar 19, 2002 · 27.01 ft · Major

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 GapVA10.011.30 ft, Feb 15, 20250
DorchesterVA7.08.46 ft, Feb 15, 20250
ArthurTN17.038.96 ft, Apr 6, 197711
Jonesville this gaugeVA18.044.32 ft, Apr 5, 19771

Other gauges in Lee County

Flood gauges in Lee County
Stone12.012.40 ft, Mar 28, 20210
Pennington Gap12.014.56 ft, Feb 15, 20250

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge JNSV2, 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.