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Rapidan River near Ruckersville

Highest listed crest 31.30 ftFlood stage 14.0 ft20 crests since 1942

The Rapidan River near Ruckersville crested above flood stage 13 times among the 20 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1942 to 2018. The highest, 31.30 ft on June 27, 1995, was minor flooding, 17.30 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Rapidan River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
31.30 ft
June 27, 1995; 106,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
14.0 ft
No major stage set
Crests at major
0
13 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
June 22, 2018
16.93 ft, minor flooding
Location
Madison County
Virginia

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Rapidan River near Ruckersville
Action stage12.07May 7, 2013The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)14.013Jun 22, 2018Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat

Every listed crest

20 crests from 1942 to 2018. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Rapidan River near Ruckersville, 1942 to 2018 101520253035ft Flood stage 14.0 ft Oct 15, 1942: 20.80 ft, minor flooding; 30,700 cubic feet per secondAug 15, 1949: 13.28 ft, action stage; 8,160 cubic feet per secondDec 4, 1950: 14.10 ft, minor flooding; 9,490 cubic feet per secondAug 18, 1955: 17.78 ft, minor flooding; 20,100 cubic feet per secondAug 5, 1961: 16.10 ft, minor flooding; 14,700 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1972: 16.87 ft, minor flooding; 17,600 cubic feet per secondOct 5, 1972: 19.41 ft, minor flooding; 25,800 cubic feet per secondOct 9, 1976: 12.56 ft, action stage; 8,880 cubic feet per secondSep 6, 1979: 15.29 ft, minor flooding; 13,800 cubic feet per secondNov 5, 1985: 14.72 ft, minor flooding; 12,600 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1992: 12.16 ft, action stage; 8,350 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 1995: 31.30 ft, minor flooding; 106,000 cubic feet per secondSep 30, 1999: 14.63 ft, minor flooding; 24,700 cubic feet per secondSep 19, 2003: 13.26 ft, action stage; 20,100 cubic feet per secondNov 29, 2005: 13.28 ft, action stage; 15,000 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 2011: 12.49 ft, action stageMay 7, 2013: 12.69 ft, action stage; 13,500 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 2014: 14.45 ft, minor flooding; 18,250 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2018: 15.24 ft, minor flooding; 20,601 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 2018: 16.93 ft, minor flooding; 26,233 cubic feet per second Highest, 31.30 ft, Jun 27, 1995 1950196019701980199020002010

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Rapidan River near Ruckersville 1940s: 1 1950s: 2 1960s: 1 1970s: 3 3 1980s: 1 1990s: 2 2000s: 0 2010s: 3 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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

Highest listed crests, Rapidan River near Ruckersville
1Jun 27, 199531.30+17.30Minor106,000
2Oct 15, 194220.80+6.80Minor30,700
3Oct 5, 197219.41+5.41Minor25,800
4Aug 18, 195517.78+3.78Minor20,100
5Jun 22, 201816.93+2.93Minor26,233
6Jun 21, 197216.87+2.87Minor17,600
7Aug 5, 196116.10+2.10Minor14,700
8Sep 6, 197915.29+1.29Minor13,800
9May 31, 201815.24+1.24Minor20,601
10Nov 5, 198514.72+0.72Minor12,600
11Sep 30, 199914.63+0.63Minor24,700
12May 16, 201414.45+0.45Minor18,250
13Dec 4, 195014.10+0.10Minor9,490
14Aug 15, 194913.28−0.72Action8,160
15Nov 29, 200513.28−0.72Action15,000
16Sep 19, 200313.26−0.74Action20,100
17May 7, 201312.69−1.31Action13,500
18Oct 9, 197612.56−1.44Action8,880
19Apr 17, 201112.49−1.51Action—
20Apr 21, 199212.16−1.84Action8,350

The worst floods along the Rapidan River

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

June 27, 1995: 31.30 ft here, minor flooding

  • CulpeperVA · Jun 28, 1995 · 30.40 ft · Major · its highest

October 15, 1942: 20.80 ft here, minor flooding

  • CulpeperVA · Oct 16, 1942 · 30.30 ft · Major

October 5, 1972: 19.41 ft here, minor flooding

  • CulpeperVA · Oct 6, 1972 · 26.23 ft · Major

Gauges on the Rapidan River

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

Flood gauges on the Rapidan River
Ruckersville this gaugeVA14.031.30 ft, Jun 27, 19950
CulpeperVA13.030.40 ft, Jun 28, 19959

Other gauges in Madison County

Flood gauges in Madison County
Locust Dale11.023.92 ft, Sep 6, 19960

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge RUCV2, 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.