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Roanoke River at Altavista

Highest listed crest 40.08 ftFlood stage 18.0 ft73 crests since 1931

The Roanoke River at Altavista crested at major flood stage 8 times among the 73 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1931 to 2025. The highest, 40.08 ft on August 15, 1940, was major flooding, 22.08 feet above flood stage. 5 other gauges on the Roanoke River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 3 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
40.08 ft
August 15, 1940; 105,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
18.0 ft
Major flooding from 29.0 ft
Crests at major
8
21st of 242 gauges in Virginia
Most recent flood crest
February 16, 2025
18.94 ft, minor flooding
Location
Campbell County
Virginia

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Roanoke River at Altavista
Action stage16.08Jan 10, 2024The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)18.028Feb 16, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage24.017Sep 6, 1996Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage29.08Sep 8, 1987Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

73 crests from 1931 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Roanoke River at Altavista, 1931 to 2025 01020304050ft Flood stage 18.0 ftMajor 29.0 ft Aug 22, 1931: 18.76 ft, minor flooding; 19,500 cubic feet per secondOct 18, 1932: 29.30 ft, major flooding; 49,000 cubic feet per secondDec 1, 1934: 26.01 ft, moderate flooding; 37,600 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 1936: 27.66 ft, moderate flooding; 42,200 cubic feet per secondJan 3, 1937: 24.03 ft, moderate flooding; 32,400 cubic feet per secondOct 20, 1937: 31.27 ft, major flooding; 57,000 cubic feet per secondAug 19, 1939: 29.60 ft, major flooding; 47,300 cubic feet per secondAug 15, 1940: 40.08 ft, major flooding; 105,000 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1942: 24.31 ft, moderate flooding; 32,700 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 1943: 22.78 ft, minor flooding; 28,800 cubic feet per secondSep 19, 1944: 31.10 ft, major flooding; 55,900 cubic feet per secondSep 19, 1945: 28.30 ft, moderate flooding; 44,100 cubic feet per secondJan 8, 1946: 20.00 ft, minor flooding; 21,300 cubic feet per secondAug 5, 1948: 24.53 ft, moderate flooding; 32,100 cubic feet per secondDec 4, 1948: 30.84 ft, major flooding; 54,600 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1950: 25.80 ft, moderate flooding; 35,800 cubic feet per secondSep 1, 1951: 27.46 ft, moderate flooding; 41,200 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1953: 22.15 ft, minor flooding; 26,300 cubic feet per secondOct 16, 1954: 31.23 ft, major flooding; 52,000 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1957: 23.96 ft, minor flooding; 30,100 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 1958: 20.34 ft, minor flooding; 22,000 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 1958: 24.71 ft, moderate flooding; 31,800 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 1959: 26.15 ft, moderate flooding; 35,600 cubic feet per secondDec 12, 1961: 21.78 ft, minor flooding; 25,300 cubic feet per secondNov 10, 1962: 22.20 ft, minor flooding; 26,100 cubic feet per secondSep 1, 1964: 20.11 ft, minor flooding; 21,500 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 1970: 20.97 ft, minor flooding; 23,400 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1972: 26.78 ft, moderate flooding; 37,300 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1975: 24.02 ft, moderate flooding; 30,100 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 1978: 27.68 ft, moderate flooding; 40,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 1979: 23.76 ft, minor flooding; 29,600 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 1983: 23.60 ft, minor flooding; 29,200 cubic feet per secondNov 5, 1985: 27.38 ft, moderate flooding; 35,700 cubic feet per secondSep 8, 1987: 34.45 ft, major flooding; 62,100 cubic feet per secondOct 23, 1990: 23.44 ft, minor flooding; 25,900 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1991: 19.36 ft, minor flooding; 19,370 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1992: 23.18 ft, minor flooding; 25,520 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1993: 20.78 ft, minor flooding; 21,550 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1994: 18.90 ft, minor flooding; 18,630 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 1995: 28.44 ft, moderate flooding; 38,800 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 1995: 26.00 ft, moderate flooding; 31,930 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1996: 20.35 ft, minor flooding; 20,790 cubic feet per secondSep 6, 1996: 25.87 ft, moderate flooding; 31,580 cubic feet per secondJan 28, 1998: 19.16 ft, minor flooding; 19,050 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 1998: 18.88 ft, minor flooding; 18,600 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2000: 14.77 ft, below flood stage; 13,700 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 2001: 14.22 ft, below flood stage; 13,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 2003: 20.03 ft, minor flooding; 20,300 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 2003: 16.04 ft, action stage; 15,055 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 2003: 17.05 ft, action stage; 163,010 cubic feet per secondSep 29, 2004: 15.37 ft, below flood stage; 14,400 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 2005: 13.59 ft, below flood stage; 12,400 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2006: 14.20 ft, below flood stage; 13,800 cubic feet per secondNov 16, 2006: 15.39 ft, below flood stage; 15,300 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2008: 8.84 ft, below flood stage; 7,020 cubic feet per secondNov 12, 2009: 20.52 ft, minor flooding; 21,900 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 2010: 19.68 ft, minor flooding; 20,751 cubic feet per secondDec 8, 2011: 17.69 ft, action stage; 18,196 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 2013: 19.26 ft, minor flooding; 20,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 2014: 11.94 ft, below flood stage; 11,100 cubic feet per secondNov 10, 2015: 15.48 ft, below flood stage; 15,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 2016: 15.95 ft, below flood stage; 16,000 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 2016: 14.40 ft, below flood stage; 14,000 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2017: 17.53 ft, action stage; 18,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 2019: 17.76 ft, action stage; 21,140 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 2020: 16.82 ft, action stage; 19,900 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 2020: 23.59 ft, minor flooding; 31,000 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 2020: 18.99 ft, minor flooding; 23,142 cubic feet per secondOct 30, 2020: 16.88 ft, action stage; 21,000 cubic feet per secondNov 13, 2020: 23.41 ft, minor flooding; 32,000 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 2024: 17.75 ft, action stage; 22,400 cubic feet per secondSep 26, 2024: 14.31 ft, below flood stage; 16,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 2025: 18.94 ft, minor flooding; 24,400 cubic feet per second Highest, 40.08 ft, Aug 15, 1940 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Roanoke River at Altavista 1930s: 7 1940s: 8 1950s: 8 1960s: 3 1970s: 5 1980s: 3 1990s: 11 11 2000s: 2 2010s: 2 2020s: 4 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 73 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Roanoke River at Altavista
1Aug 15, 194040.08+22.08Major105,000
2Sep 8, 198734.45+16.45Major62,100
3Oct 20, 193731.27+13.27Major57,000
4Oct 16, 195431.23+13.23Major52,000
5Sep 19, 194431.10+13.10Major55,900
6Dec 4, 194830.84+12.84Major54,600
7Aug 19, 193929.60+11.60Major47,300
8Oct 18, 193229.30+11.30Major49,000
9Jun 23, 199528.44+10.44Moderate38,800
10Sep 19, 194528.30+10.30Moderate44,100
11Apr 27, 197827.68+9.68Moderate40,100
12Jan 20, 193627.66+9.66Moderate42,200
13Sep 1, 195127.46+9.46Moderate41,200
14Nov 5, 198527.38+9.38Moderate35,700
15Jun 22, 197226.78+8.78Moderate37,300
16Oct 1, 195926.15+8.15Moderate35,600
17Dec 1, 193426.01+8.01Moderate37,600
18Jun 29, 199526.00+8.00Moderate31,930
19Sep 6, 199625.87+7.87Moderate31,580
20Jun 1, 195025.80+7.80Moderate35,800
21Dec 30, 195824.71+6.71Moderate31,800
22Aug 5, 194824.53+6.53Moderate32,100
23May 22, 194224.31+6.31Moderate32,700
24Jan 3, 193724.03+6.03Moderate32,400
25Mar 19, 197524.02+6.02Moderate30,100
26Apr 6, 195723.96+5.96Minor30,100
27Feb 26, 197923.76+5.76Minor29,600
28Apr 10, 198323.60+5.60Minor29,200
29May 22, 202023.59+5.59Minor31,000
30Oct 23, 199023.44+5.44Minor25,900
31Nov 13, 202023.41+5.41Minor32,000
32Apr 22, 199223.18+5.18Minor25,520
33Apr 20, 194322.78+4.78Minor28,800
34Nov 10, 196222.20+4.20Minor26,100
35Mar 24, 195322.15+4.15Minor26,300
36Dec 12, 196121.78+3.78Minor25,300
37Jan 10, 197020.97+2.97Minor23,400
38Mar 4, 199320.78+2.78Minor21,550
39Nov 12, 200920.52+2.52Minor21,900
40Jan 19, 199620.35+2.35Minor20,790
41May 6, 195820.34+2.34Minor22,000
42Sep 1, 196420.11+2.11Minor21,500
43Feb 23, 200320.03+2.03Minor20,300
44Jan 8, 194620.00+2.00Minor21,300
45Jan 26, 201019.68+1.68Minor20,751
46Mar 4, 199119.36+1.36Minor19,370
47Jan 31, 201319.26+1.26Minor20,200
48Jan 28, 199819.16+1.16Minor19,050
49Jun 17, 202018.99+0.99Minor23,142
50Feb 16, 202518.94+0.94Minor24,400

The worst floods along the Roanoke River

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

August 15, 1940: 40.08 ft here, major flooding

  • RandolphVA · Aug 16, 1940 · 41.60 ft · Major · its highest
  • Roanoke RapidsNC · Aug 18, 1940 · 39.00 ft · Major · its highest
  • WilliamstonNC · Aug 22, 1940 · 20.50 ft · Major · its highest
  • RoanokeVA · Aug 14, 1940 · 18.25 ft · Major
  • NiagaraVA · Aug 14, 1940 · 17.50 ft · Moderate

September 8, 1987: 34.45 ft here, major flooding

  • BrooknealVA · Sep 9, 1987 · 39.80 ft · Major · its highest
  • RandolphVA · Sep 10, 1987 · 33.18 ft · Moderate

October 20, 1937: 31.27 ft here, major flooding

  • BrooknealVA · Oct 20, 1937 · 34.47 ft · Major
  • RandolphVA · Oct 22, 1937 · 29.20 ft · Minor
  • NiagaraVA · Oct 19, 1937 · 13.58 ft · Minor
  • RoanokeVA · Oct 19, 1937 · 10.84 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Roanoke River

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

Flood gauges on the Roanoke River
Altavista this gaugeVA18.040.08 ft, Aug 15, 19408
BrooknealVA23.039.80 ft, Sep 9, 198718
GlenvarVA9.017.73 ft, Apr 21, 19925
LafayetteVA8.015.60 ft, Jun 21, 19723
NiagaraVA13.025.30 ft, Nov 4, 19854
RandolphVA24.041.60 ft, Aug 16, 19403
RoanokeVA10.023.35 ft, Nov 4, 19857
Roanoke RapidsNC9.039.00 ft, Aug 18, 19408
Smith Mountain LakeVA797.0799.79 ft, Apr 27, 19783
WilliamstonNC12.020.50 ft, Aug 22, 19405
Scotland NeckNC28.037.05 ft, Sep 23, 19453

Other gauges in Campbell County

Flood gauges in Campbell County
Kelly8.09.01 ft, Feb 16, 20250
Evington19.029.93 ft, Jun 23, 19950
Naruna15.036.14 ft, Sep 6, 19960
Brookneal23.039.80 ft, Sep 9, 198718

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge ALTV2, 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.