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Roanoke River at Brookneal

Highest listed crest 39.80 ftFlood stage 23.0 ft90 crests since 1924

The Roanoke River at Brookneal crested at major flood stage 18 times among the 90 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1924 to 2024. The highest, 39.80 ft on September 9, 1987, was major flooding, 16.80 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Roanoke River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
39.80 ft
September 9, 1987; 85,800 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
23.0 ft
Major flooding from 30.0 ft
Crests at major
18
2nd of 242 gauges in Virginia
Most recent flood crest
January 10, 2024
27.57 ft, moderate 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 Brookneal
Action stage20.012Sep 26, 2024The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)23.033Dec 1, 2020Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage27.018Jan 10, 2024Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage30.018Nov 12, 2020Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

90 crests from 1924 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Roanoke River at Brookneal, 1924 to 2024 010203040ft Flood stage 23.0 ftMajor 30.0 ft Jan 17, 1924: 26.90 ft, minor flooding; 25,100 cubic feet per secondAug 12, 1928: 37.15 ft, major flooding; 76,300 cubic feet per secondOct 18, 1932: 31.64 ft, major flooding; 49,900 cubic feet per secondOct 20, 1937: 34.47 ft, major flooding; 60,400 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 1943: 25.55 ft, minor flooding; 29,800 cubic feet per secondSep 19, 1944: 37.47 ft, major flooding; 75,500 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1948: 28.15 ft, moderate flooding; 36,100 cubic feet per secondDec 5, 1948: 33.93 ft, major flooding; 55,100 cubic feet per secondSep 2, 1952: 30.68 ft, major flooding; 43,600 cubic feet per secondOct 16, 1954: 32.35 ft, major flooding; 49,100 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1957: 26.36 ft, minor flooding; 31,000 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1958: 24.41 ft, minor flooding; 26,000 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 1958: 26.98 ft, minor flooding; 32,500 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 1962: 26.18 ft, minor flooding; 30,500 cubic feet per secondAug 25, 1967: 24.60 ft, minor flooding; 26,500 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1972: 34.27 ft, major flooding; 58,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 3, 1973: 25.86 ft, minor flooding; 29,600 cubic feet per secondDec 22, 1973: 24.97 ft, minor flooding; 27,400 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1975: 31.81 ft, major flooding; 48,200 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 1978: 32.02 ft, major flooding; 49,100 cubic feet per secondSep 23, 1979: 30.82 ft, major flooding; 44,600 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1980: 24.40 ft, minor flooding; 25,800 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1982: 23.50 ft, minor flooding; 23,800 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 1983: 29.64 ft, moderate flooding; 40,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1984: 29.06 ft, moderate flooding; 38,600 cubic feet per secondAug 18, 1985: 30.21 ft, major flooding; 42,700 cubic feet per secondNov 5, 1985: 33.77 ft, major flooding; 56,100 cubic feet per secondSep 9, 1987: 39.80 ft, major flooding; 85,800 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 1989: 29.50 ft, moderate flooding; 40,000 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1990: 23.98 ft, minor flooding; 24,900 cubic feet per secondOct 23, 1990: 32.21 ft, major flooding; 48,300 cubic feet per secondJan 12, 1991: 25.50 ft, minor flooding; 28,538 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1991: 26.13 ft, minor flooding; 30,056 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1991: 27.21 ft, moderate flooding; 32,993 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1992: 29.04 ft, moderate flooding; 38,600 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1993: 30.56 ft, major flooding; 43,700 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1993: 25.44 ft, minor flooding; 28,300 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1994: 24.39 ft, minor flooding; 25,830 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1994: 28.74 ft, moderate flooding; 37,500 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 1995: 35.00 ft, major flooding; 73,100 cubic feet per secondJun 30, 1995: 29.94 ft, moderate flooding; 41,930 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 1996: 28.33 ft, moderate flooding; 36,150 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 1996: 22.18 ft, action stage; 21,390 cubic feet per secondSep 4, 1996: 24.52 ft, minor flooding; 26,130 cubic feet per secondDec 2, 1996: 23.86 ft, minor flooding; 24,620 cubic feet per secondJan 28, 1998: 27.92 ft, moderate flooding; 34,880 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 1998: 26.24 ft, minor flooding; 30,410 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 1998: 24.50 ft, minor flooding; 25,090 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1998: 26.78 ft, minor flooding; 31,840 cubic feet per secondSep 30, 1999: 21.63 ft, action stage; 20,400 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2000: 20.58 ft, action stage; 18,500 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 2001: 19.97 ft, below flood stage; 17,400 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 2002: 8.74 ft, below flood stage; 3,240 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 2003: 28.62 ft, moderate flooding; 37,100 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 2003: 26.42 ft, minor flooding; 30,840 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 2003: 24.89 ft, minor flooding; 27,150 cubic feet per secondSep 29, 2004: 18.79 ft, below flood stage; 15,400 cubic feet per secondJan 14, 2005: 18.69 ft, below flood stage; 15,300 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 2006: 17.92 ft, below flood stage; 14,300 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 2007: 22.41 ft, action stage; 21,800 cubic feet per secondNov 13, 2009: 27.51 ft, moderate flooding; 33,800 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 2010: 28.24 ft, moderate flooding; 35,900 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 2010: 19.03 ft, below flood stage; 15,800 cubic feet per secondDec 9, 2011: 18.23 ft, below flood stage; 14,700 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 2012: 23.37 ft, minor flooding; 23,700 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 2013: 21.94 ft, action stage; 23,600 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 2013: 23.50 ft, minor flooding; 26,600 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 2014: 18.68 ft, below flood stage; 18,462 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 2016: 20.81 ft, action stage; 21,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 2016: 22.30 ft, action stage; 24,300 cubic feet per secondOct 9, 2016: 21.40 ft, action stage; 22,700 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2017: 24.46 ft, minor flooding; 28,400 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 2018: 24.19 ft, minor flooding; 28,966 cubic feet per secondOct 12, 2018: 25.48 ft, minor flooding; 31,100 cubic feet per secondNov 16, 2018: 23.31 ft, minor flooding; 27,100 cubic feet per secondDec 16, 2018: 24.12 ft, minor flooding; 28,637 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 2019: 25.67 ft, minor flooding; 31,458 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 2020: 27.41 ft, moderate flooding; 34,400 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 2020: 24.20 ft, minor flooding; 28,000 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 2020: 27.68 ft, moderate flooding; 35,000 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 2020: 27.08 ft, moderate flooding; 33,900 cubic feet per secondSep 18, 2020: 21.64 ft, action stage; 24,900 cubic feet per secondOct 30, 2020: 27.74 ft, moderate flooding; 35,100 cubic feet per secondNov 12, 2020: 34.51 ft, major flooding; 59,800 cubic feet per secondDec 1, 2020: 23.74 ft, minor flooding; 27,900 cubic feet per secondDec 5, 2020: 20.08 ft, action stage; 21,700 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2023: 20.06 ft, action stage; 21,000 cubic feet per secondJul 16, 2023: 17.66 ft, below flood stage; 17,200 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 2024: 27.57 ft, moderate flooding; 34,300 cubic feet per secondSep 26, 2024: 20.99 ft, action stage; 22,604 cubic feet per second Highest, 39.80 ft, Sep 9, 1987 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Roanoke River at Brookneal 1920s: 2 1930s: 2 1940s: 4 1950s: 5 1960s: 2 1970s: 6 1980s: 8 1990s: 19 19 2000s: 4 2010s: 9 2020s: 8 1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 90 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Roanoke River at Brookneal
1Sep 9, 198739.80+16.80Major85,800
2Sep 19, 194437.47+14.47Major75,500
3Aug 12, 192837.15+14.15Major76,300
4Jun 23, 199535.00+12.00Major73,100
5Nov 12, 202034.51+11.51Major59,800
6Oct 20, 193734.47+11.47Major60,400
7Jun 22, 197234.27+11.27Major58,400
8Dec 5, 194833.93+10.93Major55,100
9Nov 5, 198533.77+10.77Major56,100
10Oct 16, 195432.35+9.35Major49,100
11Oct 23, 199032.21+9.21Major48,300
12Apr 27, 197832.02+9.02Major49,100
13Mar 20, 197531.81+8.81Major48,200
14Oct 18, 193231.64+8.64Major49,900
15Sep 23, 197930.82+7.82Major44,600
16Sep 2, 195230.68+7.68Major43,600
17Mar 4, 199330.56+7.56Major43,700
18Aug 18, 198530.21+7.21Major42,700
19Jun 30, 199529.94+6.94Moderate41,930
20Apr 11, 198329.64+6.64Moderate40,500
21May 6, 198929.50+6.50Moderate40,000
22Feb 14, 198429.06+6.06Moderate38,600
23Apr 22, 199229.04+6.04Moderate38,600
24Mar 28, 199428.74+5.74Moderate37,500
25Feb 23, 200328.62+5.62Moderate37,100
26Jan 20, 199628.33+5.33Moderate36,150
27Jan 26, 201028.24+5.24Moderate35,900
28Apr 1, 194828.15+5.15Moderate36,100
29Jan 28, 199827.92+4.92Moderate34,880
30Oct 30, 202027.74+4.74Moderate35,100
31May 22, 202027.68+4.68Moderate35,000
32Jan 10, 202427.57+4.57Moderate34,300
33Nov 13, 200927.51+4.51Moderate33,800
34Feb 7, 202027.41+4.41Moderate34,400
35Mar 30, 199127.21+4.21Moderate32,993
36Jun 18, 202027.08+4.08Moderate33,900
37Dec 30, 195826.98+3.98Minor32,500
38Jan 17, 192426.90+3.90Minor25,100
39Mar 21, 199826.78+3.78Minor31,840
40Mar 22, 200326.42+3.42Minor30,840
41Apr 6, 195726.36+3.36Minor31,000
42Feb 5, 199826.24+3.24Minor30,410
43Mar 13, 196226.18+3.18Minor30,500
44Mar 4, 199126.13+3.13Minor30,056
45Feb 3, 197325.86+2.86Minor29,600
46Feb 24, 201925.67+2.67Minor31,458
47Apr 20, 194325.55+2.55Minor29,800
48Jan 12, 199125.50+2.50Minor28,538
49Oct 12, 201825.48+2.48Minor31,100
50Mar 28, 199325.44+2.44Minor28,300

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.

September 9, 1987: 39.80 ft here, major flooding

  • AltavistaVA · Sep 8, 1987 · 34.45 ft · Major
  • RandolphVA · Sep 10, 1987 · 33.18 ft · Moderate

September 19, 1944: 37.47 ft here, major flooding

August 12, 1928: 37.15 ft here, major flooding

  • RandolphVA · Aug 13, 1928 · 32.46 ft · Moderate
  • NiagaraVA · Aug 16, 1928 · 17.36 ft · Moderate

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
AltavistaVA18.040.08 ft, Aug 15, 19408
Brookneal this gaugeVA23.039.80 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
Altavista18.040.08 ft, Aug 15, 19408

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BROV2, 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.