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Roanoke River at Glenvar

Highest listed crest 17.73 ftFlood stage 9.0 ft57 crests since 1992

The Roanoke River at Glenvar crested at major flood stage 5 times among the 57 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1992 to 2025. The highest, 17.73 ft on April 21, 1992, was major flooding, 8.73 feet above flood stage. 6 other gauges on the Roanoke River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
17.73 ft
April 21, 1992; 19,800 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
9.0 ft
Major flooding from 16.0 ft
Crests at major
5
32nd of 242 gauges in Virginia
Most recent flood crest
February 16, 2025
15.26 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Roanoke County
Near Salem (4.8 mi), Roanoke (10.0 mi)

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 Glenvar
Action stage7.512Jan 10, 2024The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)9.032Sep 27, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage14.06Feb 16, 2025Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage16.05Oct 12, 2018Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

57 crests from 1992 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Roanoke River at Glenvar, 1992 to 2025 681012141618ft Flood stage 9.0 ftMajor 16.0 ft Jan 4, 1992: 14.81 ft, moderate flooding; 14,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 1992: 7.66 ft, action stage; 3,700 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1992: 17.73 ft, major flooding; 19,800 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 1992: 8.25 ft, action stage; 4,290 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1992: 8.42 ft, action stage; 4,480 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1993: 11.11 ft, minor flooding; 8,460 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1993: 13.46 ft, minor flooding; 12,300 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1994: 10.41 ft, minor flooding; 7,830 cubic feet per secondAug 17, 1994: 9.47 ft, minor flooding; 5,840 cubic feet per secondJan 15, 1995: 12.22 ft, minor flooding; 10,200 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1996: 13.76 ft, minor flooding; 12,800 cubic feet per secondSep 6, 1996: 15.59 ft, moderate flooding; 15,900 cubic feet per secondDec 1, 1996: 10.93 ft, minor flooding; 8,020 cubic feet per secondJan 8, 1998: 12.25 ft, minor flooding; 10,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 1998: 11.55 ft, minor flooding; 9,030 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 1998: 10.12 ft, minor flooding; 6,770 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1998: 12.93 ft, minor flooding; 11,400 cubic feet per secondSep 5, 1999: 8.88 ft, action stage; 5,050 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 2000: 7.81 ft, action stage; 3,820 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2000: 9.96 ft, minor flooding; 6,540 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 2001: 7.81 ft, action stage; 3,820 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 2002: 9.90 ft, minor flooding; 6,450 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 2003: 17.61 ft, major flooding; 19,600 cubic feet per secondDec 5, 2003: 11.76 ft, minor flooding; 9,500 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 2004: 17.43 ft, major flooding; 19,200 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 2005: 9.62 ft, minor flooding; 6,050 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 2006: 13.30 ft, minor flooding; 12,000 cubic feet per secondNov 16, 2006: 7.78 ft, action stage; 3,790 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 2008: 7.05 ft, below flood stage; 3,040 cubic feet per secondNov 12, 2009: 12.99 ft, minor flooding; 11,500 cubic feet per secondDec 9, 2009: 10.49 ft, minor flooding; 7,350 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 2010: 11.12 ft, minor flooding; 8,322 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 2011: 9.20 ft, minor flooding; 5,470 cubic feet per secondNov 29, 2011: 10.01 ft, minor flooding; 6,614 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 2013: 15.85 ft, moderate flooding; 16,400 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 2013: 12.56 ft, minor flooding; 10,720 cubic feet per secondSep 30, 2015: 16.53 ft, major flooding; 17,600 cubic feet per secondNov 19, 2015: 10.29 ft, minor flooding; 7,030 cubic feet per secondJan 23, 2017: 11.11 ft, minor flooding; 8,310 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 2017: 11.40 ft, minor flooding; 8,780 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 2018: 13.43 ft, minor flooding; 12,221 cubic feet per secondSep 23, 2018: 10.03 ft, minor flooding; 6,640 cubic feet per secondOct 12, 2018: 17.10 ft, major flooding; 18,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 2019: 10.49 ft, minor flooding; 7,331 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 2020: 11.39 ft, minor flooding; 8,765 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 2020: 13.14 ft, minor flooding; 11,700 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2020: 14.14 ft, moderate flooding; 13,400 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 2020: 12.52 ft, minor flooding; 10,670 cubic feet per secondOct 29, 2020: 8.34 ft, action stage; 4,400 cubic feet per secondNov 12, 2020: 14.84 ft, moderate flooding; 14,600 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 2021: 8.23 ft, action stage; 4,280 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2022: 7.85 ft, action stage; 3,870 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2022: 7.40 ft, below flood stage; 3,390 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 2023: 8.80 ft, action stage; 4,950 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 2024: 8.60 ft, action stage; 4,700 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 2024: 12.90 ft, minor flooding; 11,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 2025: 15.26 ft, moderate flooding; 15,300 cubic feet per second Highest, 17.73 ft, Apr 21, 1992 200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Roanoke River at Glenvar 1990s: 14 14 2000s: 9 2010s: 13 2020s: 7 1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Roanoke River at Glenvar
1Apr 21, 199217.73+8.73Major19,800
2Feb 22, 200317.61+8.61Major19,600
3Sep 28, 200417.43+8.43Major19,200
4Oct 12, 201817.10+8.10Major18,600
5Sep 30, 201516.53+7.53Major17,600
6Jan 31, 201315.85+6.85Moderate16,400
7Sep 6, 199615.59+6.59Moderate15,900
8Feb 16, 202515.26+6.26Moderate15,300
9Nov 12, 202014.84+5.84Moderate14,600
10Jan 4, 199214.81+5.81Moderate14,600
11May 21, 202014.14+5.14Moderate13,400
12Jan 19, 199613.76+4.76Minor12,800
13Mar 24, 199313.46+4.46Minor12,300
14Sep 17, 201813.43+4.43Minor12,221
15Jun 28, 200613.30+4.30Minor12,000
16Apr 13, 202013.14+4.14Minor11,700
17Nov 12, 200912.99+3.99Minor11,500
18Mar 20, 199812.93+3.93Minor11,400
19Sep 27, 202412.90+3.90Minor11,300
20Jul 4, 201312.56+3.56Minor10,720
21Jun 18, 202012.52+3.52Minor10,670
22Jan 8, 199812.25+3.25Minor10,200
23Jan 15, 199512.22+3.22Minor10,200
24Dec 5, 200311.76+2.76Minor9,500
25Feb 4, 199811.55+2.55Minor9,030
26Apr 24, 201711.40+2.40Minor8,780
27Feb 7, 202011.39+2.39Minor8,765
28Jan 25, 201011.12+2.12Minor8,322
29Mar 4, 199311.11+2.11Minor8,460
30Jan 23, 201711.11+2.11Minor8,310
31Dec 1, 199610.93+1.93Minor8,020
32Dec 9, 200910.49+1.49Minor7,350
33Feb 24, 201910.49+1.49Minor7,331
34Mar 28, 199410.41+1.41Minor7,830
35Nov 19, 201510.29+1.29Minor7,030
36Feb 17, 199810.12+1.12Minor6,770
37Sep 23, 201810.03+1.03Minor6,640
38Nov 29, 201110.01+1.01Minor6,614
39Apr 18, 20009.96+0.96Minor6,540
40May 3, 20029.90+0.90Minor6,450
41Mar 28, 20059.62+0.62Minor6,050
42Aug 17, 19949.47+0.47Minor5,840
43Mar 7, 20119.20+0.20Minor5,470
44Sep 5, 19998.88−0.12Action5,050
45May 29, 20238.80−0.20Action4,950
46Jan 10, 20248.60−0.40Action4,700
47Jun 5, 19928.42−0.58Action4,480
48Oct 29, 20208.34−0.66Action4,400
49May 15, 19928.25−0.75Action4,290
50Jan 26, 20218.23−0.77Action4,280

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.

April 21, 1992: 17.73 ft here, major flooding

  • RoanokeVA · Apr 22, 1992 · 18.09 ft · Major
  • LafayetteVA · Apr 21, 1992 · 13.09 ft · Major
  • BrooknealVA · Apr 22, 1992 · 29.04 ft · Moderate
  • NiagaraVA · Apr 21, 1992 · 17.95 ft · Moderate
  • Smith Mountain LakeVA · Apr 22, 1992 · 797.46 ft · Minor
  • AltavistaVA · Apr 22, 1992 · 23.18 ft · Minor

February 22, 2003: 17.61 ft here, major flooding

  • BrooknealVA · Feb 23, 2003 · 28.62 ft · Moderate
  • NiagaraVA · Feb 22, 2003 · 16.71 ft · Moderate
  • RoanokeVA · Feb 23, 2003 · 15.57 ft · Moderate
  • LafayetteVA · Feb 22, 2003 · 12.69 ft · Moderate
  • RandolphVA · Feb 24, 2003 · 27.18 ft · Minor
  • AltavistaVA · Feb 23, 2003 · 20.03 ft · Minor

September 28, 2004: 17.43 ft here, major flooding

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
BrooknealVA23.039.80 ft, Sep 9, 198718
Glenvar this gaugeVA9.017.73 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 Roanoke County

Flood gauges in Roanoke County
Hanging Rock8.010.91 ft, Sep 27, 20240
Niagara13.025.30 ft, Nov 4, 19854

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge GNVV2, 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.