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Roanoke River at Roanoke

Highest listed crest 23.35 ftFlood stage 10.0 ft107 crests since 1902

The Roanoke River at Roanoke crested at major flood stage 7 times among the 107 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1902 to 2025. The highest, 23.35 ft on November 4, 1985, was major flooding, 13.35 feet above flood stage. 6 other gauges on the Roanoke River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
23.35 ft
November 4, 1985; 32,300 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
10.0 ft
Major flooding from 16.0 ft
Crests at major
7
26th of 242 gauges in Virginia
Most recent flood crest
February 16, 2025
14.26 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Roanoke city
Near Roanoke (1.7 mi), Salem (6.7 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 Roanoke
Action stage6.048Jan 10, 2024The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)10.017Jun 18, 2020Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage12.020Feb 16, 2025Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage16.07Oct 11, 2018Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

107 crests from 1902 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Roanoke River at Roanoke, 1902 to 2025 0510152025ft Flood stage 10.0 ftMajor 16.0 ft Feb 25, 1902: 13.20 ft, moderate flooding; 15,300 cubic feet per secondJul 12, 1905: 12.80 ft, moderate flooding; 14,800 cubic feet per secondJan 12, 1908: 10.60 ft, minor flooding; 11,800 cubic feet per secondDec 5, 1914: 10.00 ft, minor flooding; 11,000 cubic feet per secondOct 19, 1937: 10.84 ft, minor flooding; 10,000 cubic feet per secondAug 19, 1939: 9.67 ft, action stage; 8,480 cubic feet per secondAug 14, 1940: 18.25 ft, major flooding; 22,800 cubic feet per secondJul 8, 1941: 5.84 ft, below flood stage; 3,910 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1942: 7.38 ft, action stage; 5,740 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 1943: 7.50 ft, action stage; 5,870 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 1944: 6.65 ft, action stage; 4,750 cubic feet per secondSep 18, 1945: 13.70 ft, moderate flooding; 15,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 1946: 7.33 ft, action stage; 5,400 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 1947: 7.77 ft, action stage; 5,960 cubic feet per secondDec 4, 1948: 13.68 ft, moderate flooding; 15,100 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1950: 8.64 ft, action stage; 6,960 cubic feet per secondSep 1, 1952: 8.29 ft, action stage; 6,570 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1953: 8.79 ft, action stage; 7,220 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1954: 6.69 ft, action stage; 4,770 cubic feet per secondOct 15, 1954: 7.80 ft, action stage; 5,960 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1956: 6.16 ft, action stage; 4,270 cubic feet per secondJan 29, 1957: 9.20 ft, action stage; 8,900 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 1958: 7.21 ft, action stage; 5,760 cubic feet per secondFeb 11, 1960: 6.92 ft, action stage; 5,180 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 1961: 5.91 ft, below flood stage; 3,980 cubic feet per secondDec 18, 1961: 7.80 ft, action stage; 6,340 cubic feet per secondNov 10, 1962: 9.26 ft, action stage; 8,450 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 1964: 5.76 ft, below flood stage; 3,870 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 1965: 7.32 ft, action stage; 5,690 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1966: 7.25 ft, action stage; 5,560 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 1968: 5.82 ft, below flood stage; 3,890 cubic feet per secondOct 19, 1968: 9.83 ft, action stage; 9,240 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 1968: 6.98 ft, action stage; 5,280 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1971: 6.84 ft, action stage; 5,110 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1972: 19.61 ft, major flooding; 25,300 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1974: 6.53 ft, action stage; 4,740 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1976: 5.80 ft, below flood stage; 3,870 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 1978: 18.95 ft, major flooding; 24,100 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 1979: 11.62 ft, minor flooding; 11,900 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 1980: 9.79 ft, action stage; 9,180 cubic feet per secondSep 4, 1981: 4.87 ft, below flood stage; 2,930 cubic feet per secondFeb 3, 1982: 7.97 ft, action stage; 6,560 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 1983: 12.53 ft, moderate flooding; 13,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1984: 8.16 ft, action stage; 6,820 cubic feet per secondAug 18, 1985: 11.32 ft, minor flooding; 11,400 cubic feet per secondNov 4, 1985: 23.35 ft, major flooding; 32,300 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1987: 13.56 ft, moderate flooding; 14,900 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 1988: 3.31 ft, below flood stage; 1,460 cubic feet per secondSep 23, 1989: 11.63 ft, minor flooding; 11,900 cubic feet per secondNov 16, 1989: 7.74 ft, action stage; 6,250 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 1991: 7.77 ft, action stage; 6,290 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1992: 18.09 ft, major flooding; 22,000 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1993: 11.00 ft, minor flooding; 9,862 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1993: 11.80 ft, minor flooding; 11,000 cubic feet per secondDec 5, 1993: 9.94 ft, action stage; 8,410 cubic feet per secondJan 15, 1995: 11.66 ft, minor flooding; 10,800 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 1995: 10.30 ft, minor flooding; 8,900 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1996: 12.52 ft, moderate flooding; 12,130 cubic feet per secondSep 6, 1996: 13.90 ft, moderate flooding; 14,430 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 1998: 3.31 ft, below flood stage; 1,460 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 1998: 12.10 ft, moderate flooding; 11,460 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 1998: 10.30 ft, minor flooding; 8,900 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1998: 13.01 ft, moderate flooding; 12,900 cubic feet per secondSep 6, 1999: 5.97 ft, below flood stage; 3,600 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2000: 7.82 ft, action stage; 5,620 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 2001: 5.57 ft, below flood stage; 3,210 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 2002: 5.61 ft, below flood stage; 3,250 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 2003: 15.57 ft, moderate flooding; 17,400 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 2003: 9.78 ft, action stage; 8,150 cubic feet per secondSep 8, 2004: 12.72 ft, moderate flooding; 12,450 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 2004: 17.82 ft, major flooding; 21,500 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 2005: 7.11 ft, action stage; 4,800 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2006: 12.80 ft, moderate flooding; 12,600 cubic feet per secondNov 16, 2006: 5.79 ft, below flood stage; 3,420 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 2008: 5.08 ft, below flood stage; 2,770 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 2009: 4.81 ft, below flood stage; 2,530 cubic feet per secondNov 12, 2009: 10.33 ft, minor flooding; 9,950 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 2011: 6.57 ft, action stage; 4,810 cubic feet per secondNov 29, 2011: 7.81 ft, action stage; 6,710 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 2013: 12.44 ft, moderate flooding; 13,000 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 2013: 14.38 ft, moderate flooding; 16,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 2014: 6.00 ft, action stage; 4,040 cubic feet per secondSep 30, 2015: 14.62 ft, moderate flooding; 16,300 cubic feet per secondNov 19, 2015: 8.26 ft, action stage; 7,260 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 2016: 7.08 ft, action stage; 5,550 cubic feet per secondSep 30, 2016: 6.50 ft, action stage; 4,710 cubic feet per secondOct 8, 2016: 7.02 ft, action stage; 5,463 cubic feet per secondJan 23, 2017: 10.58 ft, minor flooding; 10,300 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 2017: 9.04 ft, action stage; 8,240 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 2018: 6.52 ft, action stage; 4,720 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 2018: 11.41 ft, minor flooding; 10,200 cubic feet per secondOct 11, 2018: 16.64 ft, major flooding; 19,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 2019: 9.52 ft, action stage; 7,580 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 2019: 8.58 ft, action stage; 6,644 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 2020: 10.03 ft, minor flooding; 8,130 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 2020: 11.74 ft, minor flooding; 10,500 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2020: 15.89 ft, moderate flooding; 17,100 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 2020: 11.91 ft, minor flooding; 10,700 cubic feet per secondOct 30, 2020: 7.27 ft, action stage; 4,880 cubic feet per secondNov 12, 2020: 14.07 ft, moderate flooding; 14,000 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 2021: 7.27 ft, action stage; 4,880 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2022: 7.28 ft, action stage; 4,890 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 2023: 6.48 ft, action stage; 4,080 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 2024: 7.30 ft, action stage; 5,060 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 2024: 13.15 ft, moderate flooding; 12,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 2025: 14.26 ft, moderate flooding; 14,300 cubic feet per secondAug 22, 2025: 5.65 ft, below flood stage; 3,376 cubic feet per second Highest, 23.35 ft, Nov 4, 1985 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Roanoke River at Roanoke 1900s: 3 1910s: 1 1920s: 0 1930s: 1 1940s: 3 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 3 1980s: 5 1990s: 10 10 2000s: 5 2010s: 6 2020s: 7 1900s1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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.
  3. 6 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 15.00 ft on May 22, 1901; 13.20 ft on Nov 1, 1921; 10.50 ft on Sep 29, 1924; 11.50 ft on Oct 2, 1929; 13.10 ft on Oct 17, 1932; 11.70 ft on Jan 23, 1935.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 107 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Roanoke River at Roanoke
1Nov 4, 198523.35+13.35Major32,300
2Jun 21, 197219.61+9.61Major25,300
3Apr 27, 197818.95+8.95Major24,100
4Aug 14, 194018.25+8.25Major22,800
5Apr 22, 199218.09+8.09Major22,000
6Sep 28, 200417.82+7.82Major21,500
7Oct 11, 201816.64+6.64Major19,700
8May 21, 202015.89+5.89Moderate17,100
9Feb 23, 200315.57+5.57Moderate17,400
10Sep 30, 201514.62+4.62Moderate16,300
11Jul 4, 201314.38+4.38Moderate16,000
12Feb 16, 202514.26+4.26Moderate14,300
13Nov 12, 202014.07+4.07Moderate14,000
14Sep 6, 199613.90+3.90Moderate14,430
15Sep 18, 194513.70+3.70Moderate15,100
16Dec 4, 194813.68+3.68Moderate15,100
17Apr 25, 198713.56+3.56Moderate14,900
18Feb 25, 190213.20+3.20Moderate15,300
19Sep 28, 202413.15+3.15Moderate12,700
20Mar 21, 199813.01+3.01Moderate12,900
21Jul 12, 190512.80+2.80Moderate14,800
22Jun 27, 200612.80+2.80Moderate12,600
23Sep 8, 200412.72+2.72Moderate12,450
24Apr 10, 198312.53+2.53Moderate13,300
25Jan 19, 199612.52+2.52Moderate12,130
26Jan 31, 201312.44+2.44Moderate13,000
27Feb 4, 199812.10+2.10Moderate11,460
28Jun 18, 202011.91+1.91Minor10,700
29Mar 24, 199311.80+1.80Minor11,000
30Apr 13, 202011.74+1.74Minor10,500
31Jan 15, 199511.66+1.66Minor10,800
32Sep 23, 198911.63+1.63Minor11,900
33Sep 22, 197911.62+1.62Minor11,900
34Sep 17, 201811.41+1.41Minor10,200
35Aug 18, 198511.32+1.32Minor11,400
36Mar 4, 199311.00+1.00Minor9,862
37Oct 19, 193710.84+0.84Minor10,000
38Jan 12, 190810.60+0.60Minor11,800
39Jan 23, 201710.58+0.58Minor10,300
40Nov 12, 200910.33+0.33Minor9,950
41Jun 28, 199510.30+0.30Minor8,900
42Feb 17, 199810.30+0.30Minor8,900
43Feb 7, 202010.03+0.03Minor8,130
44Dec 5, 191410.000.00Minor11,000
45Dec 5, 19939.94−0.06Action8,410
46Oct 19, 19689.83−0.17Action9,240
47Apr 14, 19809.79−0.21Action9,180
48Apr 11, 20039.78−0.22Action8,150
49Aug 19, 19399.67−0.33Action8,480
50Feb 24, 20199.52−0.48Action7,580

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.

November 4, 1985: 23.35 ft here, major flooding

  • Smith Mountain LakeVA · Nov 5, 1985 · 799.50 ft · Major
  • BrooknealVA · Nov 5, 1985 · 33.77 ft · Major
  • NiagaraVA · Nov 4, 1985 · 25.30 ft · Major · its highest
  • LafayetteVA · Nov 4, 1985 · 13.34 ft · Major
  • AltavistaVA · Nov 5, 1985 · 27.38 ft · Moderate
  • RandolphVA · Nov 6, 1985 · 29.58 ft · Minor

June 21, 1972: 19.61 ft here, major flooding

  • BrooknealVA · Jun 22, 1972 · 34.27 ft · Major
  • NiagaraVA · Jun 21, 1972 · 18.98 ft · Major
  • LafayetteVA · Jun 21, 1972 · 15.60 ft · Major · its highest
  • RandolphVA · Jun 23, 1972 · 30.96 ft · Moderate
  • AltavistaVA · Jun 22, 1972 · 26.78 ft · Moderate
  • Roanoke RapidsNC · Jun 28, 1972 · 9.55 ft · Minor

April 27, 1978: 18.95 ft here, major flooding

  • Smith Mountain LakeVA · Apr 27, 1978 · 799.79 ft · Major · its highest
  • BrooknealVA · Apr 27, 1978 · 32.02 ft · Major
  • NiagaraVA · Apr 27, 1978 · 19.12 ft · Major
  • AltavistaVA · Apr 27, 1978 · 27.68 ft · Moderate
  • LafayetteVA · Apr 26, 1978 · 12.12 ft · Moderate
  • RandolphVA · Apr 28, 1978 · 29.73 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
AltavistaVA18.040.08 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
Roanoke this gaugeVA10.023.35 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 city

Flood gauges in Roanoke city
Forest Park Elementary in Roanoke3.03.24 ft, Aug 21, 20250
Mudlick Creek in Roanoke3.04.30 ft, Aug 22, 20250
Fishburn Park in Roanoke2.82.98 ft, Feb 15, 20250
Strauss Park5.07.47 ft, Aug 22, 20250

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge RONV2, 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.