Roanoke River at Smith Mountain Lake

Highest listed crest 799.79 ftFlood stage 797.0 ft6 crests since 1978

The Roanoke River at Smith Mountain Lake crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 6 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1978 to 2004. The highest, 799.79 ft on April 27, 1978, was major flooding, 2.79 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: 799.79 ft; April 27, 1978
Flood stage: 797.0 ft; Major flooding from 799.0 ft
Crests at major: 3; 55th of 242 gauges in Virginia
Most recent flood crest: September 29, 2004; 797.42 ft, minor flooding
Location: Pittsylvania County; Virginia
Identifiers: NWS SMIV2; No USGS station

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 Smith Mountain Lake

Action stage	796.0	1	Sep 7, 1996	The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)	797.0	2	Sep 29, 2004	Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage	798.0	0	—	Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage	799.0	3	Apr 17, 1987	Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

6 crests from 1978 to 2004. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

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.
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, Roanoke River at Smith Mountain Lake

1	Apr 27, 1978	799.79	+2.79	Major	—
2	Apr 17, 1987	799.53	+2.53	Major	—
3	Nov 5, 1985	799.50	+2.50	Major	—
4	Apr 22, 1992	797.46	+0.46	Minor	—
5	Sep 29, 2004	797.42	+0.42	Minor	—
6	Sep 7, 1996	796.56	−0.44	Action	—

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 27, 1978: 799.79 ft here, major flooding

BrooknealVA · Apr 27, 1978 · 32.02 ft · Major
NiagaraVA · Apr 27, 1978 · 19.12 ft · Major
RoanokeVA · Apr 27, 1978 · 18.95 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

November 5, 1985: 799.50 ft here, major flooding

BrooknealVA · Nov 5, 1985 · 33.77 ft · Major
NiagaraVA · Nov 4, 1985 · 25.30 ft · Major · its highest
RoanokeVA · Nov 4, 1985 · 23.35 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

April 22, 1992: 797.46 ft here, minor flooding

RoanokeVA · Apr 22, 1992 · 18.09 ft · Major
GlenvarVA · Apr 21, 1992 · 17.73 ft · Major · its highest
LafayetteVA · Apr 21, 1992 · 13.09 ft · Major
BrooknealVA · Apr 22, 1992 · 29.04 ft · Moderate
NiagaraVA · Apr 21, 1992 · 17.95 ft · Moderate
AltavistaVA · Apr 22, 1992 · 23.18 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	VA	18.0	40.08 ft, Aug 15, 1940	8
Brookneal	VA	23.0	39.80 ft, Sep 9, 1987	18
Glenvar	VA	9.0	17.73 ft, Apr 21, 1992	5
Lafayette	VA	8.0	15.60 ft, Jun 21, 1972	3
Niagara	VA	13.0	25.30 ft, Nov 4, 1985	4
Randolph	VA	24.0	41.60 ft, Aug 16, 1940	3
Roanoke	VA	10.0	23.35 ft, Nov 4, 1985	7
Roanoke Rapids	NC	9.0	39.00 ft, Aug 18, 1940	8
Smith Mountain Lake this gauge	VA	797.0	799.79 ft, Apr 27, 1978	3
Williamston	NC	12.0	20.50 ft, Aug 22, 1940	5
Scotland Neck	NC	28.0	37.05 ft, Sep 23, 1945	3

Other gauges in Pittsylvania County

Flood gauges in Pittsylvania County

Sandy Level	15.0	31.12 ft, Sep 8, 1987	2
Danville	8.0	11.46 ft, Oct 11, 2018	0

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SMIV2, 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.