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South Fork Roanoke River near Shawsville

Highest listed crest 11.12 ftFlood stage 5.0 ft68 crests since 1961

The South Fork Roanoke River near Shawsville crested at major flood stage 4 times among the 68 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1961 to 2025. The highest, 11.12 ft on June 21, 1972, was major flooding, 6.12 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
11.12 ft
June 21, 1972; 14,200 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
5.0 ft
Major flooding from 9.0 ft
Crests at major
4
40th of 242 gauges in Virginia
Most recent flood crest
February 16, 2025
7.11 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Montgomery County
Near Christiansburg (7.7 mi), Blacksburg (10.8 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, South Fork Roanoke River near Shawsville
Action stage4.014Feb 7, 2020The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)5.017May 29, 2023Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage7.021Feb 16, 2025Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage9.04Oct 11, 2018Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

68 crests from 1961 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the South Fork Roanoke River near Shawsville, 1961 to 2025 024681012ft Flood stage 5.0 ftMajor 9.0 ft May 11, 1961: 4.33 ft, action stage; 1,380 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1962: 3.87 ft, below flood stage; 1,160 cubic feet per secondNov 10, 1962: 4.93 ft, action stage; 2,140 cubic feet per secondAug 31, 1964: 3.21 ft, below flood stage; 970 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 1965: 4.24 ft, action stage; 1,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1966: 4.02 ft, action stage; 1,530 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1967: 6.35 ft, minor flooding; 3,840 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1968: 2.60 ft, below flood stage; 736 cubic feet per secondOct 19, 1968: 5.95 ft, minor flooding; 3,020 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 1969: 3.33 ft, below flood stage; 1,120 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 1971: 3.01 ft, below flood stage; 921 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1972: 11.12 ft, major flooding; 14,200 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1973: 7.44 ft, moderate flooding; 4,500 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1974: 4.51 ft, action stage; 1,840 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1975: 7.10 ft, moderate flooding; 4,020 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1976: 5.08 ft, minor flooding; 2,300 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1977: 6.62 ft, minor flooding; 3,520 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 1978: 7.72 ft, moderate flooding; 4,860 cubic feet per secondSep 21, 1979: 9.27 ft, major flooding; 8,380 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 1980: 4.82 ft, action stage; 2,080 cubic feet per secondFeb 3, 1982: 2.77 ft, below flood stage; 682 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1983: 5.93 ft, minor flooding; 4,570 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 1983: 7.79 ft, moderate flooding; 4,990 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1984: 4.70 ft, action stage; 1,980 cubic feet per secondAug 18, 1985: 7.07 ft, moderate flooding; 3,980 cubic feet per secondNov 4, 1985: 8.81 ft, moderate flooding; 7,070 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1987: 6.02 ft, minor flooding; 4,690 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 1988: 1.87 ft, below flood stage; 411 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 1989: 8.05 ft, moderate flooding; 8,110 cubic feet per secondNov 16, 1989: 4.66 ft, action stage; 2,960 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1992: 8.15 ft, moderate flooding; 8,300 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1993: 5.93 ft, minor flooding; 4,570 cubic feet per secondAug 17, 1994: 5.44 ft, minor flooding; 3,910 cubic feet per secondJan 15, 1995: 6.75 ft, minor flooding; 5,790 cubic feet per secondSep 6, 1996: 8.88 ft, moderate flooding; 9,690 cubic feet per secondNov 8, 1996: 5.05 ft, minor flooding; 2,640 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2000: 3.23 ft, below flood stage; 1,190 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 2001: 3.28 ft, below flood stage; 1,230 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 2002: 5.56 ft, minor flooding; 3,160 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 2003: 8.66 ft, moderate flooding; 7,090 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 2004: 8.86 ft, moderate flooding; 7,390 cubic feet per secondJan 14, 2005: 4.19 ft, action stage; 1,730 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2006: 7.32 ft, moderate flooding; 5,180 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 2008: 2.65 ft, below flood stage; 827 cubic feet per secondNov 12, 2009: 8.00 ft, moderate flooding; 6,120 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 2010: 5.70 ft, minor flooding; 3,301 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 2010: 5.04 ft, minor flooding; 2,656 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 2011: 4.24 ft, action stage; 1,957 cubic feet per secondNov 29, 2011: 4.57 ft, action stage; 2,233 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 2013: 8.88 ft, moderate flooding; 7,420 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 2013: 7.46 ft, moderate flooding; 5,370 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 2014: 3.69 ft, below flood stage; 1,520 cubic feet per secondSep 29, 2015: 9.32 ft, major flooding; 8,090 cubic feet per secondNov 19, 2015: 4.99 ft, action stage; 2,440 cubic feet per secondJan 23, 2017: 4.87 ft, action stage; 2,450 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 2017: 5.19 ft, minor flooding; 2,802 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 2017: 5.60 ft, minor flooding; 3,160 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 2018: 8.82 ft, moderate flooding; 7,320 cubic feet per secondOct 11, 2018: 9.18 ft, major flooding; 7,880 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 2020: 4.60 ft, action stage; 2,260 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 2020: 6.83 ft, minor flooding; 4,550 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2020: 7.68 ft, moderate flooding; 5,670 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 2020: 7.09 ft, moderate flooding; 4,880 cubic feet per secondNov 12, 2020: 8.20 ft, moderate flooding; 6,412 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 2023: 5.64 ft, minor flooding; 3,240 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 2024: 3.95 ft, below flood stage; 1,720 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 2024: 7.22 ft, moderate flooding; 5,056 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 2025: 7.11 ft, moderate flooding; 4,910 cubic feet per second Highest, 11.12 ft, Jun 21, 1972 197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, South Fork Roanoke River near Shawsville 1960s: 2 1970s: 7 1980s: 6 1990s: 6 2000s: 5 2010s: 9 9 2020s: 7 1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 68 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, South Fork Roanoke River near Shawsville
1Jun 21, 197211.12+6.12Major14,200
2Sep 29, 20159.32+4.32Major8,090
3Sep 21, 19799.27+4.27Major8,380
4Oct 11, 20189.18+4.18Major7,880
5Sep 6, 19968.88+3.88Moderate9,690
6Jan 31, 20138.88+3.88Moderate7,420
7Sep 28, 20048.86+3.86Moderate7,390
8Sep 17, 20188.82+3.82Moderate7,320
9Nov 4, 19858.81+3.81Moderate7,070
10Feb 22, 20038.66+3.66Moderate7,090
11Nov 12, 20208.20+3.20Moderate6,412
12Apr 21, 19928.15+3.15Moderate8,300
13Sep 22, 19898.05+3.05Moderate8,110
14Nov 12, 20098.00+3.00Moderate6,120
15Apr 10, 19837.79+2.79Moderate4,990
16Apr 26, 19787.72+2.72Moderate4,860
17May 21, 20207.68+2.68Moderate5,670
18Jul 4, 20137.46+2.46Moderate5,370
19May 28, 19737.44+2.44Moderate4,500
20Jun 27, 20067.32+2.32Moderate5,180
21Sep 27, 20247.22+2.22Moderate5,056
22Feb 16, 20257.11+2.11Moderate4,910
23Mar 14, 19757.10+2.10Moderate4,020
24Jun 18, 20207.09+2.09Moderate4,880
25Aug 18, 19857.07+2.07Moderate3,980
26Apr 13, 20206.83+1.83Minor4,550
27Jan 15, 19956.75+1.75Minor5,790
28Apr 5, 19776.62+1.62Minor3,520
29Mar 7, 19676.35+1.35Minor3,840
30Apr 25, 19876.02+1.02Minor4,690
31Oct 19, 19685.95+0.95Minor3,020
32Mar 24, 19835.93+0.93Minor4,570
33Mar 24, 19935.93+0.93Minor4,570
34Jan 25, 20105.70+0.70Minor3,301
35May 29, 20235.64+0.64Minor3,240
36May 5, 20175.60+0.60Minor3,160
37May 2, 20025.56+0.56Minor3,160
38Aug 17, 19945.44+0.44Minor3,910
39Apr 24, 20175.19+0.19Minor2,802
40Jun 17, 19765.08+0.08Minor2,300
41Nov 8, 19965.05+0.05Minor2,640
42Mar 13, 20105.04+0.04Minor2,656
43Nov 19, 20154.99−0.01Action2,440
44Nov 10, 19624.93−0.07Action2,140
45Jan 23, 20174.87−0.13Action2,450
46Apr 14, 19804.82−0.18Action2,080
47Feb 14, 19844.70−0.30Action1,980
48Nov 16, 19894.66−0.34Action2,960
49Feb 7, 20204.60−0.40Action2,260
50Nov 29, 20114.57−0.43Action2,233

Other gauges in Montgomery County

Flood gauges in Montgomery County
Graysontown8.013.40 ft, Jun 21, 19724
Ellett14.015.16 ft, Feb 16, 20250
Lafayette8.015.60 ft, Jun 21, 19723

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SHAV2, 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.