Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

South Fork Shenandoah River at Front Royal

Highest listed crest 34.80 ftFlood stage 12.0 ft82 crests since 1902

The South Fork Shenandoah River at Front Royal crested at major flood stage 14 times among the 82 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1902 to 2024. The highest, 34.80 ft on October 16, 1942, was major flooding, 22.80 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the South Fork Shenandoah River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
34.80 ft
October 16, 1942; 130,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
12.0 ft
Major flooding from 18.0 ft
Crests at major
14
5th of 242 gauges in Virginia
Most recent flood crest
October 1, 2024
12.40 ft, minor flooding
Location
Warren County
Near Front Royal (1.7 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 Shenandoah River at Front Royal
Action stage8.032Mar 2, 2021The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)12.018Oct 1, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage14.018Sep 19, 2018Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage18.014Sep 19, 2003Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

82 crests from 1902 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the South Fork Shenandoah River at Front Royal, 1902 to 2024 010203040ft Flood stage 12.0 ftMajor 18.0 ft Mar 1, 1902: 23.50 ft, major flooding; 76,800 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1903: 13.70 ft, minor flooding; 22,800 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 1932: 8.23 ft, action stage; 12,100 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 1933: 11.65 ft, action stage; 21,600 cubic feet per secondDec 2, 1934: 17.99 ft, moderate flooding; 47,400 cubic feet per secondSep 6, 1935: 12.94 ft, minor flooding; 27,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 1936: 12.90 ft, minor flooding; 27,500 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1936: 26.01 ft, major flooding; 98,000 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 1937: 18.94 ft, major flooding; 51,500 cubic feet per secondOct 21, 1937: 11.65 ft, action stage; 23,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 1939: 9.90 ft, action stage; 17,400 cubic feet per secondAug 17, 1940: 15.86 ft, moderate flooding; 40,400 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1942: 16.20 ft, moderate flooding; 41,400 cubic feet per secondOct 16, 1942: 34.80 ft, major flooding; 130,000 cubic feet per secondSep 20, 1944: 10.00 ft, action stage; 17,600 cubic feet per secondSep 19, 1945: 17.80 ft, moderate flooding; 49,200 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1947: 8.12 ft, action stage; 12,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 1948: 10.70 ft, action stage; 19,900 cubic feet per secondDec 5, 1948: 12.31 ft, minor flooding; 25,400 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 1949: 19.20 ft, major flooding; 52,900 cubic feet per secondDec 5, 1950: 13.64 ft, minor flooding; 30,000 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1952: 11.20 ft, action stage; 21,600 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 1953: 12.44 ft, minor flooding; 25,800 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 1954: 10.74 ft, action stage; 19,900 cubic feet per secondAug 19, 1955: 22.54 ft, major flooding; 68,200 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1957: 10.16 ft, action stage; 18,200 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 1958: 8.87 ft, action stage; 14,200 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 1959: 9.50 ft, action stage; 16,000 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1960: 11.75 ft, action stage; 23,700 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 1961: 9.12 ft, action stage; 14,800 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1962: 9.51 ft, action stage; 16,000 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 1963: 11.07 ft, action stage; 21,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 9, 1965: 8.90 ft, action stage; 14,200 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1967: 11.78 ft, action stage; 23,400 cubic feet per secondAug 21, 1969: 9.35 ft, action stage; 15,500 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 1970: 8.58 ft, action stage; 13,300 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1971: 17.86 ft, moderate flooding; 46,600 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1972: 23.98 ft, major flooding; 75,100 cubic feet per secondOct 7, 1972: 21.35 ft, major flooding; 62,500 cubic feet per secondDec 27, 1973: 13.32 ft, minor flooding; 29,000 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1975: 18.74 ft, major flooding; 50,500 cubic feet per secondJan 2, 1976: 9.87 ft, action stage; 17,200 cubic feet per secondOct 10, 1976: 14.12 ft, moderate flooding; 31,900 cubic feet per secondNov 8, 1977: 12.03 ft, minor flooding; 24,400 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 1978: 14.13 ft, moderate flooding; 32,000 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1978: 12.33 ft, minor flooding; 25,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 1979: 14.43 ft, moderate flooding; 33,100 cubic feet per secondSep 7, 1979: 13.92 ft, minor flooding; 31,200 cubic feet per secondOct 6, 1979: 9.35 ft, action stage; 15,500 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1982: 10.38 ft, action stage; 18,900 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1983: 12.61 ft, minor flooding; 26,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 1984: 15.85 ft, moderate flooding; 38,500 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1984: 12.86 ft, minor flooding; 27,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1985: 8.39 ft, action stage; 13,000 cubic feet per secondNov 6, 1985: 32.43 ft, major flooding; 120,000 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 1987: 18.51 ft, major flooding; 49,400 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1989: 10.16 ft, action stage; 18,200 cubic feet per secondOct 24, 1990: 10.05 ft, action stage; 17,900 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 1992: 15.03 ft, moderate flooding; 35,300 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1993: 16.55 ft, moderate flooding; 41,200 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1994: 11.00 ft, action stage; 20,900 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 1995: 11.69 ft, action stage; 23,300 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 1996: 25.20 ft, major flooding; 81,000 cubic feet per secondSep 7, 1996: 32.57 ft, major flooding; 121,000 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 1998: 15.42 ft, moderate flooding; 36,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 1998: 13.82 ft, minor flooding; 30,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 1998: 15.01 ft, moderate flooding; 35,300 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 2001: 8.79 ft, action stage; 14,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 2003: 12.76 ft, minor floodingSep 19, 2003: 18.07 ft, major flooding; 47,500 cubic feet per secondSep 24, 2003: 13.78 ft, minor floodingSep 29, 2004: 14.77 ft, moderate flooding; 34,400 cubic feet per secondNov 30, 2005: 13.64 ft, minor flooding; 30,200 cubic feet per secondNov 17, 2006: 10.71 ft, action stage; 20,000 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 2010: 14.96 ft, moderate flooding; 35,080 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2011: 15.67 ft, moderate flooding; 37,740 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 2011: 11.19 ft, action stageMay 17, 2014: 12.07 ft, minor flooding; 25,710 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2018: 16.52 ft, moderate flooding; 43,932 cubic feet per secondSep 19, 2018: 14.34 ft, moderate flooding; 35,149 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 2021: 8.06 ft, action stage; 13,200 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 2024: 12.40 ft, minor flooding; 27,705 cubic feet per second Highest, 34.80 ft, Oct 16, 1942 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, South Fork Shenandoah River at Front Royal 1900s: 2 1910s: 0 1920s: 0 1930s: 5 1940s: 6 1950s: 3 1960s: 0 1970s: 11 11 1980s: 5 1990s: 7 2000s: 5 2010s: 5 2020s: 1 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.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 82 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, South Fork Shenandoah River at Front Royal
1Oct 16, 194234.80+22.80Major130,000
2Sep 7, 199632.57+20.57Major121,000
3Nov 6, 198532.43+20.43Major120,000
4Mar 18, 193626.01+14.01Major98,000
5Jan 20, 199625.20+13.20Major81,000
6Jun 22, 197223.98+11.98Major75,100
7Mar 1, 190223.50+11.50Major76,800
8Aug 19, 195522.54+10.54Major68,200
9Oct 7, 197221.35+9.35Major62,500
10Jun 19, 194919.20+7.20Major52,900
11Apr 27, 193718.94+6.94Major51,500
12Mar 20, 197518.74+6.74Major50,500
13Apr 18, 198718.51+6.51Major49,400
14Sep 19, 200318.07+6.07Major47,500
15Dec 2, 193417.99+5.99Moderate47,400
16May 31, 197117.86+5.86Moderate46,600
17Sep 19, 194517.80+5.80Moderate49,200
18Mar 5, 199316.55+4.55Moderate41,200
19Jun 4, 201816.52+4.52Moderate43,932
20May 23, 194216.20+4.20Moderate41,400
21Aug 17, 194015.86+3.86Moderate40,400
22Feb 15, 198415.85+3.85Moderate38,500
23Apr 18, 201115.67+3.67Moderate37,740
24Jan 9, 199815.42+3.42Moderate36,800
25Apr 23, 199215.03+3.03Moderate35,300
26Feb 18, 199815.01+3.01Moderate35,300
27Jan 26, 201014.96+2.96Moderate35,080
28Sep 29, 200414.77+2.77Moderate34,400
29Feb 26, 197914.43+2.43Moderate33,100
30Sep 19, 201814.34+2.34Moderate35,149
31Jan 27, 197814.13+2.13Moderate32,000
32Oct 10, 197614.12+2.12Moderate31,900
33Sep 7, 197913.92+1.92Minor31,200
34Feb 5, 199813.82+1.82Minor30,800
35Sep 24, 200313.78+1.78Minor—
36Mar 1, 190313.70+1.70Minor22,800
37Dec 5, 195013.64+1.64Minor30,000
38Nov 30, 200513.64+1.64Minor30,200
39Dec 27, 197313.32+1.32Minor29,000
40Sep 6, 193512.94+0.94Minor27,500
41Feb 16, 193612.90+0.90Minor27,500
42Mar 30, 198412.86+0.86Minor27,400
43Feb 24, 200312.76+0.76Minor—
44Mar 20, 198312.61+0.61Minor26,500
45Mar 26, 195312.44+0.44Minor25,800
46Oct 1, 202412.40+0.40Minor27,705
47Mar 15, 197812.33+0.33Minor25,500
48Dec 5, 194812.31+0.31Minor25,400
49May 17, 201412.07+0.07Minor25,710
50Nov 8, 197712.03+0.03Minor24,400

The worst floods along the South Fork Shenandoah River

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the South Fork Shenandoah River that crested above flood stage within a week.

October 16, 1942: 34.80 ft here, major flooding

  • LynnwoodVA · Oct 15, 1942 · 27.20 ft · Major
  • LurayVA · Oct 16, 1942 · 25.70 ft · Major

September 7, 1996: 32.57 ft here, major flooding

  • LynnwoodVA · Sep 7, 1996 · 30.84 ft · Major · its highest
  • LurayVA · Sep 7, 1996 · 26.95 ft · Major · its highest

November 6, 1985: 32.43 ft here, major flooding

  • LynnwoodVA · Nov 5, 1985 · 29.46 ft · Major
  • LurayVA · Nov 5, 1985 · 26.72 ft · Major

Gauges on the South Fork Shenandoah River

In USGS station-number order, which runs downstream within a river basin.

Flood gauges on the South Fork Shenandoah River
LynnwoodVA16.030.84 ft, Sep 7, 199616
LurayVA14.026.95 ft, Sep 7, 19964
Front Royal this gaugeVA12.034.80 ft, Oct 16, 194214

Other gauges in Warren County

Flood gauges in Warren County
Strasburg17.032.27 ft, Sep 7, 19965
Buckton9.015.89 ft, Sep 6, 19960

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge FROV2, 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.