Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Clear Fork (Big Coal) at Whitesville

Highest listed crest 28.47 ftFlood stage 20.0 ft17 crests since 1997

The Clear Fork (Big Coal) at Whitesville crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 17 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1997 to 2025. The highest, 28.47 ft on July 8, 2001, was major flooding, 8.47 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
28.47 ft
July 8, 2001; 12,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
20.0 ft
Major flooding from 28.0 ft
Crests at major
1
40th of 116 gauges in West Virginia
Most recent flood crest
February 16, 2025
20.80 ft, minor flooding
Location
Raleigh County
West Virginia

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Clear Fork (Big Coal) at Whitesville
Action stage19.03Apr 4, 2015The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)20.05Feb 16, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage23.01Jul 26, 2001Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage28.01Jul 8, 2001Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

17 crests from 1997 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Clear Fork (Big Coal) at Whitesville, 1997 to 2025 1015202530ft Flood stage 20.0 ftMajor 28.0 ft Jan 2, 1997: 20.82 ft, minor flooding; 2,780 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1998: 17.99 ft, below flood stage; 1,590 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 1999: 15.87 ft, below flood stage; 750 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 2001: 19.96 ft, action stage; 2,410 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2001: 17.51 ft, below flood stage; 1,380 cubic feet per secondJul 8, 2001: 28.47 ft, major flooding; 12,000 cubic feet per secondJul 26, 2001: 26.62 ft, moderate flooding; 9,050 cubic feet per secondNov 13, 2003: 18.35 ft, below flood stageNov 19, 2003: 21.96 ft, minor floodingMay 31, 2004: 18.02 ft, below flood stage; 1,608 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 2007: 20.00 ft, minor flooding; 2,430 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 2013: 16.73 ft, below flood stage; 1,882 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 2015: 19.59 ft, action stage; 3,503 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 2015: 19.86 ft, action stage; 3,698 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 2020: 17.41 ft, below flood stage; 2,195 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 2021: 20.02 ft, minor flooding; 3,814 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 2025: 20.80 ft, minor flooding; 4,410 cubic feet per second Highest, 28.47 ft, Jul 8, 2001 200020052010201520202025

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Clear Fork (Big Coal) at Whitesville 1990s: 1 2000s: 4 4 2010s: 0 2020s: 2 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

Highest listed crests, Clear Fork (Big Coal) at Whitesville
1Jul 8, 200128.47+8.47Major12,000
2Jul 26, 200126.62+6.62Moderate9,050
3Nov 19, 200321.96+1.96Minor—
4Jan 2, 199720.82+0.82Minor2,780
5Feb 16, 202520.80+0.80Minor4,410
6Mar 1, 202120.02+0.02Minor3,814
7Apr 15, 200720.000.00Minor2,430
8May 18, 200119.96−0.04Action2,410
9Apr 4, 201519.86−0.14Action3,698
10Mar 4, 201519.59−0.41Action3,503
11Nov 13, 200318.35−1.65Below flood stage—
12May 31, 200418.02−1.98Below flood stage1,608
13Mar 21, 199817.99−2.01Below flood stage1,590
14Jun 7, 200117.51−2.49Below flood stage1,380
15Feb 6, 202017.41−2.59Below flood stage2,195
16Jan 31, 201316.73−3.27Below flood stage1,882
17Jan 9, 199915.87−4.13Below flood stage750

Other gauges in Raleigh County

Flood gauges in Raleigh County
Raleigh10.511.47 ft, Mar 13, 20100

Raleigh County: every hazard · River floods across the country · West Virginia

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge WCFW2, 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.