Elk River at Queen Shoals

Highest listed crest 33.31 ftFlood stage 19.0 ft5 crests since 2013

The Elk River at Queen Shoals crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 5 crests the National Weather Service lists from 2013 to 2025. The highest, 33.31 ft on June 24, 2016, was major flooding, 14.31 feet above flood stage. 3 other gauges on the Elk River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest: 33.31 ft; June 24, 2016; 82,700 cubic feet per second
Flood stage: 19.0 ft; Major flooding from 29.0 ft
Crests at major: 1; 40th of 116 gauges in West Virginia
Most recent flood crest: February 7, 2025; 19.90 ft, minor flooding
Location: Kanawha County; West Virginia
Identifiers: NWS QUSW2; USGS 03197000

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Elk River at Queen Shoals

Action stage	17.0	0	—	The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)	19.0	4	Feb 7, 2025	Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage	23.0	0	—	Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage	29.0	1	Jun 24, 2016	Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

5 crests from 2013 to 2025. 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.
37 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 32.00 ft on Jan 1, 1888; 23.50 ft on Jan 30, 1911; 21.50 ft on Jan 8, 1913; 22.00 ft on Mar 27, 1913; 22.80 ft on Nov 16, 1913; 37.20 ft on Mar 13, 1918; and more.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Elk River at Queen Shoals

1	Jun 24, 2016	33.31	+14.31	Major	82,700
2	Mar 1, 2021	22.83	+3.83	Minor	37,616
3	Dec 7, 2013	20.24	+1.24	Minor	30,800
4	Feb 7, 2025	19.90	+0.90	Minor	29,478
5	Sep 28, 2018	19.33	+0.33	Minor	28,570

The worst floods along the Elk River

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

June 24, 2016: 33.31 ft here, major flooding

ClayWV · Jun 24, 2016 · 30.30 ft · Major
Clifton Ford near Big RunWV · Jun 24, 2016 · 17.36 ft · Moderate
GuardianWV · Jun 24, 2016 · 13.35 ft · Minor

March 1, 2021: 22.83 ft here, minor flooding

ClayWV · Mar 1, 2021 · 19.63 ft · Minor

December 7, 2013: 20.24 ft here, minor flooding

ClayWV · Dec 7, 2013 · 19.45 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Elk River

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Elk River

Clay	WV	18.0	32.40 ft, Mar 14, 1918	3
Clifton Ford near Big Run	WV	13.0	26.34 ft, Sep 1, 1861	2
Guardian	WV	11.0	14.50 ft, Jul 16, 1979	0
Queen Shoals this gauge	WV	19.0	33.31 ft, Jun 24, 2016	1
Frametown	WV	18.0	20.39 ft, Jul 31, 1996	0

Other gauges in Kanawha County

Flood gauges in Kanawha County

Tornado	25.0	31.98 ft, Mar 7, 1967	0
Charleston	6.5	8.30 ft, Feb 6, 2025	0
South Side Bridge	30.0	47.60 ft, Jan 1, 1840	6
Sissonville	30.0	35.70 ft, Jun 29, 1998	1

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge QUSW2, 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.