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Greenbrier River at Alderson

Highest listed crest 24.33 ftFlood stage 14.0 ft68 crests since 1953

The Greenbrier River at Alderson crested at major flood stage 6 times among the 68 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1953 to 2026. The highest, 24.33 ft on January 20, 1996, was major flooding, 10.33 feet above flood stage. 4 other gauges on the Greenbrier River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
24.33 ft
January 20, 1996; 94,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
14.0 ft
Major flooding from 19.0 ft
Crests at major
6
15th of 116 gauges in West Virginia
Most recent flood crest
February 7, 2025
15.31 ft, minor flooding
Location
Monroe 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, Greenbrier River at Alderson
Action stage9.026Feb 21, 2026The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)14.020Feb 7, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage16.015Mar 2, 2021Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage19.06Jun 24, 2016Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

68 crests from 1953 to 2026. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Greenbrier River at Alderson, 1953 to 2026 510152025ft Flood stage 14.0 ftMajor 19.0 ft Feb 22, 1953: 17.43 ft, moderate floodingMar 6, 1955: 16.76 ft, moderate floodingMar 31, 1960: 14.42 ft, minor floodingMar 22, 1962: 14.43 ft, minor floodingMar 12, 1963: 17.95 ft, moderate floodingMar 5, 1964: 15.60 ft, minor floodingMar 7, 1967: 19.90 ft, major floodingMar 15, 1967: 15.80 ft, minor floodingAug 20, 1969: 17.10 ft, moderate floodingDec 31, 1969: 17.30 ft, moderate floodingFeb 26, 1972: 17.90 ft, moderate floodingDec 27, 1973: 20.30 ft, major floodingOct 10, 1976: 16.60 ft, moderate floodingApr 5, 1977: 19.80 ft, major floodingMar 27, 1978: 17.70 ft, moderate floodingMar 21, 1982: 14.37 ft, minor floodingFeb 15, 1984: 15.42 ft, minor flooding; 38,700 cubic feet per secondNov 5, 1985: 23.95 ft, major flooding; 90,600 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1987: 14.02 ft, minor flooding; 33,800 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 1989: 15.37 ft, minor flooding; 38,500 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 1989: 14.70 ft, minor flooding; 36,100 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1991: 14.43 ft, minor flooding; 35,200 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1993: 14.11 ft, minor flooding; 34,100 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1993: 14.71 ft, minor flooding; 36,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 1994: 16.69 ft, moderate flooding; 44,500 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1994: 14.76 ft, minor flooding; 36,400 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 1995: 15.68 ft, minor flooding; 39,900 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 1996: 24.33 ft, major flooding; 94,000 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1996: 15.00 ft, minor flooding; 37,200 cubic feet per secondDec 2, 1996: 16.05 ft, moderate floodingFeb 20, 2000: 13.68 ft, action stage; 32,600 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 2001: 12.11 ft, action stage; 27,100 cubic feet per secondJul 30, 2001: 12.95 ft, action stage; 30,000 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2002: 13.41 ft, action stage; 31,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 2003: 17.03 ft, moderate flooding; 46,000 cubic feet per secondNov 20, 2003: 16.88 ft, moderate flooding; 45,400 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 2005: 11.14 ft, action stage; 23,700 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 2006: 11.29 ft, action stage; 24,200 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 2007: 16.80 ft, moderate flooding; 45,020 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 2008: 14.61 ft, minor flooding; 35,823 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 2010: 18.72 ft, moderate flooding; 53,862 cubic feet per secondDec 8, 2011: 11.50 ft, action stage; 24,927 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 2013: 15.74 ft, minor flooding; 40,146 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 2014: 13.04 ft, action stage; 30,338 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 2015: 13.83 ft, action stage; 33,000 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 2016: 22.00 ft, major flooding; 80,700 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2017: 13.49 ft, action stage; 34,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 12, 2018: 12.80 ft, action stage; 32,000 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 2018: 15.49 ft, minor flooding; 44,400 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 2018: 13.40 ft, action stage; 34,474 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 2018: 12.81 ft, action stage; 31,846 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 2019: 11.13 ft, action stage; 24,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 2020: 11.36 ft, action stage; 25,400 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 2020: 11.87 ft, action stage; 27,400 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2020: 11.03 ft, action stage; 24,100 cubic feet per secondDec 25, 2020: 10.66 ft, action stage; 22,700 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 2021: 17.53 ft, moderate flooding; 52,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 2022: 12.70 ft, action stage; 30,800 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 2022: 11.41 ft, action stage; 25,600 cubic feet per secondJul 28, 2022: 6.99 ft, below flood stage; 10,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 2023: 14.69 ft, minor flooding; 39,300 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 2024: 11.04 ft, action stage; 24,200 cubic feet per secondJan 29, 2024: 11.53 ft, action stage; 26,100 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 2024: 9.12 ft, action stage; 17,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 2025: 13.80 ft, action stage; 35,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 2025: 15.31 ft, minor flooding; 42,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 2025: 13.90 ft, action stage; 35,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 2026: 11.42 ft, action stage; 25,600 cubic feet per second Highest, 24.33 ft, Jan 20, 1996 1960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Greenbrier River at Alderson 1950s: 2 1960s: 8 1970s: 5 1980s: 6 1990s: 9 9 2000s: 4 2010s: 4 2020s: 3 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Greenbrier River at Alderson
1Jan 20, 199624.33+10.33Major94,000
2Nov 5, 198523.95+9.95Major90,600
3Jun 24, 201622.00+8.00Major80,700
4Dec 27, 197320.30+6.30Major—
5Mar 7, 196719.90+5.90Major—
6Apr 5, 197719.80+5.80Major—
7Jan 26, 201018.72+4.72Moderate53,862
8Mar 12, 196317.95+3.95Moderate—
9Feb 26, 197217.90+3.90Moderate—
10Mar 27, 197817.70+3.70Moderate—
11Mar 2, 202117.53+3.53Moderate52,600
12Feb 22, 195317.43+3.43Moderate—
13Dec 31, 196917.30+3.30Moderate—
14Aug 20, 196917.10+3.10Moderate—
15Feb 23, 200317.03+3.03Moderate46,000
16Nov 20, 200316.88+2.88Moderate45,400
17Mar 3, 200716.80+2.80Moderate45,020
18Mar 6, 195516.76+2.76Moderate—
19Feb 10, 199416.69+2.69Moderate44,500
20Oct 10, 197616.60+2.60Moderate—
21Dec 2, 199616.05+2.05Moderate—
22Mar 15, 196715.80+1.80Minor—
23Jan 31, 201315.74+1.74Minor40,146
24Jan 16, 199515.68+1.68Minor39,900
25Mar 5, 196415.60+1.60Minor—
26Apr 17, 201815.49+1.49Minor44,400
27Feb 15, 198415.42+1.42Minor38,700
28Apr 26, 198915.37+1.37Minor38,500
29Feb 7, 202515.31+1.31Minor42,100
30May 18, 199615.00+1.00Minor37,200
31May 8, 199414.76+0.76Minor36,400
32Mar 24, 199314.71+0.71Minor36,200
33May 6, 198914.70+0.70Minor36,100
34Feb 18, 202314.69+0.69Minor39,300
35Mar 5, 200814.61+0.61Minor35,823
36Mar 22, 196214.43+0.43Minor—
37Mar 24, 199114.43+0.43Minor35,200
38Mar 31, 196014.42+0.42Minor—
39Mar 21, 198214.37+0.37Minor—
40Mar 5, 199314.11+0.11Minor34,100
41Apr 16, 198714.02+0.02Minor33,800
42Feb 16, 202513.90−0.10Action35,800
43Mar 12, 201513.83−0.17Action33,000
44Feb 1, 202513.80−0.20Action35,400
45Feb 20, 200013.68−0.32Action32,600
46May 25, 201713.49−0.51Action34,900
47Apr 29, 200213.41−0.59Action31,600
48May 7, 201813.40−0.60Action34,474
49May 17, 201413.04−0.96Action30,338
50Jul 30, 200112.95−1.05Action30,000

The worst floods along the Greenbrier River

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

January 20, 1996: 24.33 ft here, major flooding

  • HilldaleWV · Jan 20, 1996 · 26.88 ft · Major · its highest
  • RenickWV · Jan 19, 1996 · 23.70 ft · Major
  • MarlintonWV · Jan 19, 1996 · 18.03 ft · Major
  • BuckeyeWV · Jan 19, 1996 · 21.03 ft · Moderate

November 5, 1985: 23.95 ft here, major flooding

  • RenickWV · Nov 5, 1985 · 29.00 ft · Major · its highest
  • MarlintonWV · Nov 5, 1985 · 20.20 ft · Major · its highest
  • HilldaleWV · Nov 6, 1985 · 25.68 ft · Moderate
  • BuckeyeWV · Nov 5, 1985 · 23.20 ft · Moderate · its highest

June 24, 2016: 22.00 ft here, major flooding

  • HilldaleWV · Jun 24, 2016 · 25.45 ft · Moderate
  • MarlintonWV · Jun 24, 2016 · 12.00 ft · Moderate
  • RonceverteWV · Jun 24, 2016 · 23.20 ft · Minor · its highest

Gauges on the Greenbrier River

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

Flood gauges on the Greenbrier River
Alderson this gaugeWV14.024.33 ft, Jan 20, 19966
BuckeyeWV15.023.20 ft, Nov 5, 19850
DurbinWV7.07.88 ft, Feb 6, 20250
HilldaleWV20.026.88 ft, Jan 20, 19961
MarlintonWV10.020.20 ft, Nov 5, 19852
RenickWV17.029.00 ft, Nov 5, 19852
RonceverteWV15.023.20 ft, Jun 24, 20160

Other gauges in Monroe County

Flood gauges in Monroe County
Red Sulphur Springs10.014.33 ft, Feb 16, 20250

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge ALDW2, 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.