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Little Kanawha River below Burnsville

Highest listed crest 16.32 ftFlood stage 13.0 ft21 crests since 1974

The Little Kanawha River below Burnsville crested above flood stage 10 times among the 21 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1974 to 2018. The highest, 16.32 ft on June 2, 1974, was minor flooding, 3.32 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
16.32 ft
June 2, 1974; 6,890 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
13.0 ft
Major flooding from 23.0 ft
Crests at major
0
10 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
September 28, 2018
14.38 ft, minor flooding
Location
Braxton 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, Little Kanawha River below Burnsville
Action stage12.03Feb 9, 1994The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)13.010Sep 28, 2018Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage21.50—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage23.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

21 crests from 1974 to 2018. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Little Kanawha River below Burnsville, 1974 to 2018 510152025ft Flood stage 13.0 ftMajor 23.0 ft Jun 2, 1974: 16.32 ft, minor flooding; 6,890 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 1975: 11.96 ft, below flood stage; 4,280 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 1976: 11.86 ft, below flood stage; 4,220 cubic feet per secondOct 10, 1976: 13.97 ft, minor flooding; 5,630 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 1978: 14.30 ft, minor flooding; 5,820 cubic feet per secondDec 9, 1978: 12.68 ft, action stage; 4,920 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 1980: 10.94 ft, below flood stage; 3,970 cubic feet per secondJan 6, 1981: 12.13 ft, action stage; 4,620 cubic feet per secondDec 1, 1982: 9.87 ft, below flood stage; 3,380 cubic feet per secondFeb 9, 1994: 12.93 ft, action stage; 5,060 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 1995: 9.25 ft, below flood stage; 3,040 cubic feet per secondJul 31, 1996: 14.82 ft, minor flooding; 6,100 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1997: 14.79 ft, minor flooding; 6,080 cubic feet per secondJan 28, 1998: 11.02 ft, below flood stage; 4,010 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 2000: 14.48 ft, minor flooding; 5,910 cubic feet per secondSep 2, 2003: 13.50 ft, minor floodingNov 9, 2003: 15.74 ft, minor floodingJun 5, 2008: 15.41 ft, minor flooding; 6,422 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 2013: 9.66 ft, below flood stage; 3,262 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 2015: 10.26 ft, below flood stage; 3,591 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 2018: 14.38 ft, minor flooding; 5,858 cubic feet per second Highest, 16.32 ft, Jun 2, 1974 1980199020002010

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Little Kanawha River below Burnsville 1970s: 3 1980s: 0 1990s: 2 2000s: 4 4 2010s: 1 1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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, Little Kanawha River below Burnsville
1Jun 2, 197416.32+3.32Minor6,890
2Nov 9, 200315.74+2.74Minor—
3Jun 5, 200815.41+2.41Minor6,422
4Jul 31, 199614.82+1.82Minor6,100
5Mar 1, 199714.79+1.79Minor6,080
6Feb 19, 200014.48+1.48Minor5,910
7Sep 28, 201814.38+1.38Minor5,858
8Jan 26, 197814.30+1.30Minor5,820
9Oct 10, 197613.97+0.97Minor5,630
10Sep 2, 200313.50+0.50Minor—
11Feb 9, 199412.93−0.07Action5,060
12Dec 9, 197812.68−0.32Action4,920
13Jan 6, 198112.13−0.87Action4,620
14May 4, 197511.96−1.04Below flood stage4,280
15Jan 1, 197611.86−1.14Below flood stage4,220
16Jan 28, 199811.02−1.98Below flood stage4,010
17May 21, 198010.94−2.06Below flood stage3,970
18Mar 11, 201510.26−2.74Below flood stage3,591
19Dec 1, 19829.87−3.13Below flood stage3,380
20Jan 31, 20139.66−3.34Below flood stage3,262
21May 14, 19959.25−3.75Below flood stage3,040

The worst floods along the Little Kanawha River

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

March 1, 1997: 14.79 ft here, minor flooding

  • ElizabethWV · Mar 3, 1997 · 40.04 ft · Moderate · its highest

Gauges on the Little Kanawha River

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

Flood gauges on the Little Kanawha River
Burnsville this gaugeWV13.016.32 ft, Jun 2, 19740
GlenvilleWV23.029.70 ft, May 26, 19181
ElizabethWV36.040.04 ft, Mar 3, 19970

Other gauges in Braxton County

Flood gauges in Braxton County
Herold12.018.03 ft, Jun 24, 20160
Frametown18.020.39 ft, Jul 31, 19960

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BURW2, 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.