Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

New River at Hinton

Highest listed crest 18.97 ftFlood stage 15.0 ft38 crests since 1937

The New River at Hinton crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 38 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1937 to 2013. The highest, 18.97 ft on August 15, 1940, was major flooding, 3.97 feet above flood stage. 5 other gauges on the New River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 5 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
18.97 ft
August 15, 1940
Flood stage
15.0 ft
Major flooding from 18.0 ft
Crests at major
1
40th of 116 gauges in West Virginia
Most recent flood crest
August 15, 1940
18.97 ft, major flooding
Location
Summers 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, New River at Hinton
Action stage9.021Jan 31, 2013The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)15.00—Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage16.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage18.01Aug 15, 1940Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

38 crests from 1937 to 2013. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the New River at Hinton, 1937 to 2013 5101520ft Flood stage 15.0 ftMajor 18.0 ft Dec 2, 1937: 10.50 ft, action stage; 87,000 cubic feet per secondOct 2, 1938: 10.23 ft, action stage; 82,500 cubic feet per secondAug 15, 1940: 18.97 ft, major floodingMay 23, 1942: 9.62 ft, action stage; 73,500 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 1943: 14.35 ft, action stage; 38,400 cubic feet per secondSep 19, 1945: 10.60 ft, action stage; 88,600 cubic feet per secondJan 8, 1946: 12.70 ft, action stage; 124,000 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1960: 9.81 ft, action stage; 76,500 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1972: 9.03 ft, action stage; 65,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 1984: 9.04 ft, action stage; 65,600 cubic feet per secondNov 6, 1986: 9.91 ft, action stage; 78,200 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 1989: 8.66 ft, below flood stage; 60,600 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 1990: 8.91 ft, below flood stage; 63,800 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1991: 8.41 ft, below flood stage; 57,400 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1992: 8.62 ft, below flood stage; 60,100 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 1993: 9.63 ft, action stage; 73,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 1994: 9.09 ft, action stage; 66,300 cubic feet per secondJan 15, 1995: 9.09 ft, action stage; 66,300 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 1996: 10.68 ft, action stage; 91,700 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 1996: 8.92 ft, below flood stageAug 13, 1996: 7.06 ft, below flood stageDec 2, 1996: 8.95 ft, below flood stageMar 21, 1998: 9.00 ft, action stageApr 20, 1998: 8.45 ft, below flood stageFeb 20, 2000: 7.76 ft, below flood stage; 50,600 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 2001: 8.41 ft, below flood stage; 58,300 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 2002: 6.72 ft, below flood stage; 38,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 2003: 9.00 ft, action stage; 65,500 cubic feet per secondNov 20, 2003: 9.05 ft, action stageMar 29, 2005: 8.28 ft, below flood stageJun 28, 2006: 8.47 ft, below flood stageMar 3, 2007: 9.17 ft, action stageMar 5, 2008: 9.80 ft, action stageMay 9, 2009: 7.69 ft, below flood stageJan 26, 2010: 10.61 ft, action stageMar 7, 2011: 8.99 ft, below flood stage; 65,000 cubic feet per secondDec 8, 2011: 8.25 ft, below flood stage; 55,000 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 2013: 10.59 ft, action stage; 90,000 cubic feet per second Highest, 18.97 ft, Aug 15, 1940 19401950196019701980199020002010

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, New River at Hinton 1930s: 0 1940s: 1 1 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 2010s: 0 1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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.
  3. 4 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 20.20 ft on Sep 13, 1878; 18.00 ft on Apr 21, 1901; 18.80 ft on May 22, 1901; 16.00 ft on Jul 17, 1916.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, New River at Hinton
1Aug 15, 194018.97+3.97Major—
2Dec 30, 194314.35−0.65Action38,400
3Jan 8, 194612.70−2.30Action124,000
4Jan 20, 199610.68−4.32Action91,700
5Jan 26, 201010.61−4.39Action—
6Sep 19, 194510.60−4.40Action88,600
7Jan 31, 201310.59−4.41Action90,000
8Dec 2, 193710.50−4.50Action87,000
9Oct 2, 193810.23−4.77Action82,500
10Nov 6, 19869.91−5.09Action78,200
11Mar 31, 19609.81−5.19Action76,500
12Mar 5, 20089.80−5.20Action—
13Mar 26, 19939.63−5.37Action73,900
14May 23, 19429.62−5.38Action73,500
15Mar 3, 20079.17−5.83Action—
16Feb 10, 19949.09−5.91Action66,300
17Jan 15, 19959.09−5.91Action66,300
18Nov 20, 20039.05−5.95Action—
19Feb 5, 19849.04−5.96Action65,600
20Jun 22, 19729.03−5.97Action65,400
21Mar 21, 19989.00−6.00Action—
22Feb 23, 20039.00−6.00Action65,500
23Mar 7, 20118.99−6.01Below flood stage65,000
24Dec 2, 19968.95−6.05Below flood stage—
25Jan 26, 19968.92−6.08Below flood stage—
26Jan 1, 19908.91−6.09Below flood stage63,800
27May 6, 19898.66−6.34Below flood stage60,600
28Apr 22, 19928.62−6.38Below flood stage60,100
29Jun 28, 20068.47−6.53Below flood stage—
30Apr 20, 19988.45−6.55Below flood stage—
31Mar 24, 19918.41−6.59Below flood stage57,400
32May 23, 20018.41−6.59Below flood stage58,300
33Mar 29, 20058.28−6.72Below flood stage—
34Dec 8, 20118.25−6.75Below flood stage55,000
35Feb 20, 20007.76−7.24Below flood stage50,600
36May 9, 20097.69−7.31Below flood stage—
37Aug 13, 19967.06−7.94Below flood stage—
38May 3, 20026.72−8.28Below flood stage38,900

The worst floods along the New River

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

August 15, 1940: 18.97 ft here, major flooding

  • IvanhoeVA · Aug 14, 1940 · 38.10 ft · Major · its highest
  • RadfordVA · Aug 14, 1940 · 35.96 ft · Major · its highest
  • Glen LynVA · Aug 14, 1940 · 27.50 ft · Major · its highest
  • GalaxVA · Aug 14, 1940 · 25.70 ft · Major · its highest
  • AllisoniaVA · Aug 14, 1940 · 23.42 ft · Major · its highest

Gauges on the New River

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

Flood gauges on the New River
GalaxVA9.025.70 ft, Aug 14, 19404
IvanhoeVA16.038.10 ft, Aug 14, 19404
AllisoniaVA8.023.42 ft, Aug 14, 19402
RadfordVA14.035.96 ft, Aug 14, 194010
Glen LynVA15.027.50 ft, Aug 14, 19409
Hinton this gaugeWV15.018.97 ft, Aug 15, 19401
ThurmondWV19.020.35 ft, Jan 20, 19960

Other gauges in Summers County

Flood gauges in Summers County
Pipestem12.017.25 ft, Mar 13, 20100
Hilldale20.026.88 ft, Jan 20, 19961

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge HINW2, 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.