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New River at Thurmond

Highest listed crest 20.35 ftFlood stage 19.0 ft30 crests since 1981

The New River at Thurmond crested above flood stage 8 times among the 30 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1981 to 2025. The highest, 20.35 ft on January 20, 1996, was moderate flooding, 1.35 feet above flood stage. 4 other gauges on the New River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
20.35 ft
January 20, 1996; 100,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
19.0 ft
Major flooding from 22.0 ft
Crests at major
0
8 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
February 16, 2025
19.06 ft, minor flooding
Location
Fayette County
Near Beckley (13.4 mi)

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 Thurmond
Action stage16.022Dec 23, 2018The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)19.04Feb 16, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage20.04Feb 1, 2013Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage22.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

30 crests from 1981 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the New River at Thurmond, 1981 to 2025 16182022ft Flood stage 19.0 ftMajor 22.0 ft May 29, 1981: 16.33 ft, action stage; 57,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 1982: 17.26 ft, action stage; 65,600 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 1983: 16.83 ft, action stage; 61,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 1984: 18.64 ft, action stage; 80,000 cubic feet per secondNov 6, 1985: 18.95 ft, action stage; 83,400 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 1987: 18.60 ft, action stage; 79,600 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 1989: 17.69 ft, action stage; 69,900 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 1990: 18.13 ft, action stage; 74,400 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1991: 16.99 ft, action stage; 62,900 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 1992: 17.12 ft, action stage; 64,200 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 1993: 18.43 ft, action stage; 77,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 1994: 18.17 ft, action stage; 74,900 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 1995: 18.24 ft, action stage; 75,600 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 1996: 20.35 ft, moderate flooding; 100,000 cubic feet per secondDec 2, 1996: 17.99 ft, action stage; 72,900 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1998: 17.91 ft, action stage; 72,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 2000: 16.07 ft, action stage; 54,600 cubic feet per secondJul 30, 2001: 17.25 ft, action stage; 65,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 2003: 20.05 ft, moderate flooding; 96,600 cubic feet per secondNov 20, 2003: 19.05 ft, minor flooding; 84,600 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 2005: 16.75 ft, action stage; 60,700 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 2010: 20.10 ft, moderate flooding; 97,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 2013: 20.27 ft, moderate flooding; 99,240 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 2015: 18.15 ft, action stage; 74,650 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 2016: 19.58 ft, minor flooding; 90,851 cubic feet per secondFeb 12, 2018: 18.04 ft, action stage; 73,431 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 2018: 17.55 ft, action stage; 68,398 cubic feet per secondDec 23, 2018: 17.34 ft, action stageFeb 25, 2019: 19.68 ft, minor flooding; 92,064 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 2025: 19.06 ft, minor flooding; 84,363 cubic feet per second Highest, 20.35 ft, Jan 20, 1996 1990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, New River at Thurmond 1980s: 0 1990s: 1 2000s: 2 2010s: 4 4 2020s: 1 1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, New River at Thurmond
1Jan 20, 199620.35+1.35Moderate100,000
2Feb 1, 201320.27+1.27Moderate99,240
3Jan 26, 201020.10+1.10Moderate97,200
4Feb 23, 200320.05+1.05Moderate96,600
5Feb 25, 201919.68+0.68Minor92,064
6Jun 24, 201619.58+0.58Minor90,851
7Feb 16, 202519.06+0.06Minor84,363
8Nov 20, 200319.05+0.05Minor84,600
9Nov 6, 198518.95−0.05Action83,400
10Feb 15, 198418.64−0.36Action80,000
11Apr 24, 198718.60−0.40Action79,600
12Mar 26, 199318.43−0.57Action77,700
13Jan 16, 199518.24−0.76Action75,600
14Feb 10, 199418.17−0.83Action74,900
15Mar 6, 201518.15−0.85Action74,650
16Jan 1, 199018.13−0.87Action74,400
17Feb 12, 201818.04−0.96Action73,431
18Dec 2, 199617.99−1.01Action72,900
19Mar 21, 199817.91−1.09Action72,100
20May 6, 198917.69−1.31Action69,900
21May 7, 201817.55−1.45Action68,398
22Dec 23, 201817.34−1.66Action—
23Feb 4, 198217.26−1.74Action65,600
24Jul 30, 200117.25−1.75Action65,400
25Apr 23, 199217.12−1.88Action64,200
26Mar 24, 199116.99−2.01Action62,900
27Apr 11, 198316.83−2.17Action61,400
28Mar 29, 200516.75−2.25Action60,700
29May 29, 198116.33−2.67Action57,000
30Feb 20, 200016.07−2.93Action54,600

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.

January 20, 1996: 20.35 ft here, moderate flooding

  • Glen LynVA · Jan 19, 1996 · 18.01 ft · Major
  • RadfordVA · Jan 19, 1996 · 19.81 ft · Moderate
  • AllisoniaVA · Jan 19, 1996 · 12.44 ft · Minor
  • GalaxVA · Jan 19, 1996 · 9.31 ft · Minor

February 1, 2013: 20.27 ft here, moderate flooding

  • RadfordVA · Jan 31, 2013 · 21.13 ft · Major
  • Glen LynVA · Feb 1, 2013 · 18.07 ft · Major
  • IvanhoeVA · Jan 31, 2013 · 19.66 ft · Moderate
  • AllisoniaVA · Jan 31, 2013 · 12.19 ft · Minor
  • GalaxVA · Jan 31, 2013 · 9.35 ft · Minor

January 26, 2010: 20.10 ft here, moderate flooding

  • AllisoniaVA · Jan 25, 2010 · 8.87 ft · Minor

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
HintonWV15.018.97 ft, Aug 15, 19401
Thurmond this gaugeWV19.020.35 ft, Jan 20, 19960

Other gauges in Fayette County

Flood gauges in Fayette County
Kanawha Falls27.027.37 ft, Apr 4, 19770

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge THMW2, 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.