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South Branch Potomac River near Springfield

Highest listed crest 44.22 ftFlood stage 15.0 ft89 crests since 1901

The South Branch Potomac River near Springfield crested at major flood stage 6 times among the 89 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1901 to 2025. The highest, 44.22 ft on November 5, 1985, was major flooding, 29.22 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the South Branch Potomac River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
44.22 ft
November 5, 1985; 240,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
15.0 ft
Major flooding from 25.0 ft
Crests at major
6
15th of 116 gauges in West Virginia
Most recent flood crest
May 14, 2025
15.02 ft, minor flooding
Location
Hampshire 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, South Branch Potomac River near Springfield
Action stage12.02May 5, 2009The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)15.057May 14, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage19.024Apr 17, 2018Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage25.06Sep 7, 1996Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

89 crests from 1901 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the South Branch Potomac River near Springfield, 1901 to 2025 1020304050ft Flood stage 15.0 ftMajor 25.0 ft Apr 21, 1901: 18.40 ft, minor flooding; 173,501 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1929: 19.13 ft, moderate flooding; 36,400 cubic feet per secondOct 23, 1929: 16.33 ft, minor flooding; 25,600 cubic feet per secondNov 19, 1929: 15.27 ft, minor flooding; 22,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 1932: 20.40 ft, moderate flooding; 42,500 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 1932: 17.88 ft, minor flooding; 31,600 cubic feet per secondAug 24, 1933: 17.00 ft, minor flooding; 28,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 1936: 16.10 ft, minor flooding; 24,800 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1936: 34.20 ft, major flooding; 143,000 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 1937: 23.00 ft, moderate flooding; 57,000 cubic feet per secondOct 29, 1937: 21.15 ft, moderate flooding; 46,600 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 1939: 15.35 ft, minor flooding; 21,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 1939: 21.40 ft, moderate flooding; 47,700 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1940: 20.11 ft, moderate flooding; 41,000 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 1942: 16.63 ft, minor flooding; 24,200 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1942: 22.00 ft, moderate flooding; 51,000 cubic feet per secondOct 16, 1942: 21.09 ft, moderate flooding; 46,000 cubic feet per secondSep 19, 1945: 17.15 ft, minor flooding; 28,800 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 1948: 17.35 ft, minor flooding; 29,400 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1949: 29.85 ft, major flooding; 104,000 cubic feet per secondDec 8, 1950: 17.65 ft, minor flooding; 30,400 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 1952: 15.85 ft, minor flooding; 23,900 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 1954: 17.31 ft, minor flooding; 29,200 cubic feet per secondOct 16, 1954: 21.50 ft, moderate flooding; 48,200 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 1954: 15.28 ft, minor flooding; 22,300 cubic feet per secondAug 19, 1955: 25.55 ft, major flooding; 73,400 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1960: 16.33 ft, minor flooding; 22,900 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1960: 16.70 ft, minor flooding; 24,500 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1962: 17.27 ft, minor flooding; 29,200 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1963: 22.15 ft, moderate flooding; 51,900 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1964: 15.45 ft, minor flooding; 23,500 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1967: 21.00 ft, moderate flooding; 45,500 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1967: 15.24 ft, minor flooding; 22,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 1972: 15.29 ft, minor flooding; 23,000 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 1972: 17.87 ft, minor flooding; 31,500 cubic feet per secondOct 6, 1972: 21.11 ft, moderate flooding; 46,100 cubic feet per secondDec 27, 1973: 20.16 ft, moderate flooding; 41,300 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 1974: 18.15 ft, minor flooding; 32,600 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1975: 20.34 ft, moderate flooding; 40,500 cubic feet per secondOct 19, 1975: 17.32 ft, minor flooding; 27,900 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 1976: 16.75 ft, minor flooding; 26,000 cubic feet per secondOct 10, 1976: 23.42 ft, moderate flooding; 58,300 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1977: 16.58 ft, minor flooding; 25,500 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 1978: 17.21 ft, minor flooding; 27,500 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1978: 18.10 ft, minor flooding; 30,700 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 1978: 15.69 ft, minor flooding; 23,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 1979: 19.17 ft, moderate flooding; 34,200 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 1980: 16.07 ft, minor flooding; 24,000 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1982: 16.55 ft, minor flooding; 25,400 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1983: 16.71 ft, minor flooding; 25,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 1984: 18.63 ft, minor flooding; 32,800 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1985: 16.20 ft, minor flooding; 24,400 cubic feet per secondNov 5, 1985: 44.22 ft, major flooding; 240,000 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1986: 19.18 ft, moderate flooding; 39,300 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1987: 19.18 ft, moderate flooding; 39,300 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1991: 17.38 ft, minor flooding; 31,500 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1993: 18.26 ft, minor flooding; 34,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 1994: 19.19 ft, moderate flooding; 38,500 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1994: 17.90 ft, minor flooding; 33,000 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 1995: 15.00 ft, minor floodingJan 20, 1996: 28.41 ft, major flooding; 93,900 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1996: 16.79 ft, minor flooding; 29,300 cubic feet per secondSep 7, 1996: 34.98 ft, major flooding; 147,000 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 1998: 15.98 ft, minor flooding; 23,800 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1998: 18.09 ft, minor flooding; 29,200 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 2002: 17.49 ft, minor flooding; 27,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 2003: 15.07 ft, minor floodingMay 11, 2003: 15.95 ft, minor floodingSep 20, 2003: 24.70 ft, moderate floodingNov 20, 2003: 18.00 ft, minor flooding; 29,000 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 2005: 14.99 ft, action stage; 21,400 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 2007: 19.50 ft, moderate flooding; 33,200 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 2008: 16.93 ft, minor flooding; 26,300 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 2009: 13.90 ft, action stage; 19,000 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 2010: 18.54 ft, minor flooding; 30,320 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2010: 19.37 ft, moderate flooding; 32,700 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 2011: 15.24 ft, minor flooding; 21,920 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 2011: 16.13 ft, minor flooding; 24,159 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 2011: 15.35 ft, minor flooding; 22,200 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2011: 15.37 ft, minor flooding; 22,240 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 2011: 19.00 ft, moderate flooding; 31,530 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 2013: 16.79 ft, minor flooding; 25,970 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 2014: 18.58 ft, minor flooding; 30,410 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 2018: 19.44 ft, moderate flooding; 33,909 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 2018: 17.49 ft, minor flooding; 27,834 cubic feet per secondSep 29, 2018: 15.93 ft, minor flooding; 23,882 cubic feet per secondDec 16, 2018: 16.25 ft, minor flooding; 24,673 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 2021: 15.34 ft, minor flooding; 22,400 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 2025: 15.02 ft, minor flooding; 22,201 cubic feet per second Highest, 44.22 ft, Nov 5, 1985 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, South Branch Potomac River near Springfield 1900s: 1 1910s: 0 1920s: 3 1930s: 9 1940s: 7 1950s: 6 1960s: 7 1970s: 14 14 1980s: 8 1990s: 10 2000s: 7 2010s: 13 2020s: 2 1900s1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 89 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, South Branch Potomac River near Springfield
1Nov 5, 198544.22+29.22Major240,000
2Sep 7, 199634.98+19.98Major147,000
3Mar 18, 193634.20+19.20Major143,000
4Jun 18, 194929.85+14.85Major104,000
5Jan 20, 199628.41+13.41Major93,900
6Aug 19, 195525.55+10.55Major73,400
7Sep 20, 200324.70+9.70Moderate—
8Oct 10, 197623.42+8.42Moderate58,300
9Apr 27, 193723.00+8.00Moderate57,000
10Mar 20, 196322.15+7.15Moderate51,900
11May 23, 194222.00+7.00Moderate51,000
12Oct 16, 195421.50+6.50Moderate48,200
13Feb 4, 193921.40+6.40Moderate47,700
14Oct 29, 193721.15+6.15Moderate46,600
15Oct 6, 197221.11+6.11Moderate46,100
16Oct 16, 194221.09+6.09Moderate46,000
17Mar 8, 196721.00+6.00Moderate45,500
18Feb 4, 193220.40+5.40Moderate42,500
19Mar 20, 197520.34+5.34Moderate40,500
20Dec 27, 197320.16+5.16Moderate41,300
21May 31, 194020.11+5.11Moderate41,000
22Apr 16, 200719.50+4.50Moderate33,200
23Apr 17, 201819.44+4.44Moderate33,909
24Mar 14, 201019.37+4.37Moderate32,700
25Feb 10, 199419.19+4.19Moderate38,500
26Mar 15, 198619.18+4.18Moderate39,300
27Apr 17, 198719.18+4.18Moderate39,300
28Feb 26, 197919.17+4.17Moderate34,200
29Apr 17, 192919.13+4.13Moderate36,400
30May 18, 201119.00+4.00Moderate31,530
31Feb 15, 198418.63+3.63Minor32,800
32May 17, 201418.58+3.58Minor30,410
33Jan 26, 201018.54+3.54Minor30,320
34Apr 21, 190118.40+3.40Minor173,501
35Apr 17, 199318.26+3.26Minor34,500
36Jun 3, 197418.15+3.15Minor32,600
37Mar 15, 197818.10+3.10Minor30,700
38Mar 21, 199818.09+3.09Minor29,200
39Nov 20, 200318.00+3.00Minor29,000
40May 8, 199417.90+2.90Minor33,000
41May 12, 193217.88+2.88Minor31,600
42Jun 23, 197217.87+2.87Minor31,500
43Dec 8, 195017.65+2.65Minor30,400
44Apr 23, 200217.49+2.49Minor27,700
45Jun 3, 201817.49+2.49Minor27,834
46Mar 24, 199117.38+2.38Minor31,500
47Apr 15, 194817.35+2.35Minor29,400
48Oct 19, 197517.32+2.32Minor27,900
49Mar 2, 195417.31+2.31Minor29,200
50Mar 22, 196217.27+2.27Minor29,200

The worst floods along the South Branch Potomac River

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

November 5, 1985: 44.22 ft here, major flooding

  • FranklinWV · Nov 4, 1985 · 22.58 ft · Major · its highest
  • PetersburgWV · Nov 5, 1985 · 21.80 ft · Major

September 7, 1996: 34.98 ft here, major flooding

  • PetersburgWV · Sep 6, 1996 · 22.20 ft · Major
  • FranklinWV · Sep 6, 1996 · 19.16 ft · Major

March 18, 1936: 34.20 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the South Branch Potomac River

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

Flood gauges on the South Branch Potomac River
FranklinWV7.022.58 ft, Nov 4, 19856
PetersburgWV14.022.83 ft, Jun 17, 19497
Springfield this gaugeWV15.044.22 ft, Nov 5, 19856

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SPRW2, 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.