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Tygart Valley River at Philippi

Highest listed crest 31.83 ftFlood stage 19.0 ft91 crests since 1912

The Tygart Valley River at Philippi crested at major flood stage 5 times among the 91 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1912 to 2026. The highest, 31.83 ft on November 5, 1985, was major flooding, 12.83 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Tygart Valley River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
31.83 ft
November 5, 1985; 61,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
19.0 ft
Major flooding from 25.0 ft
Crests at major
5
20th of 116 gauges in West Virginia
Most recent flood crest
July 22, 2026
22.28 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Barbour 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, Tygart Valley River at Philippi
Action stage17.026Dec 7, 2013The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)19.026Apr 4, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage21.012Jul 22, 2026Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage25.05May 17, 1996Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

91 crests from 1912 to 2026. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Tygart Valley River at Philippi, 1912 to 2026 101520253035ft Flood stage 19.0 ftMajor 25.0 ft Jul 25, 1912: 26.90 ft, major flooding; 37,000 cubic feet per secondAug 27, 1941: 12.09 ft, below flood stage; 12,200 cubic feet per secondAug 24, 1942: 16.35 ft, below flood stage; 20,700 cubic feet per secondDec 23, 1942: 13.38 ft, below flood stage; 15,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 1944: 17.53 ft, action stage; 22,100 cubic feet per secondDec 26, 1944: 19.60 ft, minor flooding; 25,800 cubic feet per secondJan 8, 1946: 12.05 ft, below flood stage; 12,400 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1947: 17.55 ft, action stage; 21,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1948: 22.72 ft, moderate flooding; 30,900 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1948: 19.60 ft, minor floodingDec 16, 1948: 19.82 ft, minor flooding; 25,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 1950: 18.40 ft, action stageJun 25, 1950: 19.70 ft, minor flooding; 25,500 cubic feet per secondDec 4, 1950: 18.18 ft, action stage; 22,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 1951: 17.90 ft, action stageJan 28, 1952: 17.80 ft, action stage; 22,000 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 1953: 12.52 ft, below flood stage; 13,000 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 1954: 13.37 ft, below flood stage; 14,500 cubic feet per secondOct 16, 1954: 24.10 ft, moderate flooding; 33,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 1955: 17.99 ft, action stageJan 30, 1956: 19.05 ft, minor flooding; 24,200 cubic feet per secondAug 6, 1956: 18.05 ft, action stageJan 29, 1957: 19.49 ft, minor floodingFeb 10, 1957: 21.30 ft, moderate flooding; 28,300 cubic feet per secondJul 23, 1958: 16.75 ft, below flood stage; 20,300 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 1959: 16.64 ft, below flood stage; 19,900 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1960: 17.03 ft, action stage; 20,600 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1961: 14.61 ft, below flood stage; 16,500 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1962: 15.90 ft, below flood stage; 17,600 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1963: 21.50 ft, moderate flooding; 30,700 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1964: 17.68 ft, action stage; 21,200 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 1965: 14.77 ft, below flood stage; 15,600 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 1966: 18.59 ft, action stage; 23,300 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1967: 25.93 ft, major flooding; 43,000 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 1968: 16.72 ft, below flood stage; 19,200 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1969: 11.32 ft, below flood stage; 10,400 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 1969: 22.80 ft, moderate flooding; 34,200 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 1970: 18.46 ft, action stageDec 22, 1970: 19.77 ft, minor flooding; 26,100 cubic feet per secondJan 5, 1971: 17.37 ft, action stageSep 14, 1971: 19.00 ft, minor floodingFeb 26, 1972: 19.15 ft, minor floodingJun 23, 1972: 24.67 ft, moderate flooding; 39,500 cubic feet per secondDec 9, 1972: 19.06 ft, minor flooding; 24,400 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 1974: 19.07 ft, minor flooding; 24,400 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 1975: 14.48 ft, below flood stage; 15,300 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 1976: 14.70 ft, below flood stage; 15,600 cubic feet per secondOct 10, 1976: 18.60 ft, action stage; 23,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 1977: 16.25 ft, below flood stageJan 26, 1978: 20.15 ft, minor flooding; 27,100 cubic feet per secondDec 9, 1978: 18.91 ft, action stageDec 21, 1978: 19.80 ft, minor flooding; 26,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 1979: 17.30 ft, action stageOct 10, 1979: 17.62 ft, action stage; 21,100 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 1981: 19.16 ft, minor flooding; 24,600 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1982: 18.40 ft, action stage; 22,800 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1983: 15.54 ft, below flood stage; 17,100 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 1984: 16.26 ft, below flood stage; 18,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 1985: 14.27 ft, below flood stage; 14,900 cubic feet per secondNov 5, 1985: 31.83 ft, major flooding; 61,000 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1987: 13.71 ft, below flood stage; 15,200 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 1988: 11.74 ft, below flood stage; 11,900 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1989: 20.23 ft, minor flooding; 28,000 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 1990: 20.39 ft, minor flooding; 28,400 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 1990: 16.51 ft, below flood stage; 20,400 cubic feet per secondJul 28, 1992: 20.61 ft, minor flooding; 28,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 9, 1994: 26.92 ft, major floodingJan 19, 1996: 20.71 ft, minor floodingMay 17, 1996: 27.62 ft, major floodingJul 19, 1996: 19.52 ft, minor floodingJul 31, 1996: 23.35 ft, moderate floodingMar 2, 1997: 19.40 ft, minor flooding; 28,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 2000: 23.70 ft, moderate flooding; 38,500 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 2002: 19.96 ft, minor flooding; 29,400 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 2002: 17.00 ft, action stage; 22,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 2003: 20.78 ft, minor flooding; 31,460 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 2003: 17.24 ft, action stage; 23,080 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 2004: 21.43 ft, moderate flooding; 33,060 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 2007: 18.39 ft, action stage; 25,700 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 2008: 18.90 ft, action stage; 26,900 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 2011: 17.71 ft, action stage; 24,100 cubic feet per secondNov 23, 2011: 18.29 ft, action stage; 25,500 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 2013: 17.50 ft, action stage; 23,639 cubic feet per secondDec 7, 2013: 18.89 ft, action stageMar 5, 2015: 22.65 ft, moderate flooding; 35,954 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 2018: 19.28 ft, minor flooding; 27,767 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 2018: 20.43 ft, minor flooding; 29,050 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 2022: 19.91 ft, minor flooding; 27,827 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 2024: 19.72 ft, minor flooding; 27,411 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 2025: 21.41 ft, moderate flooding; 31,488 cubic feet per secondJul 22, 2026: 22.28 ft, moderate flooding; 33,618 cubic feet per second Highest, 31.83 ft, Nov 5, 1985 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Tygart Valley River at Philippi 1910s: 1 1920s: 0 1930s: 0 1940s: 4 1950s: 5 1960s: 3 1970s: 8 8 1980s: 3 1990s: 8 2000s: 4 2010s: 3 2020s: 4 1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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. 6 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 22.00 ft on Oct 3, 1929; 25.00 ft on Feb 4, 1932; 24.00 ft on Mar 24, 1936; 26.70 ft on Oct 29, 1937; 24.30 ft on Feb 3, 1939; 23.60 ft on Apr 16, 1939.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 91 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Tygart Valley River at Philippi
1Nov 5, 198531.83+12.83Major61,000
2May 17, 199627.62+8.62Major—
3Feb 9, 199426.92+7.92Major—
4Jul 25, 191226.90+7.90Major37,000
5Mar 7, 196725.93+6.93Major43,000
6Jun 23, 197224.67+5.67Moderate39,500
7Oct 16, 195424.10+5.10Moderate33,600
8Feb 19, 200023.70+4.70Moderate38,500
9Jul 31, 199623.35+4.35Moderate—
10Dec 31, 196922.80+3.80Moderate34,200
11Feb 14, 194822.72+3.72Moderate30,900
12Mar 5, 201522.65+3.65Moderate35,954
13Jul 22, 202622.28+3.28Moderate33,618
14Mar 20, 196321.50+2.50Moderate30,700
15Feb 7, 200421.43+2.43Moderate33,060
16Feb 1, 202521.41+2.41Moderate31,488
17Feb 10, 195721.30+2.30Moderate28,300
18Feb 23, 200320.78+1.78Minor31,460
19Jan 19, 199620.71+1.71Minor—
20Jul 28, 199220.61+1.61Minor28,900
21Apr 16, 201820.43+1.43Minor29,050
22May 26, 199020.39+1.39Minor28,400
23Mar 6, 198920.23+1.23Minor28,000
24Jan 26, 197820.15+1.15Minor27,100
25Mar 20, 200219.96+0.96Minor29,400
26May 7, 202219.91+0.91Minor27,827
27Dec 16, 194819.82+0.82Minor25,600
28Dec 21, 197819.80+0.80Minor26,200
29Dec 22, 197019.77+0.77Minor26,100
30Apr 4, 202419.72+0.72Minor27,411
31Jun 25, 195019.70+0.70Minor25,500
32Dec 26, 194419.60+0.60Minor25,800
33Mar 24, 194819.60+0.60Minor—
34Jul 19, 199619.52+0.52Minor—
35Jan 29, 195719.49+0.49Minor—
36Mar 2, 199719.40+0.40Minor28,100
37Feb 17, 201819.28+0.28Minor27,767
38Jun 6, 198119.16+0.16Minor24,600
39Feb 26, 197219.15+0.15Minor—
40Jan 11, 197419.07+0.07Minor24,400
41Dec 9, 197219.06+0.06Minor24,400
42Jan 30, 195619.05+0.05Minor24,200
43Sep 14, 197119.000.00Minor—
44Dec 9, 197818.91−0.09Action—
45Jun 5, 200818.90−0.10Action26,900
46Dec 7, 201318.89−0.11Action—
47Oct 10, 197618.60−0.40Action23,300
48May 1, 196618.59−0.41Action23,300
49Apr 24, 197018.46−0.54Action—
50Feb 1, 195018.40−0.60Action—

The worst floods along the Tygart Valley River

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

November 5, 1985: 31.83 ft here, major flooding

  • ElkinsWV · Nov 5, 1985 · 22.81 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Tygart Valley River

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

Flood gauges on the Tygart Valley River
BelingtonWV14.017.18 ft, Mar 5, 20150
DaileyWV14.014.54 ft, Feb 7, 20250
ElkinsWV17.023.32 ft, Apr 23, 20180
Mill CreekWV11.014.10 ft, Feb 6, 20250
Philippi this gaugeWV19.031.83 ft, Nov 5, 19855

Other gauges in Barbour County

Flood gauges in Barbour County
Audra10.015.80 ft, Feb 5, 19852
Belington14.017.18 ft, Mar 5, 20150

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge PHIW2, 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.