Roanoke River near Scotland Neck water level

Name: Roanoke River near Scotland Neck water level (U.S. Geological Survey)
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
License: https://www.usgs.gov/information-policies-and-instructions/copyrights-and-credits

River gauge, Roanoke River, North Carolina, United States

Directions

Very low for mid-October

Water level

4.11ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 09:00 PM EDT (33 min ago)

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

Water level Normal range (10–90 %) Minor flood stage

What this means

At 4.11 ft, the Roanoke River near Scotland Neck is far below normal for mid-October.

The median for mid-October is 7.15 ft, based on 50 years of readings, so the river stage is 3.04 ft below typical. It is 23.89 ft below the flood stage of 28.00 ft. On the same day last year the reading was 5.32 ft, a difference of −1.21 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 3.98 ft and 7.19 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, and it usually takes a few days of steady rain to change that.

Compared with 50 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 7.15 ft3.04 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 5.21 ft – 23.18 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (50 years of records)
Same day last year: 5.32 ft−1.21 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 3.98 ft – 7.19 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 3.98 ft – 12.50 ft
Highest on record: 37.05 ftSeptember 23, 1945

What the stage means on the water

Low water means more dragging on shallow riffles and slower floats. Fish crowd into the deeper runs, and warm, low water stresses them, so play and release them quickly.

The National Weather Service puts flood stage for this gauge at 28.00 ft, still 23.89 ft away.

What happens at each level

47.00 ft: The US-258 bridge is inundated.
40.00 ft: Flooding reaches the lower steel trusses of the US258 bridge.
34.00 ft: Major flooding begins. There is widespread, mainly lowland flooding adjacent to the river.
32.00 ft: The boat ramp and parking lot at Edwards Ferry Boat Access are inundated.
31.00 ft: Moderate flooding begins. There is widespread flooding on the left bank.
28.00 ft: Minor flooding begins. The left bank of the Little Roanoke River begins to flood.
4.11 ft: Right now

Impact statements from the U.S. National Weather Service.

Highest crests on record

Chance of at least minor flooding in October to December: < 5 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	37.05 ft	September 23, 1945
2	36.02 ft	September 23, 1944
3	35.10 ft	January 24, 1936
4	33.90 ft	February 18, 1948
5	33.26 ft	December 9, 1948
6	31.51 ft	February 10, 1943
7	31.25 ft	January 2, 1946
8	30.98 ft	September 17, 1999
9	30.79 ft	September 29, 1947
10	30.30 ft	April 18, 1975

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.27 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 60° 42° – Wind 14 mph

19 Mon 61° 47° – Wind 15 mph

20 Tue 71° 46° – Wind 13 mph

21 Wed 68° 47° – Wind 12 mph

22 Thu 70° 44° – Wind 9 mph

23 Fri 69° 46° – Wind 13 mph

24 Sat 67° 45° – Wind 13 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:22 AM Sunset 06:27 PM Daylight 11 hr, 5 min Waxing gibbous 73%

Map

Other gauges on the Roanoke River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Roanoke River at AltavistaRiver gauge, Roanoke River	1.57 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	122 mi
Roanoke River at Buggs IslandRiver gauge, Roanoke River	3.30 ft	No reference yet	+0.29 ft	58 mi
Roanoke River at Roanoke RapidsRiver gauge, Roanoke River	2.61 ft	Very low	±0	22 mi
Roanoke River at HalifaxRiver gauge, Roanoke River	16.74 ft	Very low	±0	14 mi
Roanoke River at HamiltonRiver gauge, Roanoke River	1.75 ft	Very low	−0.22 ft	21 mi
Roanoke River at WilliamstonRiver gauge, Roanoke River	3.86 ft	Normal	−0.10 ft	31 mi
Roanoke River at JamesvilleRiver gauge, Roanoke River	0.71 ft	Very low	+0.13 ft	39 mi
Roanoke River at NC 45 near WestoverRiver gauge, Roanoke River	0.76 ft	Very low	+0.29 ft	42 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Fishing Creek near EnfieldRiver gauge, Fishing Creek	2.33 ft	Normal	+0.01 ft	18 mi
Ahoskie Creek at AhoskieRiver gauge, Ahoskie Creek	1.33 ft	Normal	−0.02 ft	22 mi
Potecasi Creek near UnionRiver gauge, Potecasi Creek	2.76 ft	Normal	−0.02 ft	23 mi
Tar River at TarboroRiver gauge, Tar River	1.28 ft	Very low	−0.03 ft	23 mi
Cashie River at Sr1257 near WindsorRiver gauge, Cashie River	4.28 ft	Very high	−0.01 ft	25 mi
Meherrin River near Bryants CornerRiver gauge, Meherrin River	52.1 cfs	Very low	−3.7 cfs	25 mi
Little Fishing Creek near White OakRiver gauge, Little Fishing Creek	1.29 ft	Very low	−0.01 ft	28 mi

Questions and answers

Is the Roanoke River near Scotland Neck higher than last year?

No, it is 1.21 ft lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 5.32 ft.

What is flood stage for the Roanoke River near Scotland Neck?

The official flood stage is 28.00 ft. The level is currently 23.89 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the Roanoke River near Scotland Neck in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 7.15 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 5.21 ft and 23.18 ft, based on 50 years of records.

Is gage height the same as water depth?

No. Gage height is measured from a fixed reference point chosen by the agency, so a reading of 10 ft does not mean the river is 10 ft deep.

What is the water level of Roanoke River near Scotland Neck today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 09:00 PM EDT, the water level was 4.11 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Roanoke River near Scotland Neck rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Down 1.38 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Roanoke River near Scotland Neck normal?

Very low for mid-October. Compared with 50 years of daily readings for this time of year.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:02081000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 36.20917, -77.38389 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: NAVD88
Update interval: every 15 minutes
Licence: Public domain. Data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), provisional data subject to revision

Published series

Parameter	Last value	Time (UTC)	Quality
Water level	4.11 ft	2026-10-21 01:00	Provisional

Download

Embed this gauge

Add a live card for this gauge to your website. It updates on its own and links back here.

<iframe src="https://nivelmap.com/embed/7995?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Roanoke River near Scotland Neck water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Roanoke River near Scotland Neck (usgs:02081000). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/north-carolina/roanoke-river-near-scotland-neck

How we check values

Each reading is stored as published. We hold back values that jump faster than physically plausible and show the measurement time with every value.

Readings are provisional, can be delayed or wrong and are not a flood warning. Read the disclaimer