James River at Bent Creek water level

Name: James River at Bent Creek 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, James River, Virginia, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

3.14ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 02:45 PM EDT (56 min ago)

Flow: 1,250 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to fall to 2.90 ft by Thursday, October 22 at 02:00 AM. Issued Monday, October 19 at 10:21 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

The gauge at James River at Bent Creek reads 3.14 ft, a normal level.

It is 12.86 ft below the flood stage of 16.00 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 2.90 ft by Thursday, October 22 at 02:00 AM. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 3.09 ft and 3.57 ft.

Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 30.76 ftNovember 5, 1985
Lowest on record: 0.90 ftJuly 11, 1975
Forecast peak: 3.20 ftMonday, October 19 at 02:00 PM

What the stage means on the water

A normal level is usually prime time for floating and wade fishing, as long as the weather holds upstream.

The National Weather Service puts flood stage for this gauge at 16.00 ft, still 12.86 ft away.

What happens at each level

22.00 ft: Some secondary roads are closed and some farm outbuildings affected.
18.00 ft: Flooding of farmlands and field roads in the area.
16.00 ft: Both banks begin to overflow, only pasture and cropland affected.
3.14 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	30.76 ft	November 5, 1985
2	27.13 ft	June 21, 1972
3	24.77 ft	August 20, 1969
4	23.02 ft	March 18, 1936
5	22.10 ft	January 20, 1996
6	21.73 ft	April 17, 1987
7	21.02 ft	April 22, 1992
8	20.25 ft	September 8, 1987
9	20.22 ft	January 24, 1935
10	19.63 ft	August 16, 1940

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.31 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 63° 36° – Wind 10 mph

19 Mon 64° 39° – Wind 10 mph

20 Tue 73° 41° – Wind 10 mph

21 Wed 69° 44° – Wind 6 mph

22 Thu 72° 42° – Wind 7 mph

23 Fri 69° 45° – Wind 7 mph

24 Sat 66° 43° – Wind 8 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:28 AM Sunset 06:34 PM Daylight 11 hr, 6 min First quarter 61%

Map

Other gauges on the James River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
James River at Lick RunRiver gauge, James River	2.34 ft	Below flood stage	−0.17 ft	55 mi
James River at BuchananRiver gauge, James River	916 cfs	Normal	−164.0 cfs	47 mi
James River at Bedford Dam near MajorRiver gauge, James River	5.97 ft	No reference yet	−0.05 ft	30 mi
James River at Blue Ridge Pkwy near Big IslandRiver gauge, James River	1,240 cfs	Normal	−240.0 cfs	29 mi
James River at Holcomb RockRiver gauge, James River	4.58 ft	Below flood stage	−0.19 ft	24 mi
James River at ScottsvilleRiver gauge, James River	3.99 ft	Below flood stage	+0.40 ft	26 mi
James River at CartersvilleRiver gauge, James River	1.70 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	42 mi
James River near RichmondRiver gauge, James River	3.89 ft	Below flood stage	−0.24 ft	70 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Holiday Creek near AndersonvilleRiver gauge, Holiday Creek	2.4 cfs	Normal	−0.5 cfs	14 mi
Tye River near LovingstonRiver gauge, Tye River	2.75 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	15 mi
Piney River at Piney RiverRiver gauge, Piney River	2.31 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	16 mi
Harris Creek below Route 130 near MonroeRiver gauge, Harris Creek	2.4 cfs	Very low	−0.8 cfs	19 mi
Rockfish River near GreenfieldRiver gauge, Rockfish River	2.75 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	23 mi
Buffalo Creek near Hampden SydneyRiver gauge, Buffalo Creek	20.7 cfs	Low	−3.3 cfs	27 mi
Pedlar River at Forest Road near Buena VistaRiver gauge, Pedlar River	5.4 cfs	Low	−0.7 cfs	27 mi
Slate River near ArvoniaRiver gauge, Slate River	2.49 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	27 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the James River at Bent Creek?

The official flood stage is 16.00 ft. The level is currently 12.86 ft below it.

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 James River at Bent Creek today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 02:45 PM EDT, the water level was 3.14 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is James River at Bent Creek rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of James River at Bent Creek normal?

Below flood stage. Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at James River at Bent Creek?

The highest level on record is 30.76 ft on November 5, 1985. The lowest is 0.90 ft on July 11, 1975.

Is James River at Bent Creek expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to fall to 2.90 ft by Thursday, October 22 at 02:00 AM.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:02026000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 37.53625, -78.82946 (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	3.14 ft	2026-10-19 18:45	Provisional
Flow	1,250 cfs	2026-10-19 18:45	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: James River at Bent Creek (usgs:02026000). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/virginia/james-river-at-bent-creek

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