James River at Blue Ridge Pkwy near Big Island water level

Name: James River at Blue Ridge Pkwy near Big Island 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

Normal for late October

Water level

4.28ft Down 0.07 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 21, 2026, 03:45 AM EDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 1,070 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at James River at Blue Ridge Pkwy near Big Island, where the gauge shows 4.28 ft.

It is still going down, by 0.07 ft over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 4.28 ft – 4.63 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, until steadier rain returns.

Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Paddling and fishing conditions

Most paddlers and anglers will find the river in good shape at this stage.

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

21 Wed 71° 50° – Wind 7 mph

22 Thu 73° 49° – Wind 9 mph

23 Fri 68° 44° – Wind 6 mph

24 Sat 63° 41° – Wind 5 mph

25 Sun 67° 41° – Wind 4 mph

26 Mon 72° 42° – Wind 4 mph

27 Tue 71° 47° – Wind 4 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:32 AM Sunset 06:34 PM Daylight 11 hr, 2 min Waxing gibbous 76%

Map

Other gauges on the James River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
James River at Lick RunRiver gauge, James River	2.17 ft	Below flood stage	−0.09 ft	27 mi
James River at BuchananRiver gauge, James River	767 cfs	Normal	−96.0 cfs	17 mi
James River at Bedford Dam near MajorRiver gauge, James River	5.92 ft	No reference yet	−0.02 ft	1.8 mi
James River at Holcomb RockRiver gauge, James River	4.22 ft	Below flood stage	−0.29 ft	7 mi
James River at Bent CreekRiver gauge, James River	2.80 ft	Below flood stage	−0.29 ft	29 mi
James River at ScottsvilleRiver gauge, James River	3.45 ft	Below flood stage	−0.23 ft	51 mi
James River at CartersvilleRiver gauge, James River	1.74 ft	Below flood stage	−0.10 ft	71 mi
James River near RichmondRiver gauge, James River	4.00 ft	Below flood stage	+0.16 ft	100 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Pedlar River at Forest Road near Buena VistaRiver gauge, Pedlar River	5.1 cfs	Low	−0.2 cfs	11 mi
Harris Creek below Route 130 near MonroeRiver gauge, Harris Creek	3.0 cfs	Very low	±0	12 mi
Maury River near Buena VistaRiver gauge, Maury River	1.51 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	14 mi
Kerrs Creek near LexingtonRiver gauge, Kerrs Creek	2.60 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	19 mi
Piney River at Piney RiverRiver gauge, Piney River	2.27 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	21 mi
Tye River near LovingstonRiver gauge, Tye River	2.58 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	24 mi
Big Otter River near EvingtonRiver gauge, Big Otter River	1.96 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	24 mi
Maury River at Rockbridge BathsRiver gauge, Maury River	77.7 cfs	Normal	−10.6 cfs	24 mi

Questions and answers

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 Blue Ridge Pkwy near Big Island today?

On Oct 21, 2026, 03:45 AM EDT, the water level was 4.28 ft. Down 0.07 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is James River at Blue Ridge Pkwy near Big Island rising or falling?

Down 0.07 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of James River at Blue Ridge Pkwy near Big Island normal?

Normal for late October. Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year.

How often is this data updated?

The U.S. Geological Survey publishes a new reading every 15 minutes. This page refreshes within minutes of each update.

Where does this data come from?

The values come directly from the U.S. Geological Survey, the official operator of this gauge, and are in the public domain. We do not estimate or model live values.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:02024752 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 37.55542, -79.36725 (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	4.28 ft	2026-10-21 07:45	Provisional
Flow	1,070 cfs	2026-10-21 07:45	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: James River at Blue Ridge Pkwy near Big Island (usgs:02024752). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/virginia/james-river-at-blue-ridge-pkwy-near-big-island

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