Rivanna River at Palmyra water level

Name: Rivanna River at Palmyra 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, Rivanna River, Virginia, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

2.63ft Down 0.08 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 02:35 AM EDT (27 min ago)

Flow: 156 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to fall to 2.60 ft by Thursday, October 22 at 08:00 AM. Issued Monday, October 19 at 10:21 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Rivanna River at Palmyra, where the gauge shows 2.63 ft.

It is 14.37 ft below the flood stage of 17.00 ft.

It is still going down, by 0.08 ft over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 2.60 ft by Thursday, October 22 at 08:00 AM. The 30-day range is 2.62 ft – 2.94 ft.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 39.85 ftAugust 20, 1969
Forecast peak: 2.70 ftTuesday, October 20 at 02:00 AM

Paddling and fishing conditions

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

For reference, flood stage is 17.00 ft.

What happens at each level

44.50 ft: River stage sensor operating limit
22.00 ft: Farmland flooded downstream, including a section of Carysbrook Road.
18.00 ft: River out of banks at Palmyra with flooding of town boat launch and upstream at Crofton Boat Ramp.
17.00 ft: Bankfull and flood stage. Overflow begins on right bank, affecting adjacent farmland and floodplain
2.63 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	39.85 ft	August 20, 1969
2	37.34 ft	June 22, 1972
3	36.50 ft	October 16, 1942
4	33.35 ft	April 26, 1937
5	31.54 ft	September 7, 1996
6	31.07 ft	October 6, 1972
7	30.50 ft	September 19, 1944
8	29.26 ft	March 18, 1936
9	29.00 ft	August 19, 1955
10	26.78 ft	December 4, 1948

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.43 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 61° 38° – Wind 11 mph

19 Mon 62° 39° – Wind 10 mph

20 Tue 72° 44° – Wind 10 mph

21 Wed 67° 45° – Wind 9 mph

22 Thu 71° 43° – Wind 5 mph

23 Fri 68° 47° – Wind 7 mph

24 Sat 66° 43° – Wind 7 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:27 AM Sunset 06:30 PM Daylight 11 hr, 3 min First quarter 66%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Hardware River below Briery Run near ScottsvilleRiver gauge, Hardware River	25.6 cfs	Low	−3.2 cfs	11 mi
Slate River near ArvoniaRiver gauge, Slate River	2.49 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	12 mi
James River at ScottsvilleRiver gauge, James River	3.74 ft	Below flood stage	+0.13 ft	13 mi
James River at CartersvilleRiver gauge, James River	1.78 ft	Below flood stage	+0.11 ft	16 mi
South F Rivanna River near CharlottesvilleRiver gauge, South F Rivanna River	49.3 cfs	Normal	−4.9 cfs	20 mi
North F Rivanna River near EarlysvilleRiver gauge, North F Rivanna River	31.4 cfs	Normal	−2.6 cfs	23 mi
Mechums River near White HallRiver gauge, Mechums River	25.3 cfs	Normal	−0.9 cfs	25 mi
Moormans River near Free UnionRiver gauge, Moormans River	16.1 cfs	Normal	+0.6 cfs	25 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Rivanna River at Palmyra?

The official flood stage is 17.00 ft. The level is currently 14.37 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 Rivanna River at Palmyra today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 02:35 AM EDT, the water level was 2.63 ft. Down 0.08 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Rivanna River at Palmyra rising or falling?

Down 0.08 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Rivanna River at Palmyra normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Rivanna River at Palmyra?

The highest level on record is 39.85 ft on August 20, 1969.

Is Rivanna River at Palmyra expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to fall to 2.60 ft by Thursday, October 22 at 08:00 AM.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:02034000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 37.85792, -78.26584 (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	2.63 ft	2026-10-20 06:35	Provisional
Flow	156 cfs	2026-10-20 06:35	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Rivanna River at Palmyra (usgs:02034000). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/virginia/rivanna-river-at-palmyra

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