Roanoke River at Altavista water level

Name: Roanoke River at Altavista 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, Virginia, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

1.57ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 06:00 PM EDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 412 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

The gauge at Roanoke River at Altavista reads 1.57 ft, a normal level.

It is 16.43 ft below the flood stage of 18.00 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 1.57 ft and 1.65 ft.

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

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 40.08 ftAugust 15, 1940
Lowest on record: 1.53 ftJanuary 2, 1977

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 18.00 ft, still 16.43 ft away.

What happens at each level

42.20 ft: Old Lane Furntiure main plant flooded.
32.90 ft: Town's filtration plant flooded.
32.00 ft: Old lane furniture warehouse flooded.
29.00 ft: Low spots in and around altavista begin to flood.
27.90 ft: Filtration plant at hurt begins to flood.
23.00 ft: Minor lowland flooding.
18.00 ft: Water begins to flood lowland pastures/farmlands.
1.57 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: 13 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	40.08 ft	August 15, 1940
2	34.45 ft	September 8, 1987
3	31.27 ft	October 20, 1937
4	31.23 ft	October 16, 1954
5	31.10 ft	September 19, 1944
6	30.84 ft	December 4, 1948
7	29.60 ft	August 19, 1939
8	29.30 ft	October 18, 1932
9	28.44 ft	June 23, 1995
10	28.30 ft	September 19, 1945

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.46 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

19 Mon 63° 35° – Wind 6 mph

20 Tue 72° 42° – Wind 9 mph

21 Wed 69° 45° – Wind 5 mph

22 Thu 72° 44° – Wind 5 mph

23 Fri 68° 44° – Wind 9 mph

24 Sat 63° 41° – Wind 8 mph

25 Sun 66° 40° – Wind 4 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:29 AM Sunset 06:36 PM Daylight 11 hr, 7 min First quarter 63%

Map

Other gauges on the Roanoke River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Roanoke River at LafayetteRiver gauge, Roanoke River	1.67 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	52 mi
Roanoke River at GlenvarRiver gauge, Roanoke River	2.28 ft	Below flood stage	−0.08 ft	48 mi
Roanoke River at RoanokeRiver gauge, Roanoke River	1.04 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	37 mi
Roanoke River at NiagaraRiver gauge, Roanoke River	2.14 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	34 mi
Roanoke River at Buggs IslandRiver gauge, Roanoke River	6.09 ft	No reference yet	−0.28 ft	65 mi
Roanoke River at Roanoke RapidsRiver gauge, Roanoke River	2.59 ft	Very low	−0.01 ft	102 mi
Roanoke River at HalifaxRiver gauge, Roanoke River	16.75 ft	Very low	−0.01 ft	109 mi
Roanoke River near Scotland NeckRiver gauge, Roanoke River	4.11 ft	Very low	−0.02 ft	122 mi
Roanoke River at HamiltonRiver gauge, Roanoke River	1.95 ft	Very low	−0.69 ft	141 mi
Roanoke River at WilliamstonRiver gauge, Roanoke River	4.19 ft	Normal	−0.77 ft	152 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Big Otter River near EvingtonRiver gauge, Big Otter River	1.98 ft	Below flood stage	−0.06 ft	7 mi
Goose Creek near HuddlestonRiver gauge, Goose Creek	1.03 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	14 mi
Pigg River near Sandy LevelRiver gauge, Pigg River	2.33 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	17 mi
Falling River near NarunaRiver gauge, Falling River	2.70 ft	Below flood stage	−0.06 ft	18 mi
Roanoke (Staunton) River at BrooknealRiver gauge, Roanoke (Staunton) River	3.97 ft	Lowest on record	−0.01 ft	19 mi
Harris Creek below Route 130 near MonroeRiver gauge, Harris Creek	3.0 cfs	Very low	±0	27 mi
James River at Holcomb RockRiver gauge, James River	4.55 ft	Below flood stage	−0.18 ft	27 mi
Cub Creek at PhenixRiver gauge, Cub Creek	1.00 ft	Below flood stage	−0.10 ft	29 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Roanoke River at Altavista?

The official flood stage is 18.00 ft. The level is currently 16.43 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 Roanoke River at Altavista today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 06:00 PM EDT, the water level was 1.57 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Roanoke River at Altavista rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Roanoke River at Altavista normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Roanoke River at Altavista?

The highest level on record is 40.08 ft on August 15, 1940. The lowest is 1.53 ft on January 2, 1977.

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.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:02060500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 37.10569, -79.28564 (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	1.57 ft	2026-10-19 22:00	Provisional
Flow	412 cfs	2026-10-19 22:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Roanoke River at Altavista (usgs:02060500). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/virginia/roanoke-river-at-altavista

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