Roanoke River at Buggs Island water level

Name: Roanoke River at Buggs 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, Roanoke River, Virginia, United States

Directions

Latest reading

Water level

6.17ft Down 0.20 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 06:55 PM EDT (29 min ago)

Water temperature: 71 °F

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

The Roanoke River at Buggs Island reads 6.17 ft as of Oct 19, 2026, 06:55 PM EDT. The agency publishes no normal range or warning level for this river yet, so there is nothing to judge the number against.

It has dropped 0.20 ft over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 2.83 ft and 6.41 ft.

The sensor also reports a water temperature of 71 °F.

The agency publishes no normal range for this gauge yet, so we show the trend only. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 11.20 ftMarch 29, 1984

Floating and fishing near Roanoke River at Buggs Island

Use the recent trend as your guide, and ask locally which gage height makes for a good float.

What happens at each level

31.00 ft: River stage sensor operating limit
6.17 ft: Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	11.20 ft	March 29, 1984
2	11.18 ft	November 12, 1979
3	11.15 ft	November 29, 2010
4	11.11 ft	January 13, 1979
5	11.07 ft	August 9, 1972
6	11.05 ft	April 30, 1987
7	11.02 ft	January 12, 1973
8	10.94 ft	April 22, 1975
9	10.86 ft	September 3, 1985
10	10.86 ft	December 18, 1973

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.48 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

19 Mon 64° 38° – Wind 10 mph

20 Tue 71° 44° – Wind 12 mph

21 Wed 68° 46° – Wind 12 mph

22 Thu 70° 44° – Wind 10 mph

23 Fri 69° 45° – Wind 10 mph

24 Sat 65° 44° – Wind 10 mph

25 Sun 68° 43° – Wind 6 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:25 AM Sunset 06:33 PM Daylight 11 hr, 8 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	114 mi
Roanoke River at GlenvarRiver gauge, Roanoke River	2.28 ft	Below flood stage	−0.08 ft	112 mi
Roanoke River at RoanokeRiver gauge, Roanoke River	1.04 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	101 mi
Roanoke River at NiagaraRiver gauge, Roanoke River	2.14 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	98 mi
Roanoke River at AltavistaRiver gauge, Roanoke River	1.57 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	65 mi
Roanoke River at Roanoke RapidsRiver gauge, Roanoke River	2.65 ft	Very low	+0.05 ft	38 mi
Roanoke River at HalifaxRiver gauge, Roanoke River	16.75 ft	Very low	−0.01 ft	44 mi
Roanoke River near Scotland NeckRiver gauge, Roanoke River	4.11 ft	Very low	−0.02 ft	58 mi
Roanoke River at HamiltonRiver gauge, Roanoke River	1.95 ft	Very low	−0.69 ft	76 mi
Roanoke River at WilliamstonRiver gauge, Roanoke River	4.19 ft	Normal	−0.77 ft	87 mi
Roanoke River at JamesvilleRiver gauge, Roanoke River	0.94 ft	Very low	−0.66 ft	95 mi
Roanoke River at NC 45 near WestoverRiver gauge, Roanoke River	0.81 ft	Very low	−0.56 ft	100 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
John H. Kerr Reservoir at Dam near BoydtonReservoir, John H. Kerr Reservoir	288.16 ft	Very low	−0.04 ft	0.3 mi
Allen Creek near BoydtonRiver gauge, Allen Creek	3.26 ft	Below flood stage	−0.13 ft	5.5 mi
Island Creek Reservoir at Dam near ClarksvilleReservoir, Island Creek Reservoir	258.47 ft	Normal	±0	10 mi
Meherrin River at RT 637 near South HillRiver gauge, Meherrin River	26.6 cfs	Normal	+2.2 cfs	16 mi
Meherrin River near LawrencevilleRiver gauge, Meherrin River	1.58 ft	Below flood stage	+0.05 ft	27 mi
North Meherrin River near LunenburgRiver gauge, North Meherrin River	0.28 ft	Below flood stage	−0.09 ft	27 mi
Mayo Creek near Bethel HillRiver gauge, Mayo Creek	1.98 ft	Low	−0.01 ft	32 mi
Tar River near Tar RiverRiver gauge, Tar River	1.29 ft	Low	−0.02 ft	32 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 Roanoke River at Buggs Island today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 06:55 PM EDT, the water level was 6.17 ft. Down 0.20 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Roanoke River at Buggs Island rising or falling?

Down 0.20 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Roanoke River at Buggs Island normal?

The agency publishes no normal range for this gauge yet, so we show the trend only.

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

The highest level on record is 11.20 ft on March 29, 1984.

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:02079500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 36.60320, -78.29777 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: NGVD29
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	6.17 ft	2026-10-19 22:55	Provisional
Water temperature	71 °F	2026-10-19 22:45	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Roanoke River at Buggs Island (usgs:02079500). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/virginia/roanoke-river-at-buggs-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