Banister River at Halifax water level

Name: Banister River at Halifax 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, Banister River, Virginia, United States

Directions

Very low for mid-October

Water level

2.37ft Up 0.07 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 10:00 AM EDT (33 min ago)

Flow: 58.7 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

Low water at Banister River at Halifax: the gauge reads 2.37 ft, far below normal for mid-October.

It is on the way up, by 0.07 ft over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 2.21 ft – 2.37 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, and it usually takes a few days of steady rain to change that.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 40.80 ftSeptember 20, 1944

Paddling and fishing conditions

At low levels, plan for shorter paddling trips and expect to walk your boat through a few shoals.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	40.80 ft	September 20, 1944
2	37.80 ft	August 16, 1940
3	35.02 ft	October 12, 2018
4	33.45 ft	September 7, 1996
5	31.22 ft	June 22, 1938
6	29.78 ft	April 27, 1978
7	28.90 ft	June 22, 1972
8	27.91 ft	February 8, 2020
9	27.61 ft	January 2, 2007
10	26.71 ft	September 8, 1987

Weather at the gauge

The forecast is not available right now.

Sunrise 07:26 AM Sunset 06:37 PM Daylight 11 hr, 10 min First quarter 50%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Dan River at South BostonRiver gauge, Dan River	5.84 ft	Low	±0	5.8 mi
Dan River at PacesRiver gauge, Dan River	2.57 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	13 mi
Roanoke (Staunton) River at RandolphRiver gauge, Roanoke (Staunton) River	4.94 ft	Below flood stage	+0.09 ft	14 mi
Mayo Creek near Bethel HillRiver gauge, Mayo Creek	1.98 ft	Low	−0.04 ft	16 mi
Hyco River below Abay D near McGehees MillRiver gauge, Hyco River	3.90 ft	Normal	±0	18 mi
Afterbay Reservoir at Dam near McGehees MillReservoir, Afterbay Reservoir	364.24 ft	Very low	−0.05 ft	18 mi
Roanoke (Staunton) River at BrooknealRiver gauge, Roanoke (Staunton) River	4.01 ft	Lowest on record	−0.01 ft	18 mi
Hyco Lake at Dam near RoxboroReservoir, Hyco Lake	407.73 ft	Very low	−0.03 ft	20 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 Banister River at Halifax today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 10:00 AM EDT, the water level was 2.37 ft. Up 0.07 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Banister River at Halifax rising or falling?

Up 0.07 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Banister River at Halifax normal?

Very low for mid-October. Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Banister River at Halifax?

The highest level on record is 40.80 ft on September 20, 1944.

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:02077000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 36.77653, -78.91584 (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	2.37 ft	2026-10-18 14:00	Provisional
Flow	58.7 cfs	2026-10-18 14:00	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Banister River at Halifax (usgs:02077000). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/virginia/banister-river-at-halifax

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