Blackwater River near Franklin water level

Name: Blackwater River near Franklin 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, Blackwater River, Virginia, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

0.67ft Down 0.11 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 05:45 PM EDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 15.5 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to rise to 1.20 ft by Thursday, October 22 at 02:00 AM. Issued Monday, October 19 at 09:41 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Blackwater River near Franklin, where the gauge shows 0.67 ft.

It is 10.13 ft below the flood stage of 10.80 ft.

It is still going down, by 0.11 ft over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to rise to 1.20 ft by Thursday, October 22 at 02:00 AM. The 30-day range is 0.67 ft – 1.27 ft.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 25.11 ftSeptember 18, 1999
Forecast peak: 1.20 ftThursday, October 22 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 10.80 ft.

What happens at each level

30.00 ft: River stage sensor operating limit
25.11 ft: Flood of record during Hurricane Floyd
20.80 ft: 2nd and Mechanic Streets flooded, Bowers Road residences flooded.
19.80 ft: Flooded up to the corner of Main and 2nd Streets.
18.84 ft: Major flooding begins.
15.43 ft: Stage of the 25-year flood.
14.80 ft: Moderate flooding, access road to water treatment plant begins to floods.
12.30 ft: A portion of State Route 611, Joyners Bridge Road, in Isle of Wight County is flooded.
11.80 ft: A portion of State Route 611 in Southampton County, Joyners Bridge Road, is innundated. A portion of State Route 619, in Isle of Wight County, is flooded.
10.80 ft: A portion of Barretts Landing River Walk is innundated in Downtown Franklin area.
0.67 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	25.11 ft	September 18, 1999
2	21.61 ft	October 10, 2006
3	20.84 ft	August 19, 1940
4	16.11 ft	March 10, 1944
5	15.98 ft	September 14, 1960
6	15.63 ft	September 21, 2003
7	15.51 ft	October 10, 2016
8	14.49 ft	February 9, 1943
9	14.49 ft	September 20, 2020
10	14.45 ft	September 4, 2006

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.36 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 59° 44° – Wind 15 mph

19 Mon 61° 48° – Wind 16 mph

20 Tue 70° 48° – Wind 14 mph

21 Wed 67° 48° – Wind 12 mph

22 Thu 69° 44° – Wind 9 mph

23 Fri 66° 47° – Wind 14 mph

24 Sat 64° 46° – Wind 14 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:19 AM Sunset 06:27 PM Daylight 11 hr, 8 min First quarter 63%

Map

Other gauges on the Blackwater River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Blackwater River near DendronRiver gauge, Blackwater River	31.86 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	18 mi
Blackwater River at Route 620 near ZuniRiver gauge, Blackwater River	15.12 ft	Below flood stage	+0.03 ft	11 mi
Blackwater River at Hwys 58/258 at FranklinRiver gauge, Blackwater River	−0.22 ft	Below flood stage	−0.62 ft	5.8 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Nottoway River near SebrellRiver gauge, Nottoway River	3.04 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	15 mi
Potecasi Creek near UnionRiver gauge, Potecasi Creek	2.77 ft	Normal	±0	28 mi
Meherrin River near Bryants CornerRiver gauge, Meherrin River	57.0 cfs	Low	+4.3 cfs	29 mi
Nottoway River near Stony CreekRiver gauge, Nottoway River	2.11 ft	Below flood stage	−0.08 ft	29 mi
Storm Drain at Craneybrook Lane at EdgefieldRiver gauge, Storm Drain	0.0 cfs	Normal	±0	30 mi
Storm Drain at Lakewood Park Drain near Newport NewsRiver gauge, Storm Drain	0.0 cfs	Normal	±0	31 mi
Storm Drain West of Garrett Drive at HamptonRiver gauge, Storm Drain West of Garrett Drive	0.0 cfs	Normal	−0.8 cfs	33 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Blackwater River near Franklin?

The official flood stage is 10.80 ft. The level is currently 10.13 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 Blackwater River near Franklin today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 05:45 PM EDT, the water level was 0.67 ft. Down 0.11 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Blackwater River near Franklin rising or falling?

Down 0.11 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Blackwater River near Franklin normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Blackwater River near Franklin?

The highest level on record is 25.11 ft on September 18, 1999.

Is Blackwater River near Franklin expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to rise to 1.20 ft by Thursday, October 22 at 02:00 AM.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:02049500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 36.76265, -76.89829 (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	0.67 ft	2026-10-19 21:45	Provisional
Flow	15.5 cfs	2026-10-19 21:45	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Blackwater River near Franklin (usgs:02049500). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/virginia/blackwater-river-near-franklin

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