New River at Radford water level

Name: New River at Radford 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, New River, Virginia, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

2.35ft Down 0.26 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 05:15 PM EDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 2,100 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to fall to 2.10 ft by Wednesday, October 21 at 08:00 AM. Issued Sunday, October 18 at 09:12 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

The gauge at New River at Radford reads 2.35 ft, a normal level.

It is 11.65 ft below the flood stage of 14.00 ft.

The level is falling, down 0.26 ft over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 2.10 ft by Wednesday, October 21 at 08:00 AM. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 2.29 ft and 2.81 ft.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 35.96 ftAugust 14, 1940
Forecast peak: 2.30 ftSunday, October 18 at 02:00 PM

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 14.00 ft, still 11.65 ft away.

What happens at each level

28.00 ft: Green Hill Apartments parking lot floods and Radford University student apartment parking lots are affected.
25.00 ft: Dedmon Center at Radford University affected.
22.00 ft: Water approaches the main road in Bissett Park.
20.00 ft: Flooding along sections of Hazel Hollow road (State Route 626) on Pulaski County side of the river.
17.00 ft: All of Dedmon Center lower parking lots are flooded.
16.00 ft: Significant flooding occures in Bissett Park.
14.00 ft: Riverside parking lots are affected
12.50 ft: Water begins to affect parts of Parrott River Road several miles downstream from Radford on left bank of the river.
2.35 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: 24 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	35.96 ft	August 14, 1940
2	31.03 ft	September 28, 2024
3	24.10 ft	November 7, 1977
4	24.04 ft	January 15, 1995
5	23.83 ft	October 12, 2018
6	21.73 ft	September 23, 1989
7	21.71 ft	May 22, 2020
8	21.13 ft	January 31, 2013
9	20.21 ft	June 21, 1972
10	20.02 ft	May 28, 1973

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.20 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 58° 31° – Wind 9 mph

19 Mon 66° 34° – Wind 8 mph

20 Tue 70° 38° – Wind 6 mph

21 Wed 70° 41° – Wind 5 mph

22 Thu 67° 41° – Wind 7 mph

23 Fri 67° 41° – Wind 7 mph

24 Sat 59° 36° – Wind 7 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:33 AM Sunset 06:43 PM Daylight 11 hr, 9 min First quarter 53%

Map

Other gauges on the New River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
New River near GalaxRiver gauge, New River	1.50 ft	Below flood stage	−0.08 ft	41 mi
New River at IvanhoeRiver gauge, New River	2.99 ft	Below flood stage	−0.13 ft	30 mi
New River at AllisoniaRiver gauge, New River	1.85 ft	Below flood stage	−0.13 ft	17 mi
New River at Glen LynRiver gauge, New River	3.66 ft	Below flood stage	−0.28 ft	23 mi
New River at HintonRiver gauge, New River	2.66 ft	Below flood stage	−0.16 ft	41 mi
New River at ThurmondRiver gauge, New River	6.42 ft	Below flood stage	−0.91 ft	63 mi
New River below Hawks Nest DamRiver gauge, New River	9.64 ft	No reference yet	−0.96 ft	74 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Little River at GraysontownRiver gauge, Little River	1.17 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	7 mi
Walker Creek at BaneRiver gauge, Walker Creek	3.44 ft	Below flood stage	−0.07 ft	12 mi
South F Roanoke River near ShawsvilleRiver gauge, South F Roanoke River	54.5 cfs	Normal	−8.0 cfs	17 mi
Wolf Creek near NarrowsRiver gauge, Wolf Creek	3.12 ft	Below flood stage	+0.05 ft	19 mi
Roanoke River at LafayetteRiver gauge, Roanoke River	1.71 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	21 mi
Reed Creek at Grahams ForgeRiver gauge, Reed Creek	1.68 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	22 mi
East River at WillowtonRiver gauge, East River	3.12 ft	Below flood stage	−0.10 ft	23 mi
Roanoke River at GlenvarRiver gauge, Roanoke River	2.30 ft	Below flood stage	−0.15 ft	25 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the New River at Radford?

The official flood stage is 14.00 ft. The level is currently 11.65 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 New River at Radford today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 05:15 PM EDT, the water level was 2.35 ft. Down 0.26 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is New River at Radford rising or falling?

Down 0.26 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of New River at Radford normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at New River at Radford?

The highest level on record is 35.96 ft on August 14, 1940.

Is New River at Radford expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to fall to 2.10 ft by Wednesday, October 21 at 08:00 AM.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:03171000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 37.14179, -80.56922 (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	2.35 ft	2026-10-18 21:15	Provisional
Flow	2,100 cfs	2026-10-18 21:15	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: New River at Radford (usgs:03171000). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/virginia/new-river-at-radford

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