Roanoke River at Lafayette water level

Name: Roanoke River at Lafayette 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

1.72ft Down 0.06 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 11:20 AM EDT (19 min ago)

Flow: 88.4 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

The Roanoke River at Lafayette is at 1.72 ft, in the normal range.

It is 6.28 ft below the flood stage of 8.00 ft.

It has dropped 0.06 ft over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 1.72 ft and 1.87 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: 15.60 ftJune 21, 1972

Floating and fishing near Roanoke River at Lafayette

Normal flows mean predictable rapids and good access at most put-ins.

Flood stage here is 8.00 ft, 6.28 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

15.50 ft: Flooding at least one block deep in town of Lafayette. Route 773 (Cannery Road) bridge is flooded.
15.00 ft: Mobile home park on left bank completely flooded.
13.50 ft: Water reaches low concrete on new Route 773 bridge (Cannery Road).
10.00 ft: Mobile home park on left bank of river is threatened.
9.00 ft: Water begins to affect route 626 downstream from gage.
8.00 ft: River out of its banks in low areas.
1.72 ft: Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	15.60 ft	June 21, 1972
2	13.34 ft	November 4, 1985
3	13.09 ft	April 21, 1992
4	12.69 ft	February 22, 2003
5	12.45 ft	September 28, 2004
6	12.44 ft	October 11, 2018
7	12.16 ft	September 29, 2015
8	12.12 ft	April 26, 1978
9	11.69 ft	January 31, 2013
10	11.61 ft	September 6, 1996

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.03 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 60° 45° 0.06 in, 92% Wind 11 mph

18 Sun 59° 41° – Wind 8 mph

19 Mon 67° 39° – Wind 6 mph

20 Tue 72° 42° – Wind 7 mph

21 Wed 67° 43° – Wind 5 mph

22 Thu 71° 42° – Wind 5 mph

23 Fri 67° 42° – Wind 5 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:32 AM Sunset 06:41 PM Daylight 11 hr, 9 min First quarter 50%

Map

Other gauges on the Roanoke River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Roanoke River at GlenvarRiver gauge, Roanoke River	2.30 ft	Below flood stage	+0.03 ft	4.4 mi
Roanoke River at RoanokeRiver gauge, Roanoke River	0.99 ft	Below flood stage	−0.15 ft	15 mi
Roanoke River at NiagaraRiver gauge, Roanoke River	2.19 ft	Below flood stage	+0.03 ft	19 mi
Roanoke River at AltavistaRiver gauge, Roanoke River	1.61 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	52 mi
Roanoke River at Buggs IslandRiver gauge, Roanoke River	3.08 ft	No reference yet	−0.29 ft	114 mi
Roanoke River at Roanoke RapidsRiver gauge, Roanoke River	2.61 ft	Very low	+0.01 ft	152 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
South F Roanoke River near ShawsvilleRiver gauge, South F Roanoke River	56.0 cfs	Normal	−6.5 cfs	7 mi
Tinker Creek above Glade Creek at RoanokeRiver gauge, Tinker Creek	32.0 cfs	Low	−1.7 cfs	17 mi
Back Creek near DundeeRiver gauge, Back Creek	25.9 cfs	Normal	−5.1 cfs	19 mi
Johns Creek at New CastleRiver gauge, Johns Creek	3.02 ft	Below flood stage	−0.07 ft	19 mi
Catawba Creek near CatawbaRiver gauge, Catawba Creek	2.01 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	20 mi
Tinker Creek near DalevilleRiver gauge, Tinker Creek	1.24 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	20 mi
New River at RadfordRiver gauge, New River	2.34 ft	Below flood stage	−0.16 ft	21 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Roanoke River at Lafayette?

The official flood stage is 8.00 ft. The level is currently 6.28 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 Lafayette today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 11:20 AM EDT, the water level was 1.72 ft. Down 0.06 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Roanoke River at Lafayette rising or falling?

Down 0.06 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Roanoke River at Lafayette 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 Lafayette?

The highest level on record is 15.60 ft on June 21, 1972.

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:02054500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 37.23652, -80.20921 (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	1.72 ft	2026-10-18 15:20	Provisional
Flow	88.4 cfs	2026-10-18 15:20	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Roanoke River at Lafayette (usgs:02054500). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/virginia/roanoke-river-at-lafayette

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