Roanoke River at Niagara water level

Name: Roanoke River at Niagara 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

2.17ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 05:45 PM EDT (38 min ago)

Flow: 229 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

The gauge at Roanoke River at Niagara reads 2.17 ft, a normal level.

It is 10.83 ft below the flood stage of 13.00 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 1.93 ft and 2.55 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: 25.30 ftNovember 4, 1985

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 13.00 ft, still 10.83 ft away.

What happens at each level

11.00 ft: SUBSTANTIAL LEFT BANK FLOODING BEGINS NEAR GAGE.
2.17 ft: Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	25.30 ft	November 4, 1985
2	19.12 ft	April 27, 1978
3	18.98 ft	June 21, 1972
4	18.62 ft	September 28, 2004
5	17.95 ft	April 21, 1992
6	17.50 ft	August 14, 1940
7	17.36 ft	August 16, 1928
8	17.30 ft	October 11, 2018
9	16.85 ft	February 16, 2025
10	16.77 ft	July 4, 2013

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.24 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 60° 45° 0.03 in, 87% Wind 16 mph

18 Sun 59° 40° – Wind 9 mph

19 Mon 68° 39° – Wind 7 mph

20 Tue 72° 43° – Wind 7 mph

21 Wed 69° 44° – Wind 5 mph

22 Thu 72° 42° – Wind 4 mph

23 Fri 69° 43° – Wind 4 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:31 AM Sunset 06:40 PM Daylight 11 hr, 9 min First quarter 53%

Map

Other gauges on the Roanoke River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Roanoke River at LafayetteRiver gauge, Roanoke River	1.71 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	19 mi
Roanoke River at GlenvarRiver gauge, Roanoke River	2.30 ft	Below flood stage	−0.15 ft	15 mi
Roanoke River at RoanokeRiver gauge, Roanoke River	1.08 ft	Below flood stage	+0.03 ft	3.7 mi
Roanoke River at AltavistaRiver gauge, Roanoke River	1.60 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	34 mi
Roanoke River at Buggs IslandRiver gauge, Roanoke River	6.39 ft	No reference yet	+0.21 ft	98 mi
Roanoke River at Roanoke RapidsRiver gauge, Roanoke River	2.58 ft	Very low	−0.03 ft	135 mi
Roanoke River at HalifaxRiver gauge, Roanoke River	16.77 ft	Very low	−0.03 ft	142 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Back Creek near DundeeRiver gauge, Back Creek	25.2 cfs	Normal	−5.1 cfs	1.9 mi
Tinker Creek above Glade Creek at RoanokeRiver gauge, Tinker Creek	33.7 cfs	Normal	±0	2.6 mi
Tinker Creek near DalevilleRiver gauge, Tinker Creek	1.24 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	12 mi
Blackwater River near Rocky MountRiver gauge, Blackwater River	1.98 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	15 mi
Catawba Creek near CatawbaRiver gauge, Catawba Creek	2.01 ft	Below flood stage	±0	16 mi
Goose Creek near HuddlestonRiver gauge, Goose Creek	1.04 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	20 mi
Johns Creek at New CastleRiver gauge, Johns Creek	3.00 ft	Below flood stage	−0.06 ft	22 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Roanoke River at Niagara?

The official flood stage is 13.00 ft. The level is currently 10.83 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 Niagara today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 05:45 PM EDT, the water level was 2.17 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Roanoke River at Niagara rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Roanoke River at Niagara 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 Niagara?

The highest level on record is 25.30 ft on November 4, 1985.

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:02056000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 37.25514, -79.87143 (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	2.17 ft	2026-10-18 21:45	Provisional
Flow	229 cfs	2026-10-18 21:45	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Roanoke River at Niagara (usgs:02056000). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/virginia/roanoke-river-at-niagara

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