Roanoke River at Roanoke water level

Name: Roanoke River at Roanoke 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

1.11ft Up 0.04 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 04:20 PM EDT (22 min ago)

Flow: 137 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to fall to 1.00 ft by Sunday, October 18 at 02:00 PM. Issued Sunday, October 18 at 09:39 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

The Roanoke River at Roanoke is at 1.11 ft, in the normal range.

It is 8.89 ft below the flood stage of 10.00 ft.

It has risen 0.04 ft over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 1.00 ft by Sunday, October 18 at 02:00 PM. There is still 8.89 ft of room before flood stage. In the last month it has stayed between 0.98 ft and 1.20 ft.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 23.35 ftNovember 4, 1985
Forecast peak: 1.00 ftSunday, October 18 at 02:00 PM

Floating and fishing near Roanoke River at Roanoke

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

Flood stage here is 10.00 ft, 8.89 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

17.00 ft: Water reaches the bottom of the pedestrian bridge over the Roanoke River leading to the parking garage near Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.
16.00 ft: Water rises near the west entrance to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.
14.00 ft: Jefferson Street at Belleview Avenue near Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital begins to flood.
11.00 ft: Wiley Drive at the railroad underpass near Crystal Springs Avenue is flooded.
10.50 ft: Flooding occurs in portions of Wasena Park.
10.00 ft: Roanoke River Greenway path begins to flood along right bank.
3.80 ft: Downstream low water bridge on Wiley Drive is flooded.
2.70 ft: Upstream low water bridge on Wiley Drive is flooded.
1.11 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: 13 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	23.35 ft	November 4, 1985
2	19.61 ft	June 21, 1972
3	18.95 ft	April 27, 1978
4	18.25 ft	August 14, 1940
5	18.09 ft	April 22, 1992
6	17.82 ft	September 28, 2004
7	16.64 ft	October 11, 2018
8	15.89 ft	May 21, 2020
9	15.57 ft	February 23, 2003
10	14.62 ft	September 30, 2015

Weather at the gauge

The forecast is not available right now.

Sunrise 07:31 AM Sunset 06:40 PM Daylight 11 hr, 9 min First quarter 52%

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	15 mi
Roanoke River at GlenvarRiver gauge, Roanoke River	2.28 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	11 mi
Roanoke River at NiagaraRiver gauge, Roanoke River	2.17 ft	Below flood stage	−0.13 ft	3.7 mi
Roanoke River at AltavistaRiver gauge, Roanoke River	1.61 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	37 mi
Roanoke River at Buggs IslandRiver gauge, Roanoke River	3.08 ft	No reference yet	−0.29 ft	101 mi
Roanoke River at Roanoke RapidsRiver gauge, Roanoke River	2.58 ft	Very low	−0.04 ft	139 mi
Roanoke River at HalifaxRiver gauge, Roanoke River	16.77 ft	Very low	−0.03 ft	145 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Tinker Creek above Glade Creek at RoanokeRiver gauge, Tinker Creek	32.9 cfs	Normal	±0	2.1 mi
Back Creek near DundeeRiver gauge, Back Creek	25.9 cfs	Normal	−4.4 cfs	4.4 mi
Tinker Creek near DalevilleRiver gauge, Tinker Creek	1.24 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	11 mi
Catawba Creek near CatawbaRiver gauge, Catawba Creek	2.01 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	15 mi
Blackwater River near Rocky MountRiver gauge, Blackwater River	2.01 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	16 mi
Johns Creek at New CastleRiver gauge, Johns Creek	3.00 ft	Below flood stage	−0.06 ft	19 mi
South F Roanoke River near ShawsvilleRiver gauge, South F Roanoke River	54.5 cfs	Normal	−9.7 cfs	20 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Roanoke River at Roanoke?

The official flood stage is 10.00 ft. The level is currently 8.89 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 Roanoke today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 04:20 PM EDT, the water level was 1.11 ft. Up 0.04 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Roanoke River at Roanoke rising or falling?

Up 0.04 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Roanoke River at Roanoke 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 Roanoke?

The highest level on record is 23.35 ft on November 4, 1985.

Is Roanoke River at Roanoke expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to fall to 1.00 ft by Sunday, October 18 at 02:00 PM.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:02055000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 37.25847, -79.93865 (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	1.11 ft	2026-10-18 20:20	Provisional
Flow	137 cfs	2026-10-18 20:20	Provisional

Download

Embed this gauge

Add a live card for this gauge to your website. It updates on its own and links back here.

<iframe src="https://nivelmap.com/embed/14940?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Roanoke River at Roanoke water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Roanoke River at Roanoke (usgs:02055000). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/virginia/roanoke-river-at-roanoke

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