Blackwater River at Route 620 near Zuni, VA Water Level Today

NWS river forecast

Forecast from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service. Issued a few times a day and only while a forecast is active. Not for navigation.

Last 30 days

About this gauge

USGS gauge 02047783 sits on the Blackwater River and reads everything draining 420 square miles of the Blackwater basin. Its datum sits essentially at sea level NAVD88. Daily flow has been on record here since 2013, 13 years of it.

Where this gauge sits in the drainage

One gauged site sits upstream of here. The closest is Blackwater River near Dendron, VA, reading 290 square miles. This gauge adds the 130 square miles that drain in between. Downstream the next reading comes from Blackwater River near Franklin, VA at 613 square miles, so what passes this gauge is about 69% of the water measured there. Water passing here goes on to Blackwater River at Hwys 58/258 at Franklin, VA.

Normal flows here

The Blackwater River runs a median of 226 cfs at this gauge across 13 years of record. January is the fullest month at a median 489 cfs, and September the leanest at 35 cfs. The highest daily mean on record is 6,990 cfs in 2020, and the lowest is 0.0 cfs in 2022.

Medians from the USGS daily-statistics record, 2013 to 2026. A month at 100% is running at its own long-term median.

Flood stages and record crests

The Blackwater River reaches flood stage at this gauge at 23 feet. NWS starts watching it at 22 feet. The highest crest on record is 25.1 feet, in September 2020.

Flood categories and crest history from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge ZUNV2. Stages are gage height, not depth. Not for navigation.