TidalMapJames River at Bent Creek, VA Water Level Today
NWS river forecast
| When | Stage | Flow |
|---|
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 02026000 sits on the James River and reads everything draining 3,649 square miles of the Middle James-Buffalo basin. Its datum sits 380 feet above sea level NAVD88. Daily flow has been on record here since 1980, 47 years of it.
Where this gauge sits in the drainage
Resuens Reservoir near Lynchburg, VA sits immediately upstream, so dam releases rather than rainfall set the flow here. Two gauged sites sit upstream of here. The closest is Resuens Reservoir near Lynchburg, VA, reading 3,285 square miles. This gauge adds the 364 square miles that drain in between. Downstream the next reading comes from James River at Scottsville, VA at 4,581 square miles, so what passes this gauge is about 80% of the water measured there.
Normal flows here
The James River runs a median of 2,675 cfs at this gauge across 47 years of record. March is the fullest month at a median 5,150 cfs, and September the leanest at 1,115 cfs. The highest daily mean on record is 142,000 cfs in 1986, and the lowest is 300 cfs in 2009.
| Month | Median flow | Share of annual median |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3,320 cfs | 124% |
| Feb | 3,940 cfs | 147% |
| Mar | 5,150 cfs | 193% |
| Apr | 4,550 cfs | 170% |
| May | 4,120 cfs | 154% |
| Jun | 2,080 cfs | 78% |
| Jul | 1,510 cfs | 56% |
| Aug | 1,340 cfs | 50% |
| Sep | 1,115 cfs | 42% |
| Oct | 1,150 cfs | 43% |
| Nov | 1,490 cfs | 56% |
| Dec | 2,770 cfs | 104% |
Medians from the USGS daily-statistics record, 1980 to 2026. A month at 100% is running at its own long-term median.
Flood stages and record crests
The James River reaches flood stage at this gauge at 16 feet. NWS starts watching it at 15 feet. The highest crest on record is 30.8 feet, in November 1985.
| Category | Gage height |
|---|---|
| Action | 15 ft |
| Minor flooding | 16 ft |
| Moderate flooding | 18 ft |
| Major flooding | 22 ft |
| When | Crest |
|---|---|
| November 1985 | 30.8 ft |
| June 1972 | 27.1 ft |
| August 1969 | 24.8 ft |
| March 1936 | 23 ft |
| January 1996 | 22.1 ft |
Flood categories and crest history from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BECV2. Stages are gage height, not depth. Not for navigation.
Nearby river gauges
- Holiday Creek near Andersonville, VA
- Tye River near Lovingston, VA
- Piney River at Piney River, VA
- Rockfish River near Greenfield, VA
- Harris Creek below Route 130 near Monroe, VA
- James River at Scottsville, VA
- Falling River near Naruna, VA
- James River at Holcomb Rock, VA
- Buffalo Creek near Hampden Sydney, VA
- Cub Creek at Phenix, VA
- Hardware River below Briery Run near Scottsville, VA
- Pedlar River at Forest Road near Buena Vista, VA
Live streamflow and gage height: USGS gauge 02026000. Percentile context computed against the gauge's period of record. Not for navigation.
Open James River at Bent Creek, VA on the live chart →
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