Rivanna River at Palmyra, 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 02034000 sits on the Rivanna River and reads everything draining 663 square miles of the Rivanna basin. Its datum sits 210 feet above sea level NAVD88. Daily flow has been on record here since 1935, 91 years of it.

Where this gauge sits in the drainage

Three gauged sites sit upstream of here. The closest is South Fork Rivanna River near Charlottesville, VA, reading 259 square miles. This gauge adds the 404 square miles that drain in between. Downstream the next reading comes from James River at Cartersville, VA at 6,252 square miles, so what passes this gauge is about 11% of the water measured there.

Normal flows here

The Rivanna River runs a median of 432 cfs at this gauge across 91 years of record. March is the fullest month at a median 772 cfs, and September the leanest at 150 cfs. The highest daily mean on record is 68,000 cfs in 1972, and the lowest is 5.2 cfs in 1966.

Medians from the USGS daily-statistics record, 1935 to 2026. A month at 100% is running at its own long-term median.

Flood stages and record crests

The Rivanna River reaches flood stage at this gauge at 17 feet. NWS starts watching it at 15 feet. The highest crest on record is 39.9 feet, in August 1969.

Flood categories and crest history from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge PYAV2. Stages are gage height, not depth. Not for navigation.