Roanoke River at Buggs Island, 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 02079500 sits on the Roanoke River and reads everything draining 7,866 square miles of the Roanoke Rapids basin. Its datum sits 197 feet above sea level NGVD29. Daily flow is on record here from 1947 to 1962, 15 years in all.
Where this gauge sits in the drainage
John H Kerr Reservoir at Dam near Boydton, VA sits immediately upstream, so dam releases rather than rainfall set the flow here. No gauged site sits above this one on the mainstem, so this is the first published reading on the river. Downstream the next reading comes from Lake Gaston (Roanoke River) near Elams, NC at 8,309 square miles, so what passes this gauge is about 95% of the water measured there. Water passing here goes on to Roanoke River at Roanoke Rapids, NC.
Normal flows here
The Roanoke River runs a median of 5,555 cfs at this gauge across 15 years of record. April is the fullest month at a median 9,665 cfs, and September the leanest at 3,855 cfs. The highest daily mean on record is 69,600 cfs in 1948, and the lowest is 140 cfs in 1957.
| Month | Median flow | Share of annual median |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6,200 cfs | 112% |
| Feb | 8,700 cfs | 157% |
| Mar | 9,040 cfs | 163% |
| Apr | 9,665 cfs | 174% |
| May | 7,840 cfs | 141% |
| Jun | 5,185 cfs | 93% |
| Jul | 4,350 cfs | 78% |
| Aug | 4,510 cfs | 81% |
| Sep | 3,855 cfs | 69% |
| Oct | 4,360 cfs | 78% |
| Nov | 4,695 cfs | 85% |
| Dec | 5,650 cfs | 102% |
Medians from the USGS daily-statistics record, 1947 to 1962. A month at 100% is running at its own long-term median. USGS stopped publishing a daily flow record at this gauge, so these are historical norms, not a baseline for current readings.
Flood stages and record crests
The highest crest on record is 11.2 feet, in March 1984.
| When | Crest |
|---|---|
| March 1984 | 11.2 ft |
| November 1979 | 11.2 ft |
| November 2010 | 11.2 ft |
| January 1979 | 11.1 ft |
| August 1972 | 11.1 ft |
Flood categories and crest history from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BUGV2. Stages are gage height, not depth. Not for navigation.
Nearby river gauges
- Allen Creek near Boydton, VA
- Meherrin River at Rt 637 near South Hill, VA
- North Meherrin River near Lunenburg, VA
- Meherrin River near Lawrenceville, VA
- Tar River near Tar River, NC
- Tar River at US 401 at Louisburg, NC
- Roanoke (Staunton) River at Randolph, VA
- Mayo Creek near Bethel Hill, NC
- Little Fishing Creek near White Oak, NC
- Dan River at South Boston, VA
- Nottoway River near Rawlings, VA
- Banister River at Halifax, VA
Live streamflow and gage height: USGS gauge 02079500. Percentile context computed against the gauge's period of record. Not for navigation.
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