South Fork Shenandoah River at Front Royal, 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 01631000 sits on the South Fork Shenandoah River and reads everything draining 1,634 square miles of the South Fork Shenandoah basin. Its datum sits 469 feet above sea level NAVD88. Daily flow has been on record here since 1930, 95 years of it.

Where this gauge sits in the drainage

One gauged site sits upstream of here. The closest is South Fork Shenandoah River near Luray, VA, reading 1,372 square miles. This gauge adds the 262 square miles that drain in between.

Normal flows here

The South Fork Shenandoah River runs a median of 919 cfs at this gauge across 95 years of record. March is the fullest month at a median 1,900 cfs, and September the leanest at 497 cfs. The highest daily mean on record is 114,000 cfs in 1943, and the lowest is 103 cfs in 1930.

Medians from the USGS daily-statistics record, 1930 to 2026. A month at 100% is running at its own long-term median.

Flood stages and record crests

The South Fork Shenandoah River reaches flood stage at this gauge at 12 feet. NWS starts watching it at 8 feet. The highest crest on record is 34.8 feet, in October 1942.

Flood categories and crest history from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge FROV2. Stages are gage height, not depth. Not for navigation.