South Fork Shenandoah River near Luray, 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 01629500 sits on the South Fork Shenandoah River and reads everything draining 1,372 square miles of the South Fork Shenandoah basin. Its datum sits 721 feet above sea level NAVD88. Daily flow has been on record here since 1926, 64 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 Lynnwood, VA, reading 1,079 square miles. This gauge adds the 293 square miles that drain in between. Downstream the next reading comes from South Fork Shenandoah River at Front Royal, VA at 1,634 square miles, so what passes this gauge is about 84% of the water measured there.

Normal flows here

The South Fork Shenandoah River runs a median of 876 cfs at this gauge across 64 years of record. March is the fullest month at a median 1,510 cfs, and September the leanest at 429 cfs. The highest daily mean on record is 84,400 cfs in 1996, and the lowest is 135 cfs in 1930.

Medians from the USGS daily-statistics record, 1926 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 14 feet. NWS starts watching it at 13 feet. The highest crest on record is 26.9 feet, in September 1996.

Flood categories and crest history from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SFSV2. Stages are gage height, not depth. Not for navigation.