Smith River at Martinsville, 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 02073000 sits on the Smith River and reads everything draining 379 square miles of the Upper Dan basin. Its datum sits 656 feet above sea level NAVD88. Daily flow has been on record here since 1951, 75 years of it.

Where this gauge sits in the drainage

Three gauged sites sit upstream of here. The closest is Smith River at Bassett, VA, reading 259 square miles. This gauge adds the 120 square miles that drain in between. Downstream the next reading comes from Smith River at Eden, NC at 538 square miles, so what passes this gauge is about 70% of the water measured there.

Normal flows here

The Smith River runs a median of 374 cfs at this gauge across 75 years of record. April is the fullest month at a median 461 cfs, and November the leanest at 290 cfs. The highest daily mean on record is 11,300 cfs in 1987, and the lowest is 24 cfs in 1983.

Medians from the USGS daily-statistics record, 1951 to 2026. A month at 100% is running at its own long-term median.

Flood stages and record crests

The Smith River reaches flood stage at this gauge at 11 feet. NWS starts watching it at 9 feet. The highest crest on record is 20.1 feet, in September 1987.

Flood categories and crest history from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SMMV2. Stages are gage height, not depth. Not for navigation.