South River near Waynesboro, 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 01626000 sits on the South River and reads everything draining 127 square miles of the South Fork Shenandoah basin. Its datum sits 1,296 feet above sea level NAVD88. Daily flow has been on record here since 1953, 73 years of it.

Where this gauge sits in the drainage

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 South River near Dooms, VA at 148 square miles, so what passes this gauge is about 86% of the water measured there. Water passing here goes on to South River at Harriston, VA and South Fork Shenandoah River near Lynnwood, VA.

Normal flows here

The South River runs a median of 90 cfs at this gauge across 73 years of record. March is the fullest month at a median 180 cfs, and September the leanest at 37 cfs. The highest daily mean on record is 9,670 cfs in 1955, and the lowest is 16 cfs in 2002.

Medians from the USGS daily-statistics record, 1953 to 2026. A month at 100% is running at its own long-term median.

Flood stages and record crests

The South River reaches flood stage at this gauge at 9.5 feet. NWS starts watching it at 7.5 feet. The highest crest on record is 15.3 feet, in November 1985.

Flood categories and crest history from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge WAYV2. Stages are gage height, not depth. Not for navigation.