Powell River near Jonesville, VA
River level and flood forecast · Lee County
Normal2.1 ftas of Mon 3:45 PM
The river is 15.9 ft below flood stage (18 ft).
Forecast to fall to 1.5 ft by Sat, Oct 17, 8 AM.
Flow: 245 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 9:23 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 35 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 30 ft |
| Flood stage | 18 ft |
| Action stage | 15 ft |
| Record crest (April 5, 1977) | 44.32 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 44.3 ftThe river is six feet higher than the Highway 70 bridge. More than 40 homes are flooded and over 500 acres are inundated. Water reaches the bottom of the Flanary Bridge.
- 40 ftThis is two feet over the road on the Highway 70 bridge. About 30 homes are affected with over 400 acres flooded.
- 38 ftThe river reaches the pavement on top of the Highway 70 bridge and the Hurricane Bridge.
- 35 ftBetween twelve and fifteen homes dotting several miles of the river are affected, and around 300 acres are flooded.
- 34 ftWater reaches the bottom of Hurricane Bridge Road bridge. The residence just upstream may have washed away.
- 33 ftWater reaches the bottom of the Hwy 58 bridge.
- 32 ftThe river reaches the bottom of the Highway 70 bridge. Structures at a utility station adjacent to the Hwy 58 bridge begin to flood.
- 30 ftAbout a half dozen isolated homes along the river are affected and 200 acres around Highway 70 are flooded.
- 25 ftA few homes are slightly affected and about 100 acres are flooded. The gravel parking lot for the Flanary Bridge Boat Launch Access begins to flood. The residence just upstream from Hurricane Bridge Road bridge on the left bank is at risk of taking water and the driveway is inundated with several feet of water.
- 21 ftLow lying sections of Cooney Hollow Road and Route 783 are affected and some private driveways are flooded. The driveway to a dwelling just upstream from Hurricane Bridge Road bridge on the left bank begins to flood. The gravel parking area for the Poteet Ferry Public Access beneath the Hwy 58 bridge begins to flood.
- 18 ftThe river invades several fields and reaches a few farm buildings.
Highest crests on record
- 44.32 ft — April 5, 1977
- 33.36 ft — March 12, 1963
- 33 ft — January 18, 1918
- 32.4 ft — March 18, 2002
- 32.16 ft — December 31, 1969
Recent crests: 28.09 ft (February 16, 2025) · 21.29 ft (February 17, 2023) · 23.84 ft (March 28, 2021) · 19.27 ft (April 13, 2020) · 27.25 ft (February 6, 2020)
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (JNSV2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.