Roanoke River at Roanoke, VA
River level and flood forecast · City of Roanoke County
Normal2.9 ftas of Mon 4:20 PM
The river is 7.1 ft below flood stage (10 ft).
Forecast to fall to 1.6 ft by Sat, Oct 17, 8 AM.
Flow: 989 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 11:18 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 16 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 12 ft |
| Flood stage | 10 ft |
| Action stage | 6 ft |
| Record crest (November 4, 1985) | 23.35 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 17 ftWater reaches the bottom of the pedestrian bridge over the Roanoke River leading to the parking garage near Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.
- 16 ftWater rises near the west entrance to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.
- 14 ftJefferson Street at Belleview Avenue near Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital begins to flood.
- 11 ftWiley Drive at the railroad underpass near Crystal Springs Avenue is flooded.
- 10.5 ftFlooding occurs in portions of Wasena Park.
- 10 ftRoanoke River Greenway path begins to flood along right bank.
- 3.8 ftDownstream low water bridge on Wiley Drive is flooded.
- 2.7 ftUpstream low water bridge on Wiley Drive is flooded.
Highest crests on record
- 23.35 ft — November 4, 1985
- 19.61 ft — June 21, 1972
- 18.95 ft — April 27, 1978
- 18.25 ft — August 14, 1940
- 18.09 ft — April 22, 1992
Recent crests: 5.65 ft (August 22, 2025) · 14.26 ft (February 16, 2025) · 13.15 ft (September 28, 2024) · 7.3 ft (January 10, 2024) · 6.48 ft (May 30, 2023)
Up and down the river, and nearby
See it on the live map →Radar & warnings for City of Roanoke CountyNWS gauge pageUSGS gauge 02055000
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (RONV2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.