Rivers in Virginia
James River (VA) at Cartersville
Below flood stage
1.24ftStage
Observed Mon, Sep 28, 2:45 AM EDT
- Flood stage
- 20.00 ft
- Forecast crest
- 1.50 ftMon, Sep 28, 2:00 PM EDT
- Record crest
- 37.87 ft1972
Flood stages and impacts
| Category | Stage |
|---|---|
| Major flood | 26.40 ft |
| Moderate flood | 23.00 ft |
| Minor flood | 20.00 ft |
| Action | 15.00 ft |
- 45.00 ftRiver stage sensor operating limit
- 34.35 ftStage of the 100 year flood.
- 32.26 ftStage of the 50 year flood.
- 30.00 ftFlood waters overtop the railroad tracks on the left hand side of the river approximately 1/4 of a mile from the river bank. Access to the Cartersville Bridge, VA Route 45 is cut off from north side.
- 29.00 ftOverflow on left bank reaches railroad bed. 7-9 feet of water over the flood plain on left bank of river and downstream.
- 26.40 ftMajor flooding begins. Many secondary roads flooded.
- 23.50 ftCartersville Boat landing parking lot and boat ramp on righthand side of the river and 200 ft downstream of State Route 45 bridge is flooded.
- 23.00 ftModerate flooding begins. Secondary roads parallel to left bank of river flood.
- 21.00 ftApproach to old highway bridge and portions of the farm land on the left hand side of the river are flooded.
- 20.00 ftMinor flooding begins. Overflow onto flood plain along left bank.
Flood outlook
Chance of flooding, September to November
| Category | Chance |
|---|---|
| Minor flooding | 6% |
| Moderate flooding | Under 5% |
| Major flooding | Under 5% |
The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued August 28, 2026.
Crest history
139 crests on NOAA’s list since 1899.
| # | Date | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | June 22, 1972 | 37.87 ft |
| 2 | August 21, 1969 | 33.75 ft |
| 3 | November 6, 1985 | 32.60 ft |
| 4 | September 20, 1944 | 29.60 ft |
| 5 | September 7, 1996 | 28.96 ft |
| 6 | March 19, 1936 | 28.77 ft |
| 7 | August 17, 1940 | 28.34 ft |
| 8 | April 18, 1987 | 27.96 ft |
| 9 | September 6, 1935 | 27.80 ft |
| 10 | April 26, 1937 | 27.73 ft |
| 11 | October 16, 1942 | 27.14 ft |
| 12 | October 6, 1972 | 27.12 ft |
| 13 | May 23, 1901 | 27.00 ft |
| 14 | December 5, 1948 | 27.00 ft |
| 15 | December 30, 1901 | 26.70 ft |
| 16 | January 21, 1996 | 26.45 ft |
| 17 | February 26, 1979 | 26.33 ft |
| 18 | March 20, 1975 | 26.04 ft |
| 19 | April 23, 1992 | 25.41 ft |
| 20 | March 6, 1899 | 25.20 ft |
| 21 | January 27, 1978 | 25.08 ft |
| 22 | December 2, 1934 | 24.95 ft |
| 23 | May 13, 1924 | 24.70 ft |
| 24 | August 19, 1955 | 24.48 ft |
| 25 | February 24, 2003 | 24.47 ft |
Most recent crests
- May 14, 2025: 19.83 ft
- February 17, 2025: 22.77 ft
- January 10, 2024: 21.82 ft
- July 16, 2023: 17.57 ft
- April 29, 2023: 15.14 ft
- November 13, 2020: 24.12 ft
- March 22, 2019: 15.43 ft
- February 25, 2019: 21.27 ft
- December 29, 2018: 15.06 ft
- December 22, 2018: 19.98 ft
Nearby
Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.
What this means
Forecasts by the Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center. Forecasts are issued routinely year-round. River forecasts for this location take into account past precipitation and the precipitation amounts expected approximately 72 hours into the future from the forecast issuance time. Stage may be affected by ice.
Sources
Stage, flood stages, impacts and crest history from NOAA’s National Water Prediction Service. Streamflow and the daily record from the U.S. Geological Survey.