Rivers in Virginia
James River (VA) at Scottsville
Below flood stage
3.00ftStage
Observed Mon, Sep 28, 3:15 AM EDT
- Flood stage
- 20.00 ft
- Forecast crest
- 3.00 ftMon, Sep 28, 8:00 AM EDT
- Record crest
- 34.02 ft1972
Flood stages and impacts
| Category | Stage |
|---|---|
| Major flood | 24.00 ft |
| Moderate flood | 22.00 ft |
| Minor flood | 20.00 ft |
| Action | 11.00 ft |
- 27.00 ftTop of flood wall. Town of Scottsville evacuated
- 22.00 ftMain Street gate is closed.
- 17.00 ftFerry Street gate is closed.
- 13.00 ftLevee pumping operations begin
Flood outlook
Chance of flooding, September to November
| Category | Chance |
|---|---|
| Minor flooding | Under 5% |
| 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
101 crests on NOAA’s list since 1926.
| # | Date | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | June 22, 1972 | 34.02 ft |
| 2 | November 6, 1985 | 31.77 ft |
| 3 | August 20, 1969 | 30.00 ft |
| 4 | September 7, 1996 | 28.24 ft |
| 5 | April 17, 1987 | 26.17 ft |
| 6 | January 20, 1996 | 26.02 ft |
| 7 | September 19, 1944 | 26.00 ft |
| 8 | August 16, 1940 | 25.84 ft |
| 9 | March 19, 1936 | 25.46 ft |
| 10 | April 23, 1992 | 25.31 ft |
| 11 | March 19, 1975 | 24.63 ft |
| 12 | September 8, 1987 | 24.56 ft |
| 13 | October 6, 1972 | 23.24 ft |
| 14 | September 6, 1935 | 23.06 ft |
| 15 | October 16, 1942 | 23.00 ft |
| 16 | December 4, 1948 | 22.90 ft |
| 17 | February 26, 1979 | 22.63 ft |
| 18 | February 24, 2003 | 22.58 ft |
| 19 | October 20, 1937 | 22.33 ft |
| 20 | January 27, 1978 | 22.23 ft |
| 21 | January 26, 2010 | 22.10 ft |
| 22 | February 17, 2025 | 21.83 ft |
| 23 | June 29, 1995 | 21.69 ft |
| 24 | January 16, 1995 | 21.67 ft |
| 25 | May 23, 1942 | 21.44 ft |
Most recent crests
- February 17, 2025: 21.83 ft
- April 13, 2024: 12.80 ft
- January 30, 2024: 14.72 ft
- January 10, 2024: 17.81 ft
- July 16, 2023: 17.40 ft
- May 29, 2022: 12.01 ft
- December 25, 2020: 12.65 ft
- December 5, 2020: 12.62 ft
- December 1, 2020: 14.64 ft
- November 12, 2020: 19.52 ft
Nearby
Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.
- UpstreamJames River (VA) at Bent Creek
- DownstreamJames River (VA) at Cartersville
- Hardware River at BRIERY RUN NR SCOTTSVILLE
- James River (VA) at Bremo Bluff
- Rivanna River at Palmyra
- Rockfish River at Greenfield
- South Fork Rivanna River at Hollymead near Charlottesville
- Mechums River at White Hall
- Preddy Creek At Watts Passage
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.
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.