Rivers in Virginia
James River (VA) at Richmond Locks
Below flood stage
2.31ftStage
Observed Tue, Sep 22, 11:54 AM EDT
- Flood stage
- 8.00 ft
- Forecast crest
- 5.50 ftFri, Sep 25, 4:00 AM EDT
- Record crest
- 36.50 ft1972
Flood stages and impacts
| Category | Stage |
|---|---|
| Major flood | 28.00 ft |
| Moderate flood | 19.00 ft |
| Minor flood | 8.00 ft |
| Action | 6.00 ft |
- 41.00 ftFlood wall is overtopped, protected area will need to be evacuated.
- 35.50 ftRecord flooding begins.
- 35.00 ftRiver stage sensor operating limit
- 33.50 ftNear record flooding begins.
- 29.00 ftGoodes Street is closed.
- 28.00 ftMajor flooding begins.
- 27.00 ftIntersection of 21st Street and Cary street is closed.
- 24.00 ftMayo Bridge is closed.
- 23.00 ftTredegar Street is closed.
- 19.00 ftModerate flooding begins, Brander Street is closed.
- 18.50 ftThe main access into the waste water treatment plant is flooded from Maury Street into Brander Street.
- 12.50 ftWater covers Wharf Street and enters the Tunnel Building.
- 11.00 ftRocketts Landing Park and the Virginia Capital Trail begin to flood.
- 9.00 ftThe Ancarrow's Boat Landing is closed at this level.
- 8.00 ftMinor flooding begins.
Crest history
119 crests on NOAA’s list since 1901.
| # | Date | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | June 23, 1972 | 36.50 ft |
| 2 | November 7, 1985 | 30.76 ft |
| 3 | August 22, 1969 | 28.60 ft |
| 4 | March 30, 1936 | 26.50 ft |
| 5 | April 27, 1937 | 25.20 ft |
| 6 | October 7, 1972 | 24.20 ft |
| 7 | September 8, 1996 | 23.75 ft |
| 8 | September 7, 1935 | 23.65 ft |
| 9 | August 18, 1940 | 23.30 ft |
| 10 | December 31, 1901 | 23.20 ft |
| 11 | February 27, 1979 | 22.50 ft |
| 12 | September 21, 1944 | 22.40 ft |
| 13 | January 22, 1996 | 22.05 ft |
| 14 | December 6, 1948 | 21.60 ft |
| 15 | March 21, 1975 | 20.80 ft |
| 16 | May 14, 1924 | 20.10 ft |
| 17 | December 3, 1934 | 19.70 ft |
| 18 | January 28, 1978 | 19.50 ft |
| 19 | October 17, 1942 | 19.50 ft |
| 20 | March 24, 1901 | 19.30 ft |
| 21 | March 2, 1902 | 19.00 ft |
| 22 | April 24, 1992 | 18.96 ft |
| 23 | March 6, 1993 | 18.79 ft |
| 24 | October 22, 1906 | 18.70 ft |
| 25 | March 17, 1912 | 17.80 ft |
Most recent crests
- May 16, 2025: 11.43 ft
- February 18, 2025: 14.62 ft
- October 2, 2024: 10.64 ft
- January 11, 2024: 13.60 ft
- July 17, 2023: 7.91 ft
- April 29, 2023: 6.50 ft
- February 17, 2021: 8.44 ft
- December 26, 2020: 9.16 ft
- December 1, 2020: 8.22 ft
- November 14, 2020: 16.96 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. NEW! Click <a href='https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/8d12656d99224ac4b599fb270f4d199f/page/Richmond-Locks'>Here</a> for Flood Inundation Maps for Richmond Locks Gauge reading affected by tides.
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.