Roanoke River at Altavista
Observed Tue, Sep 22, 1:00 AM EDT
- Flood stage
- 18.00 ft
- Record crest
- 40.08 ft1940
Flood stages and impacts
| Category | Stage |
|---|---|
| Major flood | 29.00 ft |
| Moderate flood | 24.00 ft |
| Minor flood | 18.00 ft |
| Action | 16.00 ft |
- 42.20 ftOld Lane Furntiure main plant flooded.
- 32.90 ftTown's filtration plant flooded.
- 32.00 ftOld lane furniture warehouse flooded.
- 29.00 ftLow spots in and around altavista begin to flood.
- 27.90 ftFiltration plant at hurt begins to flood.
- 23.00 ftMinor lowland flooding.
- 18.00 ftWater begins to flood lowland pastures/farmlands.
Flood outlook
Chance of flooding, September to November
| Category | Chance |
|---|---|
| Minor flooding | 15% |
| Moderate flooding | 10% |
| Major flooding | 6% |
The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued September 15, 2026.
Crest history
74 crests on NOAA’s list since 1931.
| # | Date | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 15, 1940 | 40.08 ft |
| 2 | September 8, 1987 | 34.45 ft |
| 3 | October 20, 1937 | 31.27 ft |
| 4 | October 16, 1954 | 31.23 ft |
| 5 | September 19, 1944 | 31.10 ft |
| 6 | December 4, 1948 | 30.84 ft |
| 7 | August 19, 1939 | 29.60 ft |
| 8 | October 18, 1932 | 29.30 ft |
| 9 | June 23, 1995 | 28.44 ft |
| 10 | September 19, 1945 | 28.30 ft |
| 11 | April 27, 1978 | 27.68 ft |
| 12 | January 20, 1936 | 27.66 ft |
| 13 | September 1, 1951 | 27.46 ft |
| 14 | November 5, 1985 | 27.38 ft |
| 15 | June 22, 1972 | 26.78 ft |
| 16 | October 1, 1959 | 26.15 ft |
| 17 | December 1, 1934 | 26.01 ft |
| 18 | June 29, 1995 | 26.00 ft |
| 19 | September 6, 1996 | 25.87 ft |
| 20 | June 1, 1950 | 25.80 ft |
| 21 | December 30, 1958 | 24.71 ft |
| 22 | August 5, 1948 | 24.53 ft |
| 23 | May 22, 1942 | 24.31 ft |
| 24 | January 3, 1937 | 24.03 ft |
| 25 | March 19, 1975 | 24.02 ft |
Most recent crests
- February 16, 2025: 18.94 ft
- September 26, 2024: 14.31 ft
- January 10, 2024: 17.75 ft
- November 13, 2020: 23.41 ft
- October 30, 2020: 16.88 ft
- June 17, 2020: 18.99 ft
- May 22, 2020: 23.59 ft
- February 7, 2020: 16.82 ft
- February 23, 2019: 17.76 ft
- May 25, 2017: 17.53 ft
Nearby
Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.
What this means
Forecasts by the Southeast River Forecast Center. Forecasts are issued as needed during times of high water, but are not routinely available. River forecasts for this location take into account past precipitation and the precipitation amounts expected approximately 48 hours into the future from the forecast issuance time. Gauge reading affected by reservoir operations.
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.