Web Portal Changes: The Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service (AHPS) hosted at https://water.weather.gov will be replaced by the National Water Prediction Service (NWPS), with a target of March 2024. Existing AHPS content and features will be preserved and expanded within NWPS.

Experimental National Water Center Products: The National Hydrologic Discussion, Area Hydrologic Discussion, and Flood Hazard Outlook, and real-time geospatial services depicting River Forecast Center and National Water Model forecasts, continue to be accessible via https://www.weather.gov/owp/operations, as described in the StoryMap here.

Weather Forecast Office Wakefield, VA

Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center

Hydrograph

River at a Glance

Download

Probability Information Weekly Chance of Exceeding Levels Chance of Exceeding Levels During Entire Period Short-term Probabilistic Guidance (Experimental)

Auto Refresh: OFF

Printable Image About this graph Tabular Data (UTC) Tabular Data (EDT) Datum: NAVD88 Metadata

NOTE: 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. NOTE: Forecasts for the James River (VA) at Richmond-Westham are issued routinely year-round.

Default Hydrograph Scale to Flood Categories   Return to Area Map

Upstream Gauge

Downstream Gauge

Flood Categories (in feet) Major Flood Stage: 22 Moderate Flood Stage: 15 Flood Stage: 12 Action Stage: 9 Low Stage (in feet): -9999 Historic Crests (1) 28.62 ft on 06/23/1972 (2) 24.95 ft on 08/21/1969 (3) 24.77 ft on 11/07/1985 (4) 23.42 ft on 03/19/1936 (5) 22.65 ft on 04/27/1937 Show More Historic Crests (P): Preliminary values subject to further review. Recent Crests (1) 12.13 ft on 04/29/2023 (P) (2) 10.74 ft on 02/15/2023 (P) (3) 11.83 ft on 12/24/2022 (P) (4) 12.55 ft on 03/02/2021 (5) 13.13 ft on 02/17/2021 Show More Recent Crests (P): Preliminary values subject to further review. Low Water Records (1) 2.00 ft on 09/22/1966 (2) 2.94 ft on 10/21/1968 (3) 2.94 ft on 10/10/1970 (4) 3.00 ft on 09/25/1936 (5) 3.00 ft on 09/17/1943 Show More Low Water Records For more information on your flood risk go to www.floodsmart.gov. Show FEMA's National Flood Hazard Layers FEMA's National Flood Hazard Layers not showing? Why aren't the FEMA National Flood Hazard Layers showing on the ESRI Map? Possible reasons: There are no FEMA National Flood Hazard Layers for the location which you are viewing on ESRI Maps. The FEMA Web Mapping Service (WMS) is down. Note: Your zoom level may have changed. ESRI's zoom levels must be between 14 and 16 to show National Flood Hazard layers.

Zoom Level:14 Legend FEMA Layer Gauge Location Disclaimer Latitude/Longitude Disclaimer: The gauge location shown in the above map is the approximate location based on the latitude/longitude coordinates provided to the NWS by the gauge owner.

Flood Impacts & Photos

If you notice any errors in the below information, please contact our Webmaster
32	River stage sensor operating limit
28.62	Flood of record during Hurricane Agnes.
27	Near record flooding begins.
23	Richmond City Water Filtration Plant endangered.
22	Major flooding begins. Downstream industries, shops and streets along the riverfront are flooded at and above this level.
18.2	CSX Railroad tracks flooded.
16	Water reaches to of the steps to the river in Huguenot Flatwater with water impacting the parking lot and covering the Huguenot Woods Trail.
15	Begin moderate flooding. Residences near gage threatened with some driveways under one to one and a half feet of water.
13.5	Portions of Huguenot Flatwater park begin to flood
13	Approximately 20 acres of lowland flooded in vicinity of gage.
12	Flood stage. Minor flooding along both banks, no damage at this level.

About This Location

Latitude: 37.563056° N, Longitude: 77.547222° W, Horizontal Datum: NAD27 River Stage Reference Frame Gauge Height Flood Stage Uses NWS stage 0 ft 12 ft Interpreting hydrographs and NWS watch, warnings, and forecasts, and inundation maps Vertical Datum Elevation (gauge height = 0) Elevation (gauge height = flood stage) Elevation information source NAVD88 98.04 110.04 Survey grade GPS equipment, FEMA flood plain maps, newer USGS topographic maps NGVD 29 98.82 ft 110.82 ft Older USGS topographic maps, NGVD29 benchmarks MSL Not Available Not Available Older USGS topographic maps, MSL benchmarks Other Not Available Not Available   Current/Historical Observations: Corps of Engineers (COE) Info for Richmond-Westham U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Data and Site Info for Richmond-Westham

Additional Information

Potential River Levels Used to Estimate the Chance of Flooding and the Range of Possible River Levels 10 Day (HEFS) 10 Day (NAEFS) 10 Day (GEFS)     Note: Use the official hydrograph at the top of this web page for river levels within the next 72 hours. See the Product Description Document link for more details on the interpretation of the 7,10 day graphics.  Click individual graphics to enlarge. Gage Photos Hydromet Outlook Hydro Forecast Discussion Significant Flood Outlook Flash Flood Guidance Additional Water and Weather Topics from the Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center (MARFC): MARFC Home Page, Current Hazards, Current Conditions James River, Current Conditions Appomattox River, Water Resources, Observed precipitation, Radar, Tropical Weather, Climate, Flood History, About the MARFC, Contact Us

Resources

Hydrologic Resources Text Products Past Precipitation Forecast Precipitation River Forecast Centers River Stage Summary Chowan River Basin Multimedia - Includes Photos and Panoramics Past Precipitation for Chowan River Basin Forecast Precipitation for Chowan River Basin Inundation Mapping Locations

Additional Resources Area Hydrographs NWS Precipitation and River Forecasting AHPS Iframes for Developers Mobile iNWS for emergency management Southeast River Forecast Center - Support for Chowan River Basin Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center - Support for Lower James and Appomattox Basin Snow Information Ensemble River Forecasts Hourly Precipitation

Collaborative Agencies The National Weather Service prepares its forecasts and other services in collaboration with agencies like the US Geological Survey, US Bureau of Reclamation, US Army Corps of Engineers, Natural Resource Conservation Service, National Park Service, ALERT Users Group, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and many state and local emergency managers across the country. For details, please click here. NWS Information National Weather Service Wakefield Weather Forecast Office 10009 General Mahone Hwy Wakefield, VA 23888 (757) 899-4200 Ask Questions/Webmaster Page last modified: 2-Nov-2020 7:30 PM Disclaimer Credits Glossary Privacy Policy About Us Career Opportunities