ROANOKE, Va. – Thursday Morning Update
The Roanoke River is expected to reach its crest between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Thursday.
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As of 7:20 a.m. Thursday, the river is at 14.81 feet. Flood stage is 10 feet, and cresting is 16 feet.
Original Story
The rain continues to fall which will cause area rivers to rise in the coming days.
The National Weather Service office in Blacksburg has issued a flood warning for the Roanoke River that begins Wednesday afternoon and will continue until Saturday morning.
This will affect parts of the city of Roanoke, city of Salem and Roanoke County.
As of 3 p.m. Wednesday, the river was at 9.7 feet and rising. Flood stage is 10 feet, which will be reached shortly.
The crest is forecasted at 16.5 feet and will be reached early Thursday morning. This would be the eigth highest crest on record.
The river is expected to fall back below flood stage by Friday evening. This crest compares to a previous crest from October 2018 during Tropical Storm Michael, when the river reached 16.6 feet.
Here’s what the Roanoke River looked like then:
Roads close to the river will be flooded and structures may be affected. The Roanoke River Greenway and Wasena Park will also flood.