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James River in Richmond at highest level since last Spring

Posted at 12:50 PM, Jan 18, 2013
and last updated 2013-01-18 12:58:26-05

RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) – If you look at the James River winding through Richmond’s Metro area right now, you’ll see it’s noticeably higher than it has been for months. As of 11:30 a.m. Friday, the James River at Westham (at the Huguenot Bridge) is nearly at the 12 foot Minor Flood Stage. It is expected to crest tonight shy of 13 feet, then fall back below Flood Stage before Noon Saturday.

JamesRiverSinceMarch

A spokesperson for The National Weather Service in Wakefield confirmed to Meteorologist Carrie Rose over the phone today that the last time the River was at least this high was early Spring 2012. On March 3, 2012 the crest reached 13.2 feet.

Check out this USGS plot since mid-September of 2012, showing the James in Richmond has been consistently low, hovering just shy of four feet most of the time.

JamesRiversinceMidSept

With no significant precipitation in our forecast over the next week, the James will fall back well below Flood (12 feet) and Action (9 feet) stages, but it’s great to see our Mighty James looking strong and healthy again for now!

Meteorologist Carrie Rose