About this river
James River is a 26.8 mile river near Riverside Outfitters in Virginia. Streamflow is measured at the USGS gauge James River near Richmond, VA (site 02037500). The National Hydrography Dataset places it at stream order 8. Reach geometry comes from the USGS National Hydrography Dataset.
Typical flow by month
1937 to 2026
James River typically runs highest in March, at a median 9,130 cfs, and lowest in September, at 1,480 cfs. The highest flow on record for any single day is 296,000 cfs, in 1972.
| Month | Typical (cfs) | Usual range (cfs) | Relative level |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6,320 | 3,920 to 10,400 | |
| February | 7,720 | 4,730 to 12,900 | |
| March | 9,130 | 6,130 to 14,100 | |
| April | 7,475 | 5,070 to 12,900 | |
| May | 6,320 | 3,990 to 10,200 | |
| June | 3,510 | 2,320 to 5,715 | |
| July | 2,280 | 1,410 to 3,580 | |
| August | 1,900 | 1,080 to 3,200 | |
| September | 1,480 | 981 to 2,670 | |
| October | 1,770 | 1,090 to 3,590 | |
| November | 2,560 | 1,560 to 5,370 | |
| December | 4,900 | 2,630 to 8,320 |
Typical is the median of each month’s daily median values, and the usual range runs from the median 25th to the median 75th percentile, across about 89 years of record. Statistics published by the US Geological Survey for James River near Richmond, VA (site 02037500). Conditions on any given day can fall well outside the usual range. Check the current reading before you go.
Embed this gauge on your site
Paste this snippet anywhere, an outfitter page, a club site, a trip report, to show James River's live streamflow, water level and 7-day trend. It reads the USGS gauge directly, updates itself, and links back here.
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