New River crests in major flood stage in Radford

Radford’s Bisset Park underwater

RADFORD, Va. – The New River in Radford has reach major flood stage, according to the National Weather Service.

In 24 hours, the New River at Radford rose more than 15 feet.

The river crested early Friday morning at 21.71 feet, the sixth-highest crest on record.

As of 9:15 a.m., the river is down to 17.01 feet, which is just above the 16-foot moderate flood stage threshold.

By 8 p.m., the river is forecasted to drop below action stage.

You can check on all area river levels here.

Already, the New River has overflowed into Bisset Park, which is now completely underwater.

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Flooding in Bisset Park in Radford on May 21, 2020.

The park will likely stay flooded until at least dinner time on Friday.

The road leading to the park has been blocked off on both ends to keep cars away.

That’s not the only flooding in the New River Valley.

10 News has received reports of flooding in Giles County and Blacksburg as well.

In Radford, the animal shelter closed early because of the flooding.

Eddie Williams, who lives near Claytor Lake, said he’s never seen the New River so high before.

“It’s scary because I’m afraid people will drive through it and they won’t turn around and somebody will have to go in and try to rescue them and you know, that’s unsafe,” said Williams.

Thankfully, there have not been any reports of rescues or evacuations in the New River Valley.


About the Authors:

You can watch Lindsey during Virginia Today every weekend or as a reporter during the week!

Meteorologist Chris Michaels is an American Meteorological Society (AMS) Certified Broadcaster, forecasting weather conditions in southwest Virginia on WSLS 10 News from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. weekdays on Virginia Today.