NWS Data: Clinch, Nolichuckey rivers rise to dangerous levels

Multiple roadways across the Mountain Empire are underwater while major rivers in the valleys are beginning to reach or exceed flood stage levels.

Multiple localities in Northeast Tennessee have roads that are impassable while highway department officials in Southwest Virginia are dealing with potential landslides and communities cut off by high waters. Hydrological data from the National Weather Service shows the Clinch River in the Speers Ferry community of Scott County could reach 24.5 feet late Thursday or early Friday. Minor flood levels in that area top out at 17 feet.

The Nolichuckey River in Greene County is predicted to reach a flood action stage of 9 feet while Big Creek in Hawkins County near Rogersville was just 3 feet below record flooding levels at 9 feet.

(PHOTO: St. Paul, Virginia Fire Department)