2025-12-20T00:00:00-07:00
...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS THURSDAY AND FRIDAY... Strong northwest winds will spread across the northeast plains after sunrise today, with gusts 45 to 65 mph creating critical fire weather conditions despite somewhat marginal humidity values near 20%. Early Friday, westerly downslope winds will bring strong gusts to the Front Range mountains and foothills, with potential for these to spread into wind-favored portions of the adjacent lower elevations. Peak gusts of 70-90 mph are increasing in likelihood for the windiest locations (considerably lower for areas along and east of I-25). With a warmer and drier air mass in place, humidity values in the teens look to extend into much of the foothills, and certainly across the lower elevations. Such conditions may be a longer duration than usual, with potential for low humidity to extend into the evening hours prior to the arrival of a front. The National Weather Service in Denver has issued a Fire Weather Watch for wind and low relative humidity, which is in effect from Friday morning through Friday evening. * AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zones 215, 216, 241, 243, 245, 246 and 247. * TIMING...From Friday morning through late Friday evening. * WINDS...West 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 80 mph in and near the foothills. West 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 45 mph for areas roughly along and east of I-25. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 10 to 15%. * IMPACTS...Conditions will be favorable for rapid fire spread. Avoid outdoor burning and any activity that may produce a spark and start a wildfire.
Summary
Total streamflow across the
French Broad River
was last observed at
5,145
cfs, and is expected to yield approximately
10,204
acre-ft of water today; about 35%
of normal.
River levels are low and may signify a drought.
Average streamflow for this time of year is
14,576 cfs,
with recent peaks last observed
on
2021-08-18 when daily discharge volume was observed at
169,350 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the
French Broad River Near Newport
reporting a streamflow rate of 1,190 cfs.
However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the
French Broad River At Blantyre
with a gauge stage of 5.37 ft.
This river is monitored from 7 different streamgauging stations along the French Broad River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 2,179 ft, the
French Broad River At Rosman.
River Details
| Last Updated | 2025-12-18 |
| Discharge Volume | 10,204 ACRE-FT |
| Streamflow |
5,144.7 cfs
+83.4 cfs (+1.65%) |
| Percent of Normal | 35.3% |
| Maximum |
169,350.0 cfs
2021-08-18 |
| Seasonal Avg | 14,576 cfs |
River Streamflow Levels
| Streamgauge | Streamflow | Gauge Stage | 24hr Change (%) | % Normal | Minimum (cfs) | Maximum (cfs) | Air Temp | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
French Broad River At Rosman
USGS 03439000 |
87 cfs | 2.09 ft | -2.91 | |||||
|
French Broad River At Blantyre
USGS 03443000 |
387 cfs | 5.37 ft | -0.26 | |||||
|
French Broad River Near Fletcher
USGS 03447687 |
642 cfs | 4.06 ft | -0.93 | |||||
|
French Broad River At Asheville
USGS 03451500 |
802 cfs | 1.12 ft | 1.39 | |||||
|
French Broad River At Marshall
USGS 03453500 |
897 cfs | 1.41 ft | 3.7 | |||||
|
French Broad River At Hot Springs
USGS 03454500 |
1140 cfs | 2.79 ft | 0 | |||||
|
French Broad River Near Newport
USGS 03455000 |
1190 cfs | 2.3 ft | 4.39 |
Seasonal Discharge Comparison
Maximum Streamflow Discharge
Streamflow Elevation Profile
The French Broad River flows 218 miles (351 km) from near the town of
Rosman in Transylvania County, North Carolina, into the state of Tennessee. Its confluence with the Holston River at Knoxville is the beginning of the Tennessee River. The river flows through the counties of Transylvania, Buncombe, Henderson, and Madison in North Carolina, and Cocke, Jefferson, Sevier, and Knox in Tennessee, and drains large portions of the Pisgah National Forest and the Cherokee National Forest.