2025-12-20T00:00:00-07:00
...THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR IN AND IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO THE FOOTHILLS, BETWEEN 5500 AND 9000 FEET, FOR BOULDER AND JEFFERSON COUNTIES ON FRIDAY... Strong west winds of 30-40 mph with gusts as high as 85 mph in the foothills of Boulder and northern Jefferson Counties will continue until early evening. Relative humidity values had dropped into the upper single digits and lower teens. Thus, the Particularly Dangerous Situation will remain in place til around 5-6 pm, with only a slow improvement thereafter as winds slowly weaken. Red Flag conditions, however, will persist through the rest of the evening as we remain in a near record warm, dry, and windy airmass along the Front Range through midnight. In fact, strong, gusty winds will persist through much of the night with only a slow improvement in humidity values. Thus, near critical Red Flag conditions will occur into early Saturday morning. While most of the Denver metro area has seen lighter winds prevail most of the day, a period of strong, gusty winds is expected to develop this evening and likely last past midnight, producing Red Flag conditions there. * AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zones 238, 240, 241, 242 and 243. * TIMING...Until midnight MST tonight. * WINDS...West 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 50 mph. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 9 percent. * 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
5,702
cfs, and is expected to yield approximately
11,310
acre-ft of water today; about 44%
of normal.
River levels are low and may signify a drought.
Average streamflow for this time of year is
12,845 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 1,240 cfs.
However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the
French Broad River At Blantyre
with a gauge stage of 5.62 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 | 2025-12-19 |
| Discharge Volume | 11,310 ACRE-FT |
| Streamflow |
5,702.0 cfs
+557.3 cfs (+10.83%) |
| Percent of Normal | 44.39% |
| Maximum |
169,350.0 cfs
2021-08-18 |
| Seasonal Avg | 12,845 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 |
310 cfs | 2.8 ft | 257.55 | |||||
|
French Broad River At Blantyre
USGS 03443000 |
431 cfs | 5.62 ft | 11.37 | |||||
|
French Broad River Near Fletcher
USGS 03447687 |
713 cfs | 4.19 ft | 11.06 | |||||
|
French Broad River At Asheville
USGS 03451500 |
916 cfs | 1.22 ft | 14.21 | |||||
|
French Broad River At Marshall
USGS 03453500 |
952 cfs | 1.46 ft | 6.13 | |||||
|
French Broad River At Hot Springs
USGS 03454500 |
1140 cfs | 2.79 ft | 0 | |||||
|
French Broad River Near Newport
USGS 03455000 |
1240 cfs | 2.34 ft | 4.2 |
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.