Davidson River near Brevard, NC Flow & Water Level

NWS river forecast

Forecast from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service. Issued a few times a day and only while a forecast is active. Not for navigation.

Last 30 days

About this gauge

USGS gauge 03441000 sits on the Davidson River and reads everything draining 40 square miles of the Upper French Broad basin. Its datum sits 2,115 feet above sea level NAVD88. Daily flow has been on record here since 1921, 103 years of it.

Where this gauge sits in the drainage

No gauged site sits above this one on the mainstem, so this is the first published reading on the river. Downstream the next reading comes from French Broad River at Blantyre, NC at 296 square miles, so what passes this gauge is about 14% of the water measured there. Water passing here goes on to French Broad River near Fletcher, NC, French Broad River at Blue Ridge Pkwy at Bent Creek NC and French Broad River at Haywood Rd at Asheville, NC.

Normal flows here

The Davidson River runs a median of 97 cfs at this gauge across 103 years of record. March is the fullest month at a median 143 cfs, and October the leanest at 59 cfs. The highest daily mean on record is 4,910 cfs in 2024, and the lowest is 14 cfs in 1954.

Medians from the USGS daily-statistics record, 1921 to 2026. A month at 100% is running at its own long-term median.

Flood stages and record crests

The Davidson River reaches flood stage at this gauge at 6 feet. NWS starts watching it at 4.5 feet. The highest crest on record is 14.4 feet, in August 2021.

Flood categories and crest history from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge DAVN7. Stages are gage height, not depth. Not for navigation.