Harpeth River at Franklin, TN 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 03432350 sits on the Harpeth River and reads everything draining 192 square miles of the Harpeth basin. Only 176 square miles of that contributes flow in a normal year; the rest is closed basin that does not drain to the river. Its datum sits 605 feet above sea level NAVD88. Daily flow has been on record here since 1975, 52 years of it.

Where this gauge sits in the drainage

Two gauged sites sit upstream of here. The closest is Harpeth River at Mile 90.5 near Franklin, TN, reading 183 square miles. This gauge adds the 9.1 square miles that drain in between. Downstream the next reading comes from Harpeth River below Franklin, TN at 210 square miles, so what passes this gauge is about 91% of the water measured there. Water passing here goes on to Harpeth River at Mile 81.33 near Berrys Chapel, TN and Harpeth River at Bellevue, TN.

Normal flows here

The Harpeth River runs a median of 73 cfs at this gauge across 52 years of record. March is the fullest month at a median 298 cfs, and September the leanest at 9.1 cfs. The highest daily mean on record is 17,900 cfs in 2010, and the lowest is 0.3 cfs in 1981.

Medians from the USGS daily-statistics record, 1975 to 2026. A month at 100% is running at its own long-term median.

Flood stages and record crests

The Harpeth River reaches flood stage at this gauge at 30 feet. NWS starts watching it at 22 feet. The highest crest on record is 35.3 feet, in May 2010.

Flood categories and crest history from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge FRAT1. Stages are gage height, not depth. Not for navigation.

TVA dams near this gauge

TVA's J Percy Priest Dam is 21 miles from this gauge on the Stones system. Planned generation, lake level and tailwater elevation for it load below when TVA has published them.

• J Percy Priest Dam 21 miles