Mills River near Mills River, 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 03446000 sits on the Mills River and reads everything draining 67 square miles of the Upper French Broad basin. Its datum sits 2,088 feet above sea level NAVD88. Daily flow has been on record here since 1925, 94 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 near Fletcher, NC at 640 square miles, so what passes this gauge is about 10% of the water measured there. Water passing here goes on to French Broad River at Blue Ridge Pkwy at Bent Creek NC, French Broad River at Haywood Rd at Asheville, NC and French Broad River at Asheville, NC.

Normal flows here

The Mills River runs a median of 130 cfs at this gauge across 94 years of record. March is the fullest month at a median 194 cfs, and September the leanest at 80 cfs. The highest daily mean on record is 9,050 cfs in 2024, and the lowest is 18 cfs in 1954.

Medians from the USGS daily-statistics record, 1925 to 2026. A month at 100% is running at its own long-term median.

Flood stages and record crests

The Mills River reaches flood stage at this gauge at 9 feet. NWS starts watching it at 7.5 feet. The highest crest on record is 13.6 feet, in August 1940.

Flood categories and crest history from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge MRSN7. Stages are gage height, not depth. Not for navigation.