Swannanoa River at Biltmore, 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 03451000 sits on the Swannanoa River and reads everything draining 130 square miles of the Upper French Broad basin. Its datum sits 1,976 feet above sea level NAVD88. Daily flow has been on record here since 1921, 98 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 Haywood Rd at Asheville, NC at 936 square miles, so what passes this gauge is about 14% of the water measured there. Water passing here goes on to French Broad River at Asheville, NC, French Broad River at Marshall, NC and French Broad River at Hot Springs, NC.

Normal flows here

The Swannanoa River runs a median of 102 cfs at this gauge across 98 years of record. April is the fullest month at a median 196 cfs, and September the leanest at 55 cfs. The highest daily mean on record is 22,900 cfs in 2024, and the lowest is 1.2 cfs in 1942.

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 Swannanoa River reaches flood stage at this gauge at 10 feet. NWS starts watching it at 9 feet. The highest crest on record is 27.3 feet, in September 2024.

Flood categories and crest history from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BLTN7. Stages are gage height, not depth. Not for navigation.