French Broad River above Rollins Rd, 1 SE Marshall, NC
River level and flood forecast · Madison County
Normal4.7 ftas of Mon 4 PM
The river is 3.3 ft below flood stage (8 ft).
Forecast to fall to 1.1 ft by Sat, Oct 17, 8 AM.
Flow: 8,320 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 9:22 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 13 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 10 ft |
| Flood stage | 8 ft |
| Action stage | 7.5 ft |
| Record crest (September 28, 2024) | 21.36 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 22 ftRecord Flood Stage. Extensive flood damage is likely occurring to the town of Marshall, Blannahassett Island, and the community of Rollins.
- 21 ftMajor flooding continues. Near record flooding is being observed with floodwaters at least 7 feet deep in the lower elevations in the town of Marshall.
- 16.5 ftMajor flooding continues. Flooding of buildings and businesses along Main Street is continuing and worsening with most buildings having at least 2 feet of water in them.
- 13 ftMajor Flood Stage. Floodwaters in the town of Marshall are at least 1.5 ft deep. Flooding at this level is similar to the flooding that occurred on September 17, 2004.
- 11.3 ftModerate flooding continues. Most buildings in the town of Marshall are inundated. Flooding at this level is similar to the flooding that occurred on September 8, 2004.
- 10 ftModerate Flood Stage. Flooding along Rollins Road and Hayes Run Road is continuing and worsening. Parts of the town of Marshall is flooded.
- 9 ftMinor flooding continues. The French Broad River is close to the top of the railroad tracks and starting to flood areas between Highway 70 and the normal riverbank. Floodwaters may begin to reach buildings along Back Street and on Blannahassett Island.
- 8 ftMinor Flood Stage. The French Broad River is approaching some buildings on Blannahassett Island and approaching residential yards along Island Road. Minor flooding along Rollins Road is likely. The river is approaching the railroad tracks in the Back Street area.
- 7 ftThe French Broad River is starting to flood low-lying areas on Blannahassett Island. Low-lying areas along Hayes Run Creek in the Rollins area are beginning to flood.
Highest crests on record
- 21.36 ft — September 28, 2024
- 15 ft — March 12, 1963
- 13.64 ft — November 6, 1978
- 13.4 ft — April 5, 1957
- 12.72 ft — September 17, 2004
Recent crests: 21.36 ft (September 28, 2024) · 8.53 ft (January 10, 2024) · 9.91 ft (February 6, 2020) · 7.97 ft (December 29, 2015) · 8.1 ft (December 2, 2015)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- UpstreamFrench Broad River at Pearson Bridge Rd, 2 NW Asheville, NC
- DownstreamFrench Broad River above Silver Mine Ck, in Hot Springs, NC
- Ivy River near Marshall, NC
- Swannanoa River below Hendersonville Rd (NC 81), in Biltmore Village (2 S Asheville), NC
- Pigeon River above Old River Rd (NC 215), 1 SW Canton, NC
- Pigeon River below Jonathans Ck, 4 NW Crabtree, NC
- East Fork Pigeon River above Canton, NC
- French Broad River at Old Fanning Bridge Rd, 3 W Fletcher, NC
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (MARN7); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.