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French Broad River at Pearson Bridge Rd, 2 NW Asheville

Highest listed crest 24.82 ftFlood stage 9.5 ft82 crests since 1901

The French Broad River at Pearson Bridge Rd, 2 NW Asheville crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 82 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1901 to 2024. The highest, 24.82 ft on September 27, 2024, was major flooding, 15.32 feet above flood stage. 6 other gauges on the French Broad River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 4 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
24.82 ft
September 27, 2024; 113,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
9.5 ft
Major flooding from 18.0 ft
Crests at major
3
39th of 314 gauges in North Carolina
Most recent flood crest
September 27, 2024
24.82 ft, major flooding
Location
Buncombe County
Near Asheville (3.0 mi)

Flood stages

The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.

Flood categories, French Broad River at Pearson Bridge Rd, 2 NW Asheville
Action stage6.538May 19, 2018The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)9.522May 6, 2013Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage13.04Sep 8, 2004Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage18.03Sep 27, 2024Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

82 crests from 1901 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the French Broad River at Pearson Bridge Rd, 2 NW Asheville, 1901 to 2024 0510152025ft Flood stage 9.5 ftMajor 18.0 ft Feb 22, 1901: 11.00 ft, minor flooding; 31,000 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 1901: 8.40 ft, action stage; 19,900 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1901: 11.00 ft, minor flooding; 31,000 cubic feet per secondDec 16, 1901: 8.50 ft, action stage; 20,300 cubic feet per secondDec 29, 1901: 9.40 ft, action stage; 24,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 1902: 11.60 ft, minor flooding; 33,900 cubic feet per secondJan 23, 1906: 8.90 ft, action stage; 21,900 cubic feet per secondAug 31, 1910: 11.60 ft, minor flooding; 33,900 cubic feet per secondJul 10, 1916: 10.70 ft, minor flooding; 29,600 cubic feet per secondJul 16, 1916: 23.10 ft, major flooding; 110,000 cubic feet per secondOct 30, 1918: 9.00 ft, action stage; 22,300 cubic feet per secondDec 23, 1918: 10.00 ft, minor flooding; 26,500 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1920: 8.00 ft, action stage; 18,400 cubic feet per secondAug 16, 1928: 13.27 ft, moderate flooding; 42,700 cubic feet per secondOct 16, 1936: 8.20 ft, action stage; 19,200 cubic feet per secondAug 14, 1940: 11.65 ft, minor flooding; 31,800 cubic feet per secondAug 30, 1940: 12.15 ft, minor flooding; 34,800 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1942: 8.93 ft, action stage; 20,900 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 1942: 8.10 ft, action stage; 18,000 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1945: 14.00 ft, moderate floodingJun 17, 1949: 9.00 ft, action stage; 20,100 cubic feet per secondAug 28, 1949: 8.55 ft, action stage; 18,500 cubic feet per secondDec 7, 1950: 8.03 ft, action stage; 16,400 cubic feet per secondAug 1, 1952: 15.00 ft, moderate floodingJan 23, 1954: 8.07 ft, action stage; 16,500 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1957: 10.30 ft, minor flooding; 24,200 cubic feet per secondOct 19, 1969: 8.22 ft, action stageDec 31, 1970: 4.56 ft, below flood stage; 6,670 cubic feet per secondOct 30, 1971: 5.12 ft, below flood stage; 7,090 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1972: 9.05 ft, action stage; 19,200 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1973: 11.63 ft, minor flooding; 30,300 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1974: 7.55 ft, action stage; 14,200 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1975: 9.53 ft, minor flooding; 21,100 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1976: 18.00 ft, major floodingApr 5, 1977: 9.04 ft, action stage; 19,100 cubic feet per secondNov 16, 1978: 12.33 ft, minor flooding; 34,000 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1979: 10.07 ft, minor flooding; 23,300 cubic feet per secondNov 26, 1980: 8.74 ft, action stage; 18,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 11, 1981: 4.55 ft, below flood stageFeb 3, 1982: 7.84 ft, action stageFeb 2, 1983: 8.48 ft, action stageFeb 14, 1984: 7.63 ft, action stageAug 17, 1985: 5.03 ft, below flood stageNov 1, 1986: 4.65 ft, below flood stageMar 1, 1987: 7.53 ft, action stageJan 20, 1988: 4.89 ft, below flood stageJun 24, 1989: 5.59 ft, below flood stageMar 17, 1990: 8.75 ft, action stageMar 29, 1991: 8.47 ft, action stageMay 8, 1992: 6.39 ft, below flood stageJun 1, 1992: 10.00 ft, minor floodingAug 17, 1994: 9.53 ft, minor flooding; 21,100 cubic feet per secondJan 15, 1995: 11.12 ft, minor flooding; 27,900 cubic feet per secondOct 5, 1995: 9.50 ft, minor flooding; 21,000 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 1996: 8.86 ft, action stageJul 8, 1996: 8.30 ft, action stage; 19,500 cubic feet per secondJan 8, 1998: 10.37 ft, minor flooding; 24,600 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1999: 10.00 ft, minor flooding; 26,500 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1999: 9.80 ft, minor flooding; 25,600 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 2000: 6.08 ft, below flood stageMar 30, 2001: 4.11 ft, below flood stageSep 28, 2002: 4.11 ft, below flood stageMay 6, 2003: 7.70 ft, action stage; 14,700 cubic feet per secondSep 8, 2004: 14.55 ft, moderate flooding; 43,100 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 2004: 11.57 ft, minor flooding; 30,304 cubic feet per secondJul 7, 2005: 6.57 ft, action stageNov 29, 2005: 4.89 ft, below flood stageJan 1, 2007: 5.81 ft, below flood stage; 9,660 cubic feet per secondAug 27, 2008: 5.23 ft, below flood stage; 8,140 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 2009: 8.11 ft, action stage; 16,568 cubic feet per secondNov 11, 2009: 7.28 ft, action stageDec 25, 2009: 8.19 ft, action stage; 16,838 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 2010: 8.01 ft, action stage; 16,233 cubic feet per secondDec 1, 2010: 7.00 ft, action stage; 13,100 cubic feet per secondNov 29, 2011: 5.85 ft, below flood stage; 9,760 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 2013: 9.98 ft, minor flooding; 23,222 cubic feet per secondJul 6, 2013: 8.46 ft, action stageDec 2, 2015: 7.15 ft, action stage; 13,528 cubic feet per secondDec 24, 2015: 7.56 ft, action stage; 14,767 cubic feet per secondDec 29, 2015: 9.14 ft, action stage; 20,100 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 2018: 8.58 ft, action stage; 18,200 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 2024: 24.82 ft, major flooding; 113,000 cubic feet per second Highest, 24.82 ft, Sep 27, 2024 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, French Broad River at Pearson Bridge Rd, 2 NW Asheville 1900s: 3 1910s: 4 1920s: 1 1930s: 0 1940s: 3 1950s: 2 1960s: 0 1970s: 5 1980s: 0 1990s: 7 7 2000s: 2 2010s: 1 2020s: 1 1900s1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  1. These are the crests the local National Weather Service office lists for the gauge: the highest on record and recent crests. Lesser floods between them may be missing, so counts by decade are a floor.
  2. Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 82 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, French Broad River at Pearson Bridge Rd, 2 NW Asheville
1Sep 27, 202424.82+15.32Major113,000
2Jul 16, 191623.10+13.60Major110,000
3Jun 1, 197618.00+8.50Major—
4Aug 1, 195215.00+5.50Moderate—
5Sep 8, 200414.55+5.05Moderate43,100
6Apr 1, 194514.00+4.50Moderate—
7Aug 16, 192813.27+3.77Moderate42,700
8Nov 16, 197812.33+2.83Minor34,000
9Aug 30, 194012.15+2.65Minor34,800
10Aug 14, 194011.65+2.15Minor31,800
11May 28, 197311.63+2.13Minor30,300
12Feb 28, 190211.60+2.10Minor33,900
13Aug 31, 191011.60+2.10Minor33,900
14Sep 17, 200411.57+2.07Minor30,304
15Jan 15, 199511.12+1.62Minor27,900
16Feb 22, 190111.00+1.50Minor31,000
17May 22, 190111.00+1.50Minor31,000
18Jul 10, 191610.70+1.20Minor29,600
19Jan 8, 199810.37+0.87Minor24,600
20Apr 5, 195710.30+0.80Minor24,200
21Mar 6, 197910.07+0.57Minor23,300
22Dec 23, 191810.00+0.50Minor26,500
23Jun 1, 199210.00+0.50Minor—
24Mar 15, 199910.00+0.50Minor26,500
25May 6, 20139.98+0.48Minor23,222
26Mar 19, 19999.80+0.30Minor25,600
27Mar 14, 19759.53+0.03Minor21,100
28Aug 17, 19949.53+0.03Minor21,100
29Oct 5, 19959.500.00Minor21,000
30Dec 29, 19019.40−0.10Action24,000
31Dec 29, 20159.14−0.36Action20,100
32Jun 21, 19729.05−0.45Action19,200
33Apr 5, 19779.04−0.46Action19,100
34Oct 30, 19189.00−0.50Action22,300
35Jun 17, 19499.00−0.50Action20,100
36Apr 21, 19428.93−0.57Action20,900
37Jan 23, 19068.90−0.60Action21,900
38Jan 27, 19968.86−0.64Action—
39Mar 17, 19908.75−0.75Action—
40Nov 26, 19808.74−0.76Action18,100
41May 19, 20188.58−0.92Action18,200
42Aug 28, 19498.55−0.95Action18,500
43Dec 16, 19018.50−1.00Action20,300
44Feb 2, 19838.48−1.02Action—
45Mar 29, 19918.47−1.03Action—
46Jul 6, 20138.46−1.04Action—
47Mar 26, 19018.40−1.10Action19,900
48Jul 8, 19968.30−1.20Action19,500
49Oct 19, 19698.22−1.28Action—
50Oct 16, 19368.20−1.30Action19,200

The worst floods along the French Broad River

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the French Broad River that crested above flood stage within a week.

September 27, 2024: 24.82 ft here, major flooding

July 16, 1916: 23.10 ft here, major flooding

June 1, 1976: 18.00 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the French Broad River

In USGS station-number order, which runs downstream within a river basin.

Flood gauges on the French Broad River
RosmanNC9.014.95 ft, Oct 4, 19644
Grove Bridge Rd, in BlantyreNC16.028.43 ft, Sep 28, 20246
Old Fanning Bridge Rd, 3 W FletcherNC13.030.61 ft, Sep 27, 20242
Pearson Bridge Rd, 2 NW Asheville this gaugeNC9.524.82 ft, Sep 27, 20243
Rollins Rd, 1 SE MarshallNC8.021.36 ft, Sep 28, 20244
Silver Mine Ck, in Hot SpringsNC9.522.30 ft, Sep 27, 20242
NewportTN10.024.00 ft, Mar 7, 18674

Other gauges in Buncombe County

Flood gauges in Buncombe County
Hendersonville Rd (NC 81), in Biltmore Village (2 S Asheville)10.027.33 ft, Sep 27, 20248

Buncombe County: every hazard · River floods across the country · North Carolina

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge AVLN7, retrieved October 30, 2026. Stages in feet on the gauge's own datum, not elevation. Crests are as the National Weather Service lists them; preliminary values may be revised.