Alabama · Brownsboro, AL

Flint River float season

Gauge 03575100 on the Brownsboro through the canoe liveries east of Huntsville. Huntsville's hometown float slips over gravel bars and under limestone bluffs, close enough to town for an after-work paddle with the liveries running all summer.

canoekayaktubing Fullest: Jan–Mar Leanest: Aug–Oct
Flint River — typical flow through the year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 300 1.5k 3k 5k
median flow for the date middle half of years (25th–75th percentile) most years (10th–90th)

Right now at this gauge

loading CFS

Checking the live gauge…

Live reading from the USGS gauge page for Flint River. Provisional data — subject to revision.

The year on this river

In a typical year at the Brownsboro gauge, the Flint River runs fullest Jan–Mar and leanest Aug–Oct. Where today's reading falls inside that rhythm matters more than the raw number — the same flow that feels thin in spring can be the summer norm. Half of all past March days at this gauge ran above 729 CFS; the September median is 127 CFS.

Median of daily flows in each month across this gauge's full record — half of past days ran above these figures, half below.
Month Typical flow (CFS)
January 589
February 690
March 729
April 572
May 393
June 223
July 190
August 145
September 127
October 132
November 179
December 488

Record context

This gauge has measured daily flow since 1999 — 27 years of record. The largest daily average ever logged here was 35,100 CFS, in April 2011. Rivers do that sometimes; it's why the safety panel above isn't decoration.

Planning dates? The trip-window checker shows what flows have historically looked like on any week you pick for this river, or see what a CFS actually looks like.

More Alabama float rivers

Common questions

When is the Flint River usually at its fullest?

At the Brownsboro gauge, the fullest stretch of a typical year is Jan–Mar, with the single highest monthly median in March (about 729 CFS). The leanest months are usually Aug–Oct.

What is a typical summer flow on the Flint River?

The July median at this gauge is about 190 CFS — half of past Julys ran higher, half lower. Late summer is this river's lean season, so expect readings to drift down as the season goes on.

Is the Flint River safe to float right now?

No flow number can answer that, and this site never labels a river safe. What the data can tell you is how today's reading compares with 28 years of this date's history — well above typical means pushier, colder, faster water. Pair that context with a PFD, a look at the river from the bank, and a call to a local outfitter before you commit.

Which USGS gauge does this page use?

USGS gauge 03575100 (FLINT RIVER AT BROWNSBORO, AL.), chosen because it best represents the Brownsboro through the canoe liveries east of Huntsville. Daily records here reach back to 1999.

Data: USGS gauge 03575100, approved daily records 1999–2026, retrieved 2026-08-07. Live readings are provisional and subject to revision. U.S. Geological Survey data is public domain.