Arkansas River at Ft. Smith, Ar.: flow right now vs. normal
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—flow right now
—of typical for this month
—gage height
The Arkansas River at Ft. Smith, Ar. gauge has averaged 36,457 cfs over 27 years of monthly records. Flow is usually highest in May (80,517 cfs) and lowest in September (18,134 cfs).
Typical flow by month
Highest in May (80,517 cfs), lowest in September (18,134 cfs).
Key figures
- Average flow
- 36,457 cfs
- Highest peak on record
- 587,000 cfs
- Year of that peak
- 2019
- Drainage area
- 145,940 sq mi
- Years of records
- 27
- Gauge elevation
- 380 ft
- River
- Arkansas River
- County
- Sebastian
- State
- Arkansas
Monthly numbers
| Month | Average | Median | Lowest | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32,414 cfs | 15,500 cfs | 0.0 cfs | 147,000 cfs |
| Feb | 24,859 cfs | 21,175 cfs | 3,430 cfs | 70,850 cfs |
| Mar | 39,151 cfs | 27,300 cfs | 3,750 cfs | 113,000 cfs |
| Apr | 49,128 cfs | 42,225 cfs | 1,990 cfs | 140,000 cfs |
| May | 80,517 cfs | 74,100 cfs | 9,850 cfs | 143,000 cfs |
| Jun | 65,029 cfs | 45,450 cfs | 5,395 cfs | 163,000 cfs |
| Jul | 44,799 cfs | 20,300 cfs | 3,490 cfs | 185,000 cfs |
| Aug | 24,163 cfs | 16,550 cfs | 1,600 cfs | 126,000 cfs |
| Sep | 18,134 cfs | 10,300 cfs | 0.0 cfs | 66,750 cfs |
| Oct | 20,563 cfs | 9,250 cfs | 0.0 cfs | 91,000 cfs |
| Nov | 18,740 cfs | 10,095 cfs | 0.0 cfs | 114,000 cfs |
| Dec | 19,130 cfs | 10,500 cfs | 790 cfs | 87,100 cfs |
Monthly averages of daily flow over the gauge's record. Lowest and highest are the extreme monthly averages for that month.
How Arkansas River at Ft. Smith, Ar. compares in Arkansas
- Arkansas River at Ft. Smith, Ar. ranks #3 of 101 gauges in Arkansas in this dataset by average flow.
- That places it in the top 3% in Arkansas by average flow.
- The median average flow of gauges in Arkansas is 232 cfs.
- Among all 2,293 gauges in the dataset, Arkansas River at Ft. Smith, Ar. ranks #15 by average flow.
Data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) (public domain, U.S. federal data).· Updated 2026-11-02 · Text generated from the data and checked against it.
Live values are provisional USGS data. Measurements only, not a safety assessment — for flood warnings see the National Weather Service. Official page: USGS 07249455.