Red Flag Warning
2026-04-13T20:00:00-06:00

...TODAY'S RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM THIS EVENING... .A NEW RED FLAG WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR TUESDAY FOR SOUTHERN LINCOLN COUNTY. * AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zones 214, 216, 238, 241, 242 and 246. * TIMING...Until 8 PM MDT this evening. * WINDS...Southwest 10 to 20 mph with gusts around 30 mph. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 10 percent. * IMPACTS...Conditions will be favorable for rapid fire spread. Avoid outdoor burning and any activity that may produce a spark and start a wildfire.

Blackwater River

Last Updated: April 13, 2026

Total streamflow across the Blackwater River was last observed at 1,922 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 3,811 acre-ft of water today; about 69% of normal. River levels are low and may signify a drought. Average streamflow for this time of year is 2,771 cfs, with recent peaks last observed on 2013-06-04 when daily discharge volume was observed at 22,386 cfs.

Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the Blackwater River At Blue Lick reporting a streamflow rate of 1,740 cfs. However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the Blackwater River Near Dendron with a gauge stage of 31.82 ft. This river is monitored from 9 different streamgauging stations along the Blackwater River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 3,138 ft, the Blackwater R Nr Davis.

The Blackwater River is a 65-mile-long river located in West Virginia.


15-Day Long Term Forecast


River Details

Last Updated 2026-04-13
Discharge Volume 3,811 ACRE-FT
Streamflow 1,921.6 cfs
Past 24 Hours: -1751.5 cfs (-47.68%)
Percent of Normal 69.36%
Maximum 22,386.0 cfs
2013-06-04
Seasonal Avg 2,771 cfs
       
River Streamflow Levels
Streamgauge Streamflow Gauge Stage 24hr Change (%) % Normal Minimum (cfs) Maximum (cfs) Air Temp Elevation
Blackwater R Nr Davis
USGS 03065400
132 cfs 1.81 ft
Blackwater R At Davis
USGS 03066000
67 cfs 1.87 ft -6.33
Blackwater River Near Rocky Mount
USGS 02056900
66 cfs 2.01 ft -1.78
Blackwater River At Blue Lick
USGS 06908000
1740 cfs 15.12 ft -49.86
Blackwater River Near Webster
USGS 01087000
19 cfs 1.91 ft
Blackwater River Near Bradley Al
USGS 02369800
25 cfs 0.52 ft -1.98
Blackwater River Nr Baker
USGS 02370000
49 cfs 0.77 ft -3.91
Blackwater River Near Dendron
USGS 02047500
28 cfs 31.82 ft -13
Blackwater River Near Franklin
USGS 02049500
115 cfs 2.86 ft -12.88
Seasonal Discharge Comparison
Maximum Streamflow Discharge
Streamflow Elevation Profile

A blackwater river is a type of river with a slow-moving channel flowing through forested swamps or wetlands. As vegetation decays, tannins leach into the water, making a transparent, acidic water that is darkly stained, resembling tea. Most major blackwater rivers are in the Amazon Basin and the Southern United States. The term is used in fluvial studies, geology, geography, ecology, and biology. Not all dark rivers are blackwater in that technical sense. Some rivers in temperate regions, which drain or flow through areas of dark black loam, are simply black due to the color of the soil; these rivers are black mud rivers. There are also black mud estuaries.
Blackwater rivers are lower in nutrients than whitewater rivers and have ionic concentrations higher than rainwater. The unique conditions lead to flora and fauna that differ from both whitewater and clearwater rivers. The classification of Amazonian rivers into black, clear, and whitewater was first proposed by Alfred Russel Wallace in 1853 based on water colour, but the types were more clearly defined by chemistry and physics by Harald Sioli (de) from the 1950s to the 1980s. Although many Amazonian rivers fall clearly into one of these categories, others show a mix of characteristics and may vary depending on season and flood levels.