2025-12-20T00:00:00-07:00
...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS THURSDAY AND FRIDAY... Strong northwest winds will spread across the northeast plains after sunrise today, with gusts 45 to 65 mph creating critical fire weather conditions despite somewhat marginal humidity values near 20%. Early Friday, westerly downslope winds will bring strong gusts to the Front Range mountains and foothills, with potential for these to spread into wind-favored portions of the adjacent lower elevations. Peak gusts of 70-90 mph are increasing in likelihood for the windiest locations (considerably lower for areas along and east of I-25). With a warmer and drier air mass in place, humidity values in the teens look to extend into much of the foothills, and certainly across the lower elevations. Such conditions may be a longer duration than usual, with potential for low humidity to extend into the evening hours prior to the arrival of a front. The National Weather Service in Denver has issued a Fire Weather Watch for wind and low relative humidity, which is in effect from Friday morning through Friday evening. * AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zones 215, 216, 241, 243, 245, 246 and 247. * TIMING...From Friday morning through late Friday evening. * WINDS...West 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 80 mph in and near the foothills. West 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 45 mph for areas roughly along and east of I-25. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 10 to 15%. * IMPACTS...Conditions will be favorable for rapid fire spread. Avoid outdoor burning and any activity that may produce a spark and start a wildfire.
Summary
Total streamflow across the
Cahaba River
was last observed at
1,103
cfs, and is expected to yield approximately
2,188
acre-ft of water today; about 24%
of normal.
River levels are low and may signify a drought.
Average streamflow for this time of year is
4,631 cfs,
with recent peaks last observed
on
2014-04-08 when daily discharge volume was observed at
130,420 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the
Cahaba River Near Marion Junction Al
reporting a streamflow rate of 613 cfs.
However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the
Cahaba River Near Hoover
with a gauge stage of 2.61 ft.
This river is monitored from 9 different streamgauging stations along the Cahaba River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 679 ft, the
Cahaba River At Trussville.
River Details
| Last Updated | 2025-12-18 |
| Discharge Volume | 2,188 ACRE-FT |
| Streamflow |
1,103.03 cfs
-45.5 cfs (-3.96%) |
| Percent of Normal | 23.82% |
| Maximum |
130,420.0 cfs
2014-04-08 |
| Seasonal Avg | 4,631 cfs |
River Streamflow Levels
| Streamgauge | Streamflow | Gauge Stage | 24hr Change (%) | % Normal | Minimum (cfs) | Maximum (cfs) | Air Temp | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Cahaba River At Trussville
USGS 02423130 |
2 cfs | 1.73 ft | 0 | |||||
|
Cahaba River Near Mountain Brook Al
USGS 02423380 |
29 cfs | 0.63 ft | -7.28 | |||||
|
Cahaba River Near Hoover
USGS 02423496 |
16 cfs | 2.61 ft | -17.17 | |||||
|
Cahaba River Near Cahaba Heights Al
USGS 02423425 |
12 cfs | 1.44 ft | -7.26 | |||||
|
Cahaba River Near Helena Al
USGS 02423555 |
50 cfs | 1.39 ft | -4.97 | |||||
|
Cahaba River Near Acton Al
USGS 02423500 |
22 cfs | 1.82 ft | -13.31 | |||||
|
Cahaba River Near West Blocton Al
USGS 02423647 |
102 cfs | 2.04 ft | -3.77 | |||||
|
Cahaba River At Centreville Al
USGS 02424000 |
258 cfs | 0.7 ft | -2.27 | |||||
|
Cahaba River Near Marion Junction Al
USGS 02425000 |
613 cfs | 2.35 ft | -3.62 |
Seasonal Discharge Comparison
Maximum Streamflow Discharge
Streamflow Elevation Profile
The Cahaba River is the longest substantially free-flowing river in Alabama and is among the most scenic and biologically diverse rivers in the United States. It is a major tributary of the Alabama River and part of the larger Mobile River basin. With headwaters near Birmingham, the Cahaba flows southwest, then at Heiberger turns southeast and joins the Alabama River at the ghost town and former Alabama capital of Cahaba in Dallas County. Entirely within central Alabama, the Cahaba River is 194 miles (312 km) long and drains an area of 1,870 square miles (4,800 km2).