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
Cannonball River
was last observed at
140
cfs, and is expected to yield approximately
278
acre-ft of water today; about 131%
of normal.
River levels are high.
Average streamflow for this time of year is
107 cfs,
with recent peaks last observed
on
2019-03-29 when daily discharge volume was observed at
26,030 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the
Cannonball River At Breien
reporting a streamflow rate of 95.8 cfs.
However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the
Cannonball River At Regent
with a gauge stage of 4.99 ft.
This river is monitored from 3 different streamgauging stations along the Cannonball River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 2,436 ft, the
Cannonball River At Regent.
River Details
| Last Updated | 2025-11-26 |
| Discharge Volume | 278 ACRE-FT |
| Streamflow |
140.14 cfs
+12.55 cfs (+9.84%) |
| Percent of Normal | 131.28% |
| Maximum |
26,030.0 cfs
2019-03-29 |
| Seasonal Avg | 107 cfs |
River Streamflow Levels
| Streamgauge | Streamflow | Gauge Stage | 24hr Change (%) | % Normal | Minimum (cfs) | Maximum (cfs) | Air Temp | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Cannonball River At Regent
USGS 06350000 |
5 cfs | 4.99 ft | -3.01 | |||||
|
Cannonball River Nr Raleigh
USGS 06351200 |
40 cfs | 3.46 ft | 13.51 | |||||
|
Cannonball River At Breien
USGS 06354000 |
96 cfs | 3.23 ft | 9.11 |
Seasonal Discharge Comparison
Maximum Streamflow Discharge
Streamflow Elevation Profile
The Cannonball River (Lakota: Íŋyaŋwakağapi Wakpá) is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately 135 mi (217 km) long, in southwestern North Dakota in the United States.It rises in the Little Missouri National Grassland, in the badlands north of Amidon in northern Slope County. It flows ESE past New England, Mott, and Burt. It is joined by Cedar Creek approximately 15 mi (24 km) southwest of Shields and flows northeast, past Shields, forming the northern border of Sioux County and the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. It joins the Missouri in Lake Oahe near Cannon Ball. The cannonball concretions found in the vicinity of this river are the source of its name.