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
Chariton River
was last observed at
194
cfs, and is expected to yield approximately
385
acre-ft of water today; about 7%
of normal.
River levels are low and may signify a drought.
Average streamflow for this time of year is
2,594 cfs,
with recent peaks last observed
on
2019-05-30 when daily discharge volume was observed at
87,950 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the
Chariton River Near Prairie Hill
reporting a streamflow rate of 106 cfs.
However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the
Chariton River Near Moulton
with a gauge stage of 18.55 ft.
This river is monitored from 6 different streamgauging stations along the Chariton River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 968 ft, the
Chariton River Near Chariton.
River Details
| Last Updated | 2025-12-18 |
| Discharge Volume | 385 ACRE-FT |
| Streamflow |
194.3 cfs
+5.9 cfs (+3.13%) |
| Percent of Normal | 7.49% |
| Maximum |
87,950.0 cfs
2019-05-30 |
| Seasonal Avg | 2,594 cfs |
River Streamflow Levels
| Streamgauge | Streamflow | Gauge Stage | 24hr Change (%) | % Normal | Minimum (cfs) | Maximum (cfs) | Air Temp | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Chariton River Near Chariton
USGS 06903400 |
2 cfs | 4.09 ft | 0 | |||||
|
Chariton River Near Rathbun
USGS 06903900 |
15 cfs | 2.11 ft | 0 | |||||
|
Chariton River Near Moulton
USGS 06904010 |
34 cfs | 18.55 ft | -8.87 | |||||
|
Chariton River At Livonia
USGS 06904050 |
45 cfs | 3.43 ft | ||||||
|
Chariton River At Novinger
USGS 06904500 |
73 cfs | 0.01 ft | -9.44 | |||||
|
Chariton River Near Prairie Hill
USGS 06905500 |
106 cfs | 1.35 ft | 14.59 |
Seasonal Discharge Comparison
Maximum Streamflow Discharge
Streamflow Elevation Profile
The Chariton River is a 218-mile-long (351 km) tributary to the Missouri River in southeast Iowa and northeast Missouri. The river forms in southeastern Clarke County, Iowa. It is dammed at 11,000-acre (45 km2) Rathbun Reservoir in Appanoose County, Iowa and then flows 30 miles (48 km) before entering Missouri where it forms the boundary between Putnam and Schuyler counties. It enters the Missouri River in Chariton County near Keytesville. 112 miles (180 km) are in Missouri and 106 miles (171 km) are in Iowa. The river has been called Missouri's "Grand Divide" because streams west of the Chariton flow into the Missouri and streams east of it flow into the Mississippi River.