Red Flag Warning
2025-12-20T00:00:00-07:00

...THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR IN AND IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO THE FOOTHILLS, BETWEEN 5500 AND 9000 FEET, FOR BOULDER AND JEFFERSON COUNTIES ON FRIDAY... Strong west winds of 30-40 mph with gusts as high as 85 mph in the foothills of Boulder and northern Jefferson Counties will continue until early evening. Relative humidity values had dropped into the upper single digits and lower teens. Thus, the Particularly Dangerous Situation will remain in place til around 5-6 pm, with only a slow improvement thereafter as winds slowly weaken. Red Flag conditions, however, will persist through the rest of the evening as we remain in a near record warm, dry, and windy airmass along the Front Range through midnight. In fact, strong, gusty winds will persist through much of the night with only a slow improvement in humidity values. Thus, near critical Red Flag conditions will occur into early Saturday morning. While most of the Denver metro area has seen lighter winds prevail most of the day, a period of strong, gusty winds is expected to develop this evening and likely last past midnight, producing Red Flag conditions there. * AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zones 238, 240, 241, 242 and 243. * TIMING...Until midnight MST tonight. * WINDS...West 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 50 mph. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 9 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.


Cottonwood River River Levels

Last Updated: December 19, 2025

The Cottonwood River is a 152-mile-long river in eastern Kansas, USA.


Summary

Total streamflow across the Cottonwood River was last observed at 672 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 1,333 acre-ft of water today; about 192% of normal. River levels are high. Average streamflow for this time of year is 350 cfs, with recent peaks last observed on 2019-05-22 when daily discharge volume was observed at 42,500 cfs.

Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the Cottonwood R Nr Plymouth reporting a streamflow rate of 544 cfs. This is also the highest stage along the Cottonwood River, with a gauge stage of 5.02 ft at this location. This river is monitored from 3 different streamgauging stations along the Cottonwood River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 1,238 ft, the Cottonwood R Nr Florence.

River Details

Last Updated 2025-12-19
Discharge Volume 1,333 ACRE-FT
Streamflow 672.0 cfs
-6.0 cfs (-0.88%)
Percent of Normal 191.75%
Maximum 42,500.0 cfs
2019-05-22
Seasonal Avg 350 cfs
       
River Streamflow Levels
Streamgauge Streamflow Gauge Stage 24hr Change (%) % Normal Minimum (cfs) Maximum (cfs) Air Temp Elevation
Cottonwood R Nr Florence
USGS 07180400
128 cfs 3.34 ft 1.59
Cottonwood R Nr Plymouth
USGS 07182250
544 cfs 5.02 ft -1.45
Cottonwood River Near New Ulm
USGS 05317000
215 cfs 4.5 ft 29.52
Seasonal Discharge Comparison
Maximum Streamflow Discharge
Streamflow Elevation Profile

Cottonwood River is one of the principal tributaries of the Neosho River in central Kansas of the United States.