...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.
Total streamflow across the
Gauley River
was last observed at
1,654
cfs, and is expected to yield approximately
3,281
acre-ft of water today; about 28%
of normal.
River levels are low and may signify a drought.
Average streamflow for this time of year is
5,981 cfs,
with recent peaks last observed
on
2015-03-05 when daily discharge volume was observed at
52,300 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the
Gauley River Above Belva
reporting a streamflow rate of 1,100 cfs.
However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the
Gauley River Near Craigsville
with a gauge stage of 11.22 ft.
This river is monitored from 2 different streamgauging stations along the Gauley River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 1,881 ft, the
Gauley River Near Craigsville.
| Last Updated | 2025-12-18 |
| Discharge Volume | 3,281 ACRE-FT |
| Streamflow |
1,654.0 cfs
+33.0 cfs (+2.04%) |
| Percent of Normal | 27.65% |
| Maximum |
52,300.0 cfs
2015-03-05 |
| Seasonal Avg | 5,981 cfs |
| Streamgauge | Streamflow | Gauge Stage | 24hr Change (%) | % Normal | Minimum (cfs) | Maximum (cfs) | Air Temp | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Gauley River Near Craigsville
USGS 03189100 |
554 cfs | 11.22 ft | 2.4 | |||||
|
Gauley River Above Belva
USGS 03192000 |
1100 cfs | 2.58 ft | 1.85 |
The Gauley River is a 105-mile-long (169 km) river in West Virginia. It merges with the New River to form the Kanawha River, a tributary of the Ohio River. The river features numerous recreational whitewater areas, including those in Gauley River National Recreation Area downstream of the Summersville Dam.