2025-12-17T18:00:00-07:00
* AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zones 238, 239, 240, 241, 242, 243 and 245. * TIMING...From 11 AM this morning to 6 PM MST this evening. * WINDS...West 30 to 50 mph with gusts up to 80 mph. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...15 to 25 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.
Summary
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the reporting a streamflow rate of cfs. This is also the highest stage along the Lochsa River, with a gauge stage of ft at this location. This river is monitored from 1 different streamgauging stations along the Lochsa River, the highest being situated at an altitude of ft, the .
River Streamflow Levels
| Streamgauge | Streamflow | Gauge Stage | 24hr Change (%) | % Normal | Minimum (cfs) | Maximum (cfs) | Air Temp | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Lochsa River Nr Lowell Id
USGS 13337000 |
6190 cfs | 5.56 ft | 9.17 |
Seasonal Discharge Comparison
Maximum Streamflow Discharge
Streamflow Elevation Profile
The Lochsa River is in the northwestern United States, in the mountains of north central Idaho. It is one of two primary tributaries (with the Selway to the south) of the Middle Fork of the Clearwater River in the Clearwater National Forest. Lochsa is a Nez Perce word meaning rough water. The Salish name is Ep Smɫí, "It Has Salmon."The Lochsa (pronounced "lock-saw") was included by the U.S. Congress in 1968 as part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. The Lochsa and Selway rivers and their tributaries have no dams, and their flow is unregulated. In late spring (mid-May to mid-June), the Lochsa River is rated as one of the world's best for continuous whitewater.
The main stem of the Lochsa is seventy miles (110 km) in length from its headwaters near Powell Ranger Station in the Bitterroots to Lowell, where the Lochsa joins the Selway River to form the Middle Fork of the Clearwater. Over this distance, the river drops nearly two thousand feet (600 m), from 3,441 feet (1,049 m) above sea level at Powell to 1,453 feet (443 m) at Lowell.The drainage basin for the Lochsa River system covers 1,180 square miles (3,060 km2) in Idaho County. The river is fed by the melting of the significant snowpack of the Bitterroot Range, among the highest precipitation areas in the state.