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
Meramec River
was last observed at
1,847
cfs, and is expected to yield approximately
3,663
acre-ft of water today; about 31%
of normal.
River levels are low and may signify a drought.
Average streamflow for this time of year is
6,002 cfs,
with recent peaks last observed
on
2015-12-30 when daily discharge volume was observed at
227,910 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the
Meramec River Near Eureka
reporting a streamflow rate of 804 cfs.
This is also the highest stage along the Meramec River, with a gauge stage of
2.89 ft at this location.
This river is monitored from 5 different streamgauging stations along the Meramec River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 877 ft, the
Meramec River At Cook Station.
River Details
| Last Updated | 2025-12-18 |
| Discharge Volume | 3,663 ACRE-FT |
| Streamflow |
1,846.7 cfs
-33.0 cfs (-1.76%) |
| Percent of Normal | 30.77% |
| Maximum |
227,910.0 cfs
2015-12-30 |
| Seasonal Avg | 6,002 cfs |
River Streamflow Levels
| Streamgauge | Streamflow | Gauge Stage | 24hr Change (%) | % Normal | Minimum (cfs) | Maximum (cfs) | Air Temp | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Meramec River At Cook Station
USGS 07010350 |
30 cfs | 2.24 ft | 0 | |||||
|
Meramec River Near Steelville
USGS 07013000 |
174 cfs | 1.58 ft | -1.69 | |||||
|
Meramec River Near Sullivan
USGS 07014500 |
339 cfs | 2.89 ft | -1.17 | |||||
|
Meramec River At Pacific
USGS 07017020 |
500 cfs | 1.07 ft | -0.99 | |||||
|
Meramec River Near Eureka
USGS 07019000 |
804 cfs | 2.89 ft | -2.55 |
Seasonal Discharge Comparison
Maximum Streamflow Discharge
Streamflow Elevation Profile
The Meramec River (), sometimes spelled Maramec River is one of the longest free-flowing waterways in the U.S. state of Missouri, draining 3,980 square miles (10,300 km2) while wandering 218 miles (351 km) from headwaters near Salem to where it empties into the Mississippi River near St. Louis at Arnold and Oakville. The Meramec watershed covers
six Missouri Ozark Highland counties—Dent, Phelps, Crawford, Franklin, Jefferson, and St. Louis—and portions of eight others—Maries, Gasconade, Iron, Washington, Reynolds, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, and Texas. Between its source and its mouth, it falls 1,025 feet (312 m). Year-round navigability begins above Maramec Spring, just south of St. James. The Meramec's size increases at the confluence of the Dry Fork, and its navigability continues until the river enters the Mississippi at Arnold, Missouri.