...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
Nisqually River
was last observed at
22,650
cfs, and is expected to yield approximately
44,926
acre-ft of water today; about 373%
of normal.
River levels are high.
Average streamflow for this time of year is
6,073 cfs,
with recent peaks last observed
on
2020-02-06 when daily discharge volume was observed at
42,400 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the
Nisqually River At Mckenna
reporting a streamflow rate of 8,580 cfs.
However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the
Nisqually River At La Grande
with a gauge stage of 7.74 ft.
This river is monitored from 4 different streamgauging stations along the Nisqually River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 1,436 ft, the
Nisqually River Near National.
| Last Updated | 2025-12-18 |
| Discharge Volume | 44,926 ACRE-FT |
| Streamflow |
22,650.0 cfs
+340.0 cfs (+1.52%) |
| Percent of Normal | 372.95% |
| Maximum |
42,400.0 cfs
2020-02-06 |
| Seasonal Avg | 6,073 cfs |
| Streamgauge | Streamflow | Gauge Stage | 24hr Change (%) | % Normal | Minimum (cfs) | Maximum (cfs) | Air Temp | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Nisqually River Near National
USGS 12082500 |
3550 cfs | 7.43 ft | -11.03 | |||||
|
Nisqually River At La Grande Dam
USGS 12086000 |
4020 cfs | 0.21 ft | -0.5 | |||||
|
Nisqually River At La Grande
USGS 12086500 |
6500 cfs | 7.74 ft | 3.01 | |||||
|
Nisqually River At Mckenna
USGS 12089500 |
8580 cfs | 7.31 ft | 7.65 |
The Nisqually River is a river in west central Washington in the United States, approximately 81 miles (130 km) long. It drains part of the Cascade Range southeast of Tacoma, including the southern slope of Mount Rainier, and empties into the southern end of Puget Sound. Its outlet was designated in 1971 as the Nisqually Delta National Natural Landmark.
The Nisqually River forms the Pierce–Lewis county line, as well as the boundary between Pierce and Thurston counties.
Headwaters At The Terminus Of The Ingraham Glacier To Ends 1/4 Mile North Of Box Canyon
Headwaters On The Southeast Flank Of Mount Rainier At An Elevation Of 5500 Ft To Confluence With Chinook Creek
Begins 1/4 Mile North Of Box Canyon To Ends 1/4 Mile South Of Box Canyon
Begins 1/4 Mile South Of Box Canyon To Southern Boundary Of Mount Rainier National Park
Headwaters In The Mystic Lake Basin On The North Side Of Mount Rainier To Northern Boundary Of Mount Rainier National Park
Confluence With Chinook Creek To Southern Boundary Of Mount Rainier National Park