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.


Nisqually River River Levels

Last Updated: December 19, 2025

The Nisqually River runs 78 miles from the Nisqually Glacier on Mount Rainier to southern Puget Sound.


Summary

Total streamflow across the Nisqually River was last observed at 13,090 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 25,964 acre-ft of water today; about 229% of normal. River levels are high. Average streamflow for this time of year is 5,714 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 6,720 cfs. However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the Nisqually River Near National with a gauge stage of 8.9 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.

River Details

Last Updated 2025-12-19
Discharge Volume 25,964 ACRE-FT
Streamflow 13,090.0 cfs
-9560.0 cfs (-42.21%)
Percent of Normal 229.1%
Maximum 42,400.0 cfs
2020-02-06
Seasonal Avg 5,714 cfs
       
River Streamflow Levels
Streamgauge Streamflow Gauge Stage 24hr Change (%) % Normal Minimum (cfs) Maximum (cfs) Air Temp Elevation
Nisqually River Near National
USGS 12082500
6370 cfs 8.9 ft 79.44
Nisqually River At La Grande Dam
USGS 12086000
2010 cfs 0.21 ft -50
Nisqually River At La Grande
USGS 12086500
4320 cfs 6.73 ft -33.54
Nisqually River At Mckenna
USGS 12089500
6720 cfs 6.33 ft -21.68
Seasonal Discharge Comparison
Maximum Streamflow Discharge
Streamflow Elevation Profile

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.