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
Patuxent River
was last observed at
202
cfs, and is expected to yield approximately
400
acre-ft of water today; about 24%
of normal.
River levels are low and may signify a drought.
Average streamflow for this time of year is
832 cfs,
with recent peaks last observed
on
2014-05-01 when daily discharge volume was observed at
14,260 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the
Patuxent River Near Bowie
reporting a streamflow rate of 140 cfs.
This is also the highest stage along the Patuxent River, with a gauge stage of
4.49 ft at this location.
This river is monitored from 3 different streamgauging stations along the Patuxent River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 383 ft, the
Patuxent River Near Unity.
River Details
| Last Updated | 2025-12-18 |
| Discharge Volume | 400 ACRE-FT |
| Streamflow |
201.6 cfs
-2.3 cfs (-1.13%) |
| Percent of Normal | 24.23% |
| Maximum |
14,260.0 cfs
2014-05-01 |
| Seasonal Avg | 832 cfs |
River Streamflow Levels
| Streamgauge | Streamflow | Gauge Stage | 24hr Change (%) | % Normal | Minimum (cfs) | Maximum (cfs) | Air Temp | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Patuxent River Near Unity
USGS 01591000 |
12 cfs | 2.02 ft | 3.57 | |||||
|
Patuxent River Below Brighton Dam Near Brighton
USGS 01591610 |
50 cfs | 1.7 ft | 2.67 | |||||
|
Patuxent River Near Bowie
USGS 01594440 |
140 cfs | 4.49 ft | -2.78 |
Seasonal Discharge Comparison
Maximum Streamflow Discharge
Streamflow Elevation Profile
The Patuxent River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay in the state of Maryland. There are three main river drainages for central Maryland: the Potomac River to the west passing through Washington, D.C., the Patapsco River to the northeast passing through Baltimore, and the Patuxent River between the two. The 908-square-mile (2,352 km2) Patuxent watershed had a rapidly growing population of 590,769 in 2000. It is the largest and longest river entirely within Maryland, and its watershed is the largest completely within the state.