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
Total streamflow across the
Pecatonica River
was last observed at
2,020
cfs, and is expected to yield approximately
4,007
acre-ft of water today; about 51%
of normal.
River levels are low and may signify a drought.
Average streamflow for this time of year is
3,997 cfs,
with recent peaks last observed
on
2019-03-17 when daily discharge volume was observed at
47,050 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the
Pecatonica River Nr Shirland
reporting a streamflow rate of 1,300 cfs.
However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the
Pecatonica River At Martintown
with a gauge stage of 5.56 ft.
This river is monitored from 4 different streamgauging stations along the Pecatonica River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 827 ft, the
Pecatonica River At Darlington.
River Details
| Last Updated | 2025-12-08 |
| Discharge Volume | 4,007 ACRE-FT |
| Streamflow |
2,020.0 cfs
+208.0 cfs (+11.48%) |
| Percent of Normal | 50.54% |
| Maximum |
47,050.0 cfs
2019-03-17 |
| Seasonal Avg | 3,997 cfs |
River Streamflow Levels
| Streamgauge | Streamflow | Gauge Stage | 24hr Change (%) | % Normal | Minimum (cfs) | Maximum (cfs) | Air Temp | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Pecatonica River At Darlington
USGS 05432500 |
218 cfs | 2.78 ft | 107.62 | |||||
|
Pecatonica River At Martintown
USGS 05434500 |
473 cfs | 5.56 ft | -6.15 | |||||
|
Pecatonica River At Freeport
USGS 05435500 |
601 cfs | 3.68 ft | 0 | |||||
|
Pecatonica River Nr Shirland
USGS 05437050 |
1300 cfs | 3.77 ft | 21.5 |
Seasonal Discharge Comparison
Maximum Streamflow Discharge
Streamflow Elevation Profile
The Pecatonica River is a tributary of the Rock River, 194 miles (312 km) long, in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois in the United States.
The word Pecatonica is an anglicization of two Algonquian language words: Bekaa (or Pekaa in some dialects), which means "slow", and niba, which means "water", forming the conjunction Bekaaniba or "Slow Water".
It rises in the hills of southwest Wisconsin, in southwest Iowa County, 2 miles (3 km) west of Cobb. It flows south, then southeast, past Calamine and Darlington. In southeast Lafayette County it receives the East Branch Pecatonica River, approximately 8 miles (13 km) north of the state line. It flows south-southeast into Illinois, past Freeport, where it turns east, then east-northeast, receiving the Sugar River near Shirland in northern Winnebago County, 5 miles (8 km) south of the state line. It joins the Rock at Rockton, approximately 15 miles (24 km) north of Rockford.