2026-03-12T21:00:00-06:00
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 238, 239, 240, 241, 242, 243, 244, 245, 246, 247, 248 and 249. * TIMING...For the Red Flag Warning, from 11 AM to 9 PM MDT Thursday. For the Fire Weather Watch, from Friday morning through Friday evening. * WINDS...On Thursday, west winds 30 to 40 mph with gusts 45 to 70 mph for the northern plains and locations west of I-25, and west winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 45 mph elsewhere. On Friday, west winds 20 to 25 mph with gusts 30 to 50 mph, strongest near the Cheyenne Ridge. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...12 to 18 percent, driest roughly along and south of I-70 and around the Denver metro. * 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
3,682
cfs, and is expected to yield approximately
7,303
acre-ft of water today; about 67%
of normal.
River levels are low and may signify a drought.
Average streamflow for this time of year is
5,488 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 1,760 cfs.
This is also the highest stage along the Pecatonica River, with a gauge stage of
5.88 ft at this location.
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.
15-Day Weather Outlook
River Details
| Last Updated | 2026-03-11 |
| Discharge Volume | 7,303 ACRE-FT |
| Streamflow |
3,682.0 cfs
+30.0 cfs (+0.82%) |
| Percent of Normal | 67.1% |
| Maximum |
47,050.0 cfs
2019-03-17 |
| Seasonal Avg | 5,488 cfs |
River Streamflow Levels
| Streamgauge | Streamflow | Gauge Stage | 24hr Change (%) | % Normal | Minimum (cfs) | Maximum (cfs) | Air Temp | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Pecatonica River At Darlington
USGS 05432500 |
199 cfs | 3.06 ft | -4.65 | |||||
|
Pecatonica River At Martintown
USGS 05434500 |
694 cfs | 5.88 ft | -18.54 | |||||
|
Pecatonica River At Freeport
USGS 05435500 |
1020 cfs | 5.31 ft | -2.73 | |||||
|
Pecatonica River Nr Shirland
USGS 05437050 |
1760 cfs | 5.88 ft | 16.9 |
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.