2026-03-05T18:00:00-07:00
The National Weather Service in Denver has issued a Red Flag Warning for wind and low relative humidity, which is in effect from noon to 6 PM MST Thursday. The Fire Weather Watch is no longer in effect. * AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zones 241, 246 and 247. * TIMING...From noon to 6 PM MST Thursday. * WINDS...South 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...10 to 15 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
2,043
cfs, and is expected to yield approximately
4,052
acre-ft of water today; about 38%
of normal.
River levels are low and may signify a drought.
Average streamflow for this time of year is
5,311 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 994 cfs.
However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the
Pecatonica River At Martintown
with a gauge stage of 4.85 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.
15-Day Weather Outlook
River Details
| Last Updated | 2026-03-04 |
| Discharge Volume | 4,052 ACRE-FT |
| Streamflow |
2,043.0 cfs
-29.0 cfs (-1.4%) |
| Percent of Normal | 38.46% |
| Maximum |
47,050.0 cfs
2019-03-17 |
| Seasonal Avg | 5,311 cfs |
River Streamflow Levels
| Streamgauge | Streamflow | Gauge Stage | 24hr Change (%) | % Normal | Minimum (cfs) | Maximum (cfs) | Air Temp | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Pecatonica River At Darlington
USGS 05432500 |
122 cfs | 2.36 ft | -6.87 | |||||
|
Pecatonica River At Martintown
USGS 05434500 |
392 cfs | 4.85 ft | 2.08 | |||||
|
Pecatonica River At Freeport
USGS 05435500 |
535 cfs | 3.12 ft | -3.95 | |||||
|
Pecatonica River Nr Shirland
USGS 05437050 |
994 cfs | 4.01 ft | -0.6 |
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.