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
Piscataquis River
was last observed at
1,478
cfs, and is expected to yield approximately
2,931
acre-ft of water today; about 13%
of normal.
River levels are low and may signify a drought.
Average streamflow for this time of year is
11,079 cfs,
with recent peaks last observed
on
2023-12-19 when daily discharge volume was observed at
56,790 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the
Piscataquis River At Medford
reporting a streamflow rate of 880 cfs.
However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the
Piscataquis River At Blanchard
with a gauge stage of 3.93 ft.
This river is monitored from 3 different streamgauging stations along the Piscataquis River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 592 ft, the
Piscataquis River At Blanchard.
River Details
| Last Updated | 2025-12-02 |
| Discharge Volume | 2,931 ACRE-FT |
| Streamflow |
1,477.9 cfs
-68.1 cfs (-4.4%) |
| Percent of Normal | 13.34% |
| Maximum |
56,790.0 cfs
2023-12-19 |
| Seasonal Avg | 11,079 cfs |
River Streamflow Levels
| Streamgauge | Streamflow | Gauge Stage | 24hr Change (%) | % Normal | Minimum (cfs) | Maximum (cfs) | Air Temp | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Piscataquis River At Blanchard
USGS 01031300 |
67 cfs | 3.93 ft | -33.76 | |||||
|
Piscataquis River Near Dover-Foxcroft
USGS 01031500 |
341 cfs | 2.19 ft | 24 | |||||
|
Piscataquis River At Medford
USGS 01034000 |
880 cfs | 2.8 ft | -17.76 |
Seasonal Discharge Comparison
Maximum Streamflow Discharge
Streamflow Elevation Profile
The Piscataquis River is a major tributary of the Penobscot River, found in Piscataquis County, Maine, United States. It starts from the confluence of its East Branch and West Branch (45°16′54″N 69°35′24″W) in Blanchard. The river flows in a mostly eastern direction until it meets the Penobscot at Howland. It is approximately 65 miles (105 km) in length.The United States government maintains three river flow gauges on the Piscataquis river. The first is at Blanchard (45°16′02″N 69°35′03″W) where the rivershed is 118 square miles (306 km2). Flow here has ranged from 7,550 to 4.8 cubic feet per second (0.14 m3/s). The second is near Dover-Foxcroft, Maine (45°10′31″N 69°18′55″W) where the rivershed is 298 square miles (772 km2). Flow here has ranged from 37,300 to 5 cubic feet (0.14 m3) per second. The third is in Medford, Maine (45°15′40″N 68°52′07″W) where the rivershed is 1,162 square miles (3,010 km2). Flow here has ranged from 60,100 to 66 cubic feet (1.9 m3) per second.The Appalachian Trail runs along the West Branch of the Piscataquis, crossing the East Branch just upstream from their joining. The river is impounded by the Howland Dam at its confluence with the Penobscot River.