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
Purgatoire River
was last observed at
19
cfs, and is expected to yield approximately
37
acre-ft of water today; about 22%
of normal.
River levels are low and may signify a drought.
Average streamflow for this time of year is
85 cfs,
with recent peaks last observed
on
2017-05-13 when daily discharge volume was observed at
11,568 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the
Purgatoire River At Madrid
reporting a streamflow rate of 18.8 cfs.
However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the
Purgatoire River At Rock Crossing Nr Timpas
with a gauge stage of 6.21 ft.
This river is monitored from 7 different streamgauging stations along the Purgatoire River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 6,265 ft, the
Purgatoire River At Madrid.
River Details
| Last Updated | 2025-12-18 |
| Discharge Volume | 37 ACRE-FT |
| Streamflow |
18.8 cfs
-1.1 cfs (-5.53%) |
| Percent of Normal | 22.06% |
| Maximum |
11,568.0 cfs
2017-05-13 |
| Seasonal Avg | 85 cfs |
River Streamflow Levels
| Streamgauge | Streamflow | Gauge Stage | 24hr Change (%) | % Normal | Minimum (cfs) | Maximum (cfs) | Air Temp | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Purgatoire River At Madrid
USGS 07124200 |
19 cfs | 2.79 ft | -5.53 | |||||
|
Purgatoire River Below Trinidad Lake
USGS 07124410 |
0 cfs | 4 ft | None | |||||
|
Purgatoire River At Trinidad
USGS 07124500 |
3 cfs | 0.63 ft | -12.5 | |||||
|
Purgatoire River Near Thatcher
USGS 07126300 |
12 cfs | 2.34 ft | 0 | |||||
|
Purgatoire River At Rock Crossing Nr Timpas
USGS 07126485 |
11 cfs | 6.21 ft | -6.72 | |||||
|
Purgatoire River At Ninemile Dam
USGS 07126500 |
0 cfs | 2.65 ft | None | |||||
|
Purgatoire River Near Las Animas
USGS 07128500 |
3 cfs | 3.59 ft | 0 |
Seasonal Discharge Comparison
Maximum Streamflow Discharge
Streamflow Elevation Profile
The Purgatoire River is a river in southeastern Colorado, United States. The river is also known locally as the Purgatory River or the Picketwire River. Purgatoire means Purgatory in French. French trappers named the river to commemorate Spanish explorers killed in a Native American attack.The Purgatoire River originates at the confluence of the North Fork Purgatoire and Middle Fork Purgatoire rivers near Weston in Las Animas County, Colorado, and flows generally east-northeastward approximately 196 miles (315 km) to a confluence with the Arkansas River in John Martin Reservoir State Park near Las Animas in Bent County, Colorado. The Purgatoire River drains an area of 3,447 square miles (8,930 km2). 96.4% of this area is in Colorado, the remaining 3.6% is in New Mexico.The Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site is a large military base located along the western bank of the Purgatoire River. Citizens groups opposed plans of the U.S. Army to expand the base. On November 25, 2013, the U.S. Army announced that its plan to expand the Piñon Canyon Maneuver site had been cancelled.