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
Roanoke River
was last observed at
3,848
cfs, and is expected to yield approximately
7,632
acre-ft of water today; about 36%
of normal.
River levels are low and may signify a drought.
Average streamflow for this time of year is
10,840 cfs,
with recent peaks last observed
on
2025-02-16 when daily discharge volume was observed at
99,000 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the
Roanoke River At Roanoke Rapids
reporting a streamflow rate of 2,740 cfs.
This is also the highest stage along the Roanoke River, with a gauge stage of
3.42 ft at this location.
This river is monitored from 6 different streamgauging stations along the Roanoke River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 1,185 ft, the
Roanoke River At Lafayette.
River Details
| Last Updated | 2025-12-18 |
| Discharge Volume | 7,632 ACRE-FT |
| Streamflow |
3,848.0 cfs
-135.7 cfs (-3.41%) |
| Percent of Normal | 35.5% |
| Maximum |
99,000.0 cfs
2025-02-16 |
| Seasonal Avg | 10,840 cfs |
River Streamflow Levels
| Streamgauge | Streamflow | Gauge Stage | 24hr Change (%) | % Normal | Minimum (cfs) | Maximum (cfs) | Air Temp | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Roanoke River At Lafayette
USGS 02054500 |
69 cfs | 1.7 ft | -4.94 | |||||
|
Roanoke River At Glenvar
USGS 02054530 |
71 cfs | 2.22 ft | -9 | |||||
|
Roanoke River At Roanoke
USGS 02055000 |
77 cfs | 0.91 ft | 16.34 | |||||
|
Roanoke River At Niagara
USGS 02056000 |
173 cfs | 1.9 ft | 4.85 | |||||
|
Roanoke River At Altavista
USGS 02060500 |
718 cfs | 1.97 ft | 0 | |||||
|
Roanoke River At Roanoke Rapids
USGS 02080500 |
2740 cfs | 3.42 ft | -7.12 |
Seasonal Discharge Comparison
Maximum Streamflow Discharge
Streamflow Elevation Profile
The Roanoke River () is a river in southern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina in the United States, 410 miles (660 km) long. A major river of the southeastern United States, it drains a largely rural area of the coastal plain from the eastern edge of the Appalachian Mountains southeast across the Piedmont to Albemarle Sound. An important river throughout the history of the United States, it was the site of early settlement in the Virginia Colony and the Carolina Colony. An 81-mile (130 km) section of its lower course in Virginia between the Leesville Lake and Kerr Lake is known as the Staunton River, pronounced , as is the Shenandoah Valley city of that name. It is impounded along much of its middle course to form a chain of reservoirs.