...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER TODAY... .Near record temperatures today, combined with another period of gusty westerly winds in and near the Front Range foothills will lead to critical fire weather conditions, especially from the Boulder county foothills south into South Park and the Palmer Divide. The National Weather Service in Denver has issued a Red Flag Warning for wind and low relative humidity, which is in effect from 8 AM this morning to 5 PM MST this afternoon. The Fire Weather Watch is no longer in effect. * AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zones 239 and 241. * TIMING...From 8 AM this morning to 5 PM MST this afternoon. * WINDS...West 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 35 mph. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 9 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.
Total streamflow across the
Skookumchuck River
was last observed at
2,833
cfs, and is expected to yield approximately
5,619
acre-ft of water today; about 148%
of normal.
River levels are high.
Average streamflow for this time of year is
1,920 cfs,
with recent peaks last observed
on
2022-01-07 when daily discharge volume was observed at
19,200 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the
Skookumchuck River Near Bucoda
reporting a streamflow rate of 1,210 cfs.
However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the
Skookumchuck River Near Vail
with a gauge stage of 724.85 ft.
This river is monitored from 3 different streamgauging stations along the Skookumchuck River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 724 ft, the
Skookumchuck River Near Vail.
| Last Updated | 2025-12-22 |
| Discharge Volume | 5,619 ACRE-FT |
| Streamflow |
2,833.0 cfs
-524.0 cfs (-15.61%) |
| Percent of Normal | 147.59% |
| Maximum |
19,200.0 cfs
2022-01-07 |
| Seasonal Avg | 1,920 cfs |
| Streamgauge | Streamflow | Gauge Stage | 24hr Change (%) | % Normal | Minimum (cfs) | Maximum (cfs) | Air Temp | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Skookumchuck River Near Vail
USGS 12025700 |
696 cfs | 724.85 ft | -13.75 | |||||
|
Skookumchuck River Bl Bldy Run Cr Nr Centralia
USGS 12026150 |
927 cfs | 328.98 ft | -14.95 | |||||
|
Skookumchuck River Near Bucoda
USGS 12026400 |
1210 cfs | 207.59 ft | -17.12 |
The Skookumchuck River is a 45-mile (72 km) long river located in southwest Washington, United States. It is a tributary of the Chehalis River and thence to the Pacific Ocean. The Skookumchuck Dam was built in 1970, creating the Skookumchuck Reservoir. The dam provides water supply for the 1400-megawatt Centralia Steam Electric Plant and supplements flows for fish resources. The river begins with several tributaries in the Snoqualmie National Forest in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, and flows west past the town of Bucoda, Washington to its confluence with the Chehalis River near Centralia, Washington.
The name Skookumchuck derives from Chinook Jargon: in this context, "rapids". The word skookum means "strong", and chuck means "water".