2025-12-20T00:00:00-07:00
...THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR IN AND IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO THE FOOTHILLS, BETWEEN 5500 AND 9000 FEET, FOR BOULDER AND JEFFERSON COUNTIES ON FRIDAY... Strong west winds of 30-40 mph with gusts as high as 85 mph in the foothills of Boulder and northern Jefferson Counties will continue until early evening. Relative humidity values had dropped into the upper single digits and lower teens. Thus, the Particularly Dangerous Situation will remain in place til around 5-6 pm, with only a slow improvement thereafter as winds slowly weaken. Red Flag conditions, however, will persist through the rest of the evening as we remain in a near record warm, dry, and windy airmass along the Front Range through midnight. In fact, strong, gusty winds will persist through much of the night with only a slow improvement in humidity values. Thus, near critical Red Flag conditions will occur into early Saturday morning. While most of the Denver metro area has seen lighter winds prevail most of the day, a period of strong, gusty winds is expected to develop this evening and likely last past midnight, producing Red Flag conditions there. * AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zones 238, 240, 241, 242 and 243. * TIMING...Until midnight MST tonight. * WINDS...West 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 50 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.
Summary
Total streamflow across the
South Santiam River
was last observed at
27,900
cfs, and is expected to yield approximately
55,339
acre-ft of water today; about 294%
of normal.
River levels are high.
Average streamflow for this time of year is
9,488 cfs,
with recent peaks last observed
on
2019-04-12 when daily discharge volume was observed at
53,930 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the
South Santiam River At Waterloo
reporting a streamflow rate of 14,300 cfs.
However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the
South Santiam River Near Foster
with a gauge stage of 15.43 ft.
This river is monitored from 3 different streamgauging stations along the South Santiam River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 777 ft, the
South Santiam River Below Cascadia.
River Details
| Last Updated | 2025-12-19 |
| Discharge Volume | 55,339 ACRE-FT |
| Streamflow |
27,900.0 cfs
+18380.0 cfs (+193.07%) |
| Percent of Normal | 294.04% |
| Maximum |
53,930.0 cfs
2019-04-12 |
| Seasonal Avg | 9,488 cfs |
River Streamflow Levels
| Streamgauge | Streamflow | Gauge Stage | 24hr Change (%) | % Normal | Minimum (cfs) | Maximum (cfs) | Air Temp | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
South Santiam River Below Cascadia
USGS 14185000 |
13600 cfs | 12.36 ft | 659.78 | |||||
|
South Santiam River Near Foster
USGS 14187200 |
12400 cfs | 15.43 ft | 226.32 | |||||
|
South Santiam River At Waterloo
USGS 14187500 |
14300 cfs | 8.81 ft | 263.87 |
Seasonal Discharge Comparison
Maximum Streamflow Discharge
Streamflow Elevation Profile
The Santiam River is a tributary of the Willamette River, about 12 miles (19 km) long, in western Oregon in the United States. Through its two principal tributaries, the North Santiam and the South Santiam rivers, it drains a large area of the Cascade Range at the eastern side of the Willamette Valley east of Salem and Corvallis.
The main course of the river is short, formed in the Willamette Valley by the confluence of the North and South Santiam rivers on the border between Linn and Marion counties approximately 8 miles (13 km) northeast of Albany. It flows generally west-northwest in a slow meandering course to join the Willamette from the east approximately 8 miles (13 km) north of Albany.
Both the North and South Santiam rise in high Cascades in eastern Linn County. The Middle Santiam River joins the South Santiam where the South Santiam is impounded to form Foster Lake. The North Santiam is impounded to form the 400-foot (120 m) deep Detroit Lake in the Cascades. The Santiam is a major source of water supply for Salem.
The Great Willamette Flood of 1861, which crested on December 2, destroyed a large number of structures and animals on prairies near its confluence with the Willamette River and south of Knox Butte.Santiam River Zone is staffed by the Santiam Type 2 initial attack hand crew and two engines based out of the Detroit Ranger District. Additionally the Willamette National Forest has fire crews on the Mckenzie and Middle Fork Ranger Districts.
Sevenmile Creek To Willamette Nf Boundary