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
Watauga River
was last observed at
608
cfs, and is expected to yield approximately
1,206
acre-ft of water today; about 41%
of normal.
River levels are low and may signify a drought.
Average streamflow for this time of year is
1,475 cfs,
with recent peaks last observed
on
2020-02-06 when daily discharge volume was observed at
12,870 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the
Watauga River At Elizabethton
reporting a streamflow rate of 444 cfs.
This is also the highest stage along the Watauga River, with a gauge stage of
3.12 ft at this location.
This river is monitored from 2 different streamgauging stations along the Watauga River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 2,613 ft, the
Watauga River Near Sugar Grove.
River Details
| Last Updated | 2025-12-19 |
| Discharge Volume | 1,206 ACRE-FT |
| Streamflow |
608.0 cfs
+161.7 cfs (+36.23%) |
| Percent of Normal | 41.21% |
| Maximum |
12,870.0 cfs
2020-02-06 |
| Seasonal Avg | 1,475 cfs |
River Streamflow Levels
| Streamgauge | Streamflow | Gauge Stage | 24hr Change (%) | % Normal | Minimum (cfs) | Maximum (cfs) | Air Temp | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Watauga River Near Sugar Grove
USGS 03479000 |
164 cfs | 2.05 ft | 159.08 | |||||
|
Watauga River At Elizabethton
USGS 03486000 |
444 cfs | 3.12 ft | 15.93 |
Seasonal Discharge Comparison
Maximum Streamflow Discharge
Streamflow Elevation Profile
The Watauga River () is a large stream of western North Carolina and East Tennessee. It is 78.5 miles (126.3 km) long with its headwaters on the slopes of Grandfather Mountain and Peak Mountain in Watauga County, North Carolina.