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
Yakima River
was last observed at
35,200
cfs, and is expected to yield approximately
69,818
acre-ft of water today; about 336%
of normal.
River levels are high.
Average streamflow for this time of year is
10,475 cfs,
with recent peaks last observed
on
2025-12-12 when daily discharge volume was observed at
92,900 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the
Yakima River Above Ahtanum Creek At Union Gap
reporting a streamflow rate of 16,500 cfs.
This is also the highest stage along the Yakima River, with a gauge stage of
46.09 ft at this location.
This river is monitored from 4 different streamgauging stations along the Yakima River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 1,338 ft, the
Yakima River At Umtanum.
River Details
| Last Updated | 2025-12-18 |
| Discharge Volume | 69,818 ACRE-FT |
| Streamflow |
35,200.0 cfs
+1150.0 cfs (+3.38%) |
| Percent of Normal | 336.03% |
| Maximum |
92,900.0 cfs
2025-12-12 |
| Seasonal Avg | 10,475 cfs |
River Streamflow Levels
| Streamgauge | Streamflow | Gauge Stage | 24hr Change (%) | % Normal | Minimum (cfs) | Maximum (cfs) | Air Temp | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Yakima River At Umtanum
USGS 12484500 |
8200 cfs | 34.26 ft | 60.16 | |||||
|
Yakima River Above Ahtanum Creek At Union Gap
USGS 12500450 |
16500 cfs | 46.09 ft | 43.48 | |||||
|
Yakima River At Mabton
USGS 12508990 |
7680 cfs | 16.67 ft | 6.22 | |||||
|
Yakima River At Kiona
USGS 12510500 |
10500 cfs | 9.69 ft | 2.94 |
Seasonal Discharge Comparison
Maximum Streamflow Discharge
Streamflow Elevation Profile
The Yakima River is a tributary of the Columbia River in south central and eastern Washington state, named for the indigenous Yakama people. The length of the river from headwaters to mouth is 214 miles (344 km), with an average drop of 9.85 feet per mile (1.866 m/km). It is the longest river entirely in Washington state.
Private Land Boundary To Head Of Lake Cle Elum Reservoir