Santa Cruz River near Lochiel water level

Name: Santa Cruz River near Lochiel water level (U.S. Geological Survey)
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
License: https://www.usgs.gov/information-policies-and-instructions/copyrights-and-credits

River gauge, Santa Cruz River, Arizona, United States

Directions

Low for mid-October

Water level

5.04ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 12:00 PM MST (2 hours ago)

Flow: 0.0 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

The Santa Cruz River near Lochiel is running below normal at 5.04 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, and it usually takes a few days of steady rain to change that.

Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Floating and fishing near Santa Cruz River near Lochiel

Low water exposes gravel bars that make good wading access, but some boat ramps may be left high and dry.

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.04 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

20 Tue 79° 56° – Wind 14 mph

21 Wed 82° 58° 0.05 in Wind 14 mph

22 Thu 75° 58° 0.45 in, 72% Wind 19 mph

23 Fri 72° 55° – Wind 15 mph

24 Sat 69° 50° – Wind 11 mph

25 Sun 71° 49° – Wind 7 mph

26 Mon 74° 53° – Wind 7 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 06:29 AM Sunset 05:46 PM Daylight 11 hr, 17 min Waxing gibbous 71%

Map

Other gauges on the Santa Cruz River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Santa Cruz River near NogalesRiver gauge, Santa Cruz River	15.4 cfs	High	+7.5 cfs	15 mi
Santa Cruz River at TubacRiver gauge, Santa Cruz River	20.83 ft	Below flood stage	−0.26 ft	32 mi
Santa Cruz River at ContinentalRiver gauge, Santa Cruz River	1.13 ft	Below flood stage	±0	42 mi
Santa Cruz River at Silverlake Road, at TucsonRiver gauge, Santa Cruz River	24.46 ft	No reference yet	−0.01 ft	63 mi
Santa Cruz River at TucsonRiver gauge, Santa Cruz River	0.00 ft	Below flood stage	+0.50 ft	64 mi
Santa Cruz River at CortaroRiver gauge, Santa Cruz River	7.59 ft	Below flood stage	−0.90 ft	75 mi
Santa Cruz River at Trico Road, near MaranaRiver gauge, Santa Cruz River	2.63 ft	Below flood stage	+0.04 ft	88 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Huachuca Canyon near Fort HuachucaRiver gauge, Huachuca Canyon	0.4 cfs	High	−0.1 cfs	16 mi
Garden Canyon near Fort HuachucaRiver gauge, Garden Canyon	3.1 cfs	Very high	−23.2 cfs	16 mi
Ramsey Canyon near Sierra VistaRiver gauge, Ramsey Canyon	3.3 cfs	Very high	−0.2 cfs	18 mi
Nogales Wash at NogalesRiver gauge, Nogales Wash	6.2 cfs	High	±0	20 mi
Upper Babocomari River near Huachuca CityRiver gauge, Upper Babocomari River	0.0 cfs	Very low	±0	22 mi
San Pedro River at PalominasRiver gauge, San Pedro River	4.54 ft	Below flood stage	+0.09 ft	28 mi
San Pedro at Lewis SpringsRiver gauge, San Pedro	1.89 ft	Low	−0.01 ft	30 mi
San Pedro River at CharlestonRiver gauge, San Pedro River	2.7 cfs	Low	−0.5 cfs	31 mi

Questions and answers

Is gage height the same as water depth?

No. Gage height is measured from a fixed reference point chosen by the agency, so a reading of 10 ft does not mean the river is 10 ft deep.

What is the water level of Santa Cruz River near Lochiel today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 12:00 PM MST, the water level was 5.04 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Santa Cruz River near Lochiel rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Santa Cruz River near Lochiel normal?

Low for mid-October. Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year.

How often is this data updated?

The U.S. Geological Survey publishes a new reading every 15 minutes. This page refreshes within minutes of each update.

Where does this data come from?

The values come directly from the U.S. Geological Survey, the official operator of this gauge, and are in the public domain. We do not estimate or model live values.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:09480000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 31.35541, -110.58956 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: NAVD88
Update interval: every 15 minutes
Licence: Public domain. Data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), provisional data subject to revision

Published series

Parameter	Last value	Time (UTC)	Quality
Water level	5.04 ft	2026-10-20 19:00	Provisional
Flow	0.0 cfs	2026-10-20 19:00	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Santa Cruz River near Lochiel (usgs:09480000). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/arizona/santa-cruz-river-near-lochiel

How we check values

Each reading is stored as published. We hold back values that jump faster than physically plausible and show the measurement time with every value.

Readings are provisional, can be delayed or wrong and are not a flood warning. Read the disclaimer