Rio Grande at Otowi Bridge water level

Name: Rio Grande at Otowi Bridge 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, Rio Grande, New Mexico, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

3.06ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 02:00 PM MDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 399 cfs
Water temperature: 57 °F

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

The gauge at Rio Grande at Otowi Bridge reads 3.06 ft, a normal level.

It is 5.94 ft below the flood stage of 9.00 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 3.03 ft and 3.17 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, until steadier rain returns. The water temperature at the gauge is 57 °F.

Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 14.50 ftSeptember 29, 1904

What the stage means on the water

A normal level is usually prime time for floating and wade fishing, as long as the weather holds upstream.

The National Weather Service puts flood stage for this gauge at 9.00 ft, still 5.94 ft away.

What happens at each level

17.00 ft: Flooding along the Rio Grande from above Cochiti Lake to Espanola exceeds the flood of 1920 and may exceed any flood level since 1740. Portions of San Ildefonso and Santa Clara Pueblos are inundated as are parts of Espanola.
13.00 ft: Cultivated lands upriver through San Ildefonso and Santa Clara Pueblos are being inundated. Backwater flooding is occurring where creeks and arroyos join the Rio Grande. Debris in the fast flowing water could result in debris damming at nearby bridges causing local overflows. The flow in the river is approaching the flood flow of 1941 which was estimated at 22,500 cubic feet per second.
9.00 ft: Flooding of cultivated lands upstream of the Otowi gage will increase if water levels rise further. Fast flowing water could undermine the river banks.
3.06 ft: Right now

Impact statements from the U.S. National Weather Service.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	14.50 ft	September 29, 1904
2	14.10 ft	May 23, 1920
3	13.54 ft	May 16, 1941
4	13.10 ft	October 7, 1911
5	12.05 ft	May 25, 1905
6	10.93 ft	May 11, 1916
7	10.22 ft	April 23, 1942
8	10.10 ft	May 24, 1919
9	10.06 ft	May 14, 1924
10	9.96 ft	May 10, 1985

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

19 Mon 69° 43° – Wind 14 mph

20 Tue 68° 49° – Wind 11 mph

21 Wed 75° 49° 0.04 in, 47% Wind 15 mph

22 Thu 75° 58° 0.46 in, 84% Wind 20 mph

23 Fri 68° 55° 0.74 in, 89% Wind 21 mph

24 Sat 66° 50° – Wind 16 mph

25 Sun 64° 48° – Wind 14 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:15 AM Sunset 06:25 PM Daylight 11 hr, 10 min First quarter 62%

Map

Other gauges on the Rio Grande

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Rio Grande near CerroRiver gauge, Rio Grande	2.20 ft	Below flood stage	−0.63 ft	65 mi
Rio Grande below Taos Junction Bridge near TaosRiver gauge, Rio Grande	3.81 ft	Below flood stage	+0.32 ft	38 mi
Rio Grande at EmbudoRiver gauge, Rio Grande	2.87 ft	Below flood stage	+0.52 ft	25 mi
Rio Grande below Cochiti DamRiver gauge, Rio Grande	2.07 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	20 mi
Rio Grande at Alameda Bridge at AlamedaRiver gauge, Rio Grande	562 cfs	Normal	+11.0 cfs	55 mi
Rio Grande near AlamedaRiver gauge, Rio Grande	249 cfs	Normal	+10.0 cfs	56 mi
Rio Grande at AlbuquerqueRiver gauge, Rio Grande	2.57 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	62 mi
Rio Grande at Valle De OroRiver gauge, Rio Grande	3.75 ft	No reference yet	+0.02 ft	69 mi
Rio Grande at Isleta Lakes near IsletaRiver gauge, Rio Grande	109 cfs	Low	−8.0 cfs	71 mi
Rio Grande near Bosque FarmsRiver gauge, Rio Grande	38.4 cfs	Low	−27.1 cfs	77 mi
Rio Grande at State Highway 346 near BosqueRiver gauge, Rio Grande	170 cfs	Normal	+5.0 cfs	98 mi
Rio Grande at Bridge near EscondidaRiver gauge, Rio Grande	33.8 cfs	Low	−2.2 cfs	128 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Rio Nambe below Nambe Falls Dam near NambeRiver gauge, Rio Nambe	10.9 cfs	High	−0.4 cfs	13 mi
Rio Tesuque below Diversions near Santa FeRiver gauge, Rio Tesuque	2.0 cfs	Normal	−0.6 cfs	13 mi
Rio Chama near ChamitaRiver gauge, Rio Chama	4.08 ft	Below flood stage	±0	14 mi
Nambe Falls ReservoirReservoir	6,826.71 ft	Very high		14 mi
Santa Cruz River near CundiyoRiver gauge, Santa Cruz River	19.8 cfs	High	−1.0 cfs	15 mi
Tesuque Creek above Diversions near Santa FeRiver gauge, Tesuque Creek	3.6 cfs	Very high	−0.4 cfs	16 mi
Sile Main Canal at Head) at CochitiCanal gauge, Sile Main Canal	34.2 cfs	Normal	+13.3 cfs	20 mi
Cochiti East Side Main Canal at CochitiCanal gauge, Cochiti East Side Main Canal	48.7 cfs	Low	+1.8 cfs	21 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Rio Grande at Otowi Bridge?

The official flood stage is 9.00 ft. The level is currently 5.94 ft below it.

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 Rio Grande at Otowi Bridge today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 02:00 PM MDT, the water level was 3.06 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Rio Grande at Otowi Bridge rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Rio Grande at Otowi Bridge normal?

Below flood stage. Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Rio Grande at Otowi Bridge?

The highest level on record is 14.50 ft on September 29, 1904.

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.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:08313000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 35.87450, -106.14244 (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	3.06 ft	2026-10-19 20:00	Provisional
Flow	399 cfs	2026-10-19 20:00	Provisional
Water temperature	57 °F	2026-10-19 20:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Rio Grande at Otowi Bridge (usgs:08313000). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/new-mexico/rio-grande-at-otowi-bridge

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