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Rio Ruidoso at Ruidoso water level

River gauge, Rio Ruidoso, New Mexico, United States

Directions

Right now

Normal for mid-October

Water level

1.85ft Up 0.05 ft over the last 24 hours

Flow
10.6 cfs
0 1 3 4

History

History
1.781.801.831.85ftOct 16Oct 17Oct 18Oct 19Oct 201.781.801.831.85ftOct 16Oct 18Oct 20
Water level

What this means

The Rio Ruidoso at Ruidoso is at 1.85 ft, in the normal range for mid-October.

It has risen 0.05 ft over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 1.77 ft and 1.85 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, until steadier rain returns.

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

Floating and fishing near Rio Ruidoso at Ruidoso

Normal flows mean predictable rapids and good access at most put-ins.

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

19 Mon 65° 49° – Wind 13 mph
20 Tue 66° 50° – Wind 11 mph
21 Wed 71° 51° 0.03 in Wind 7 mph
22 Thu 70° 53° 0.01 in, 47% Wind 10 mph
23 Fri 62° 51° 0.20 in, 66% Wind 13 mph
24 Sat 61° 47° – Wind 11 mph
25 Sun 50° 42° 0.12 in, 41% Wind 10 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:12 AM Sunset 06:25 PM Daylight 11 hr, 13 min First quarter 66%

Map

Other gauges on the Rio Ruidoso

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Rio Ruidoso at HollywoodRiver gauge, Rio Ruidoso 2.17 ft Below flood stage +0.13 ft 5.9 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Eagle Creek below South Fork near AltoRiver gauge, Eagle Creek 0.0 cfs Low ±0 3.9 mi
Gavilan Canyon at Skunk Canyon near HollywoodRiver gauge, Gavilan Canyon 2.09 ft No reference yet ±0 4.8 mi
Eagle Creek at AltoRiver gauge, Eagle Creek 3.98 ft No reference yet +0.05 ft 4.9 mi
North Fork Eagle Creek near AltoRiver gauge, North Fork Eagle Creek 1.2 cfs Normal +1.0 cfs 5.1 mi
Tularosa Creek near BentRiver gauge, Tularosa Creek 9.3 cfs Low +0.3 cfs 17 mi
Malpais Spring near OscuraRiver gauge, Malpais Spring 6.3 cfs Very high ±0 34 mi
Salt Creek near TularosaRiver gauge, Salt Creek 0.4 cfs Normal ±0 39 mi
Rio Penasco near DunkenRiver gauge, Rio Penasco 3.3 cfs Low −0.6 cfs 45 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 Rio Ruidoso at Ruidoso today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 12:10 AM MDT, the water level was 1.85 ft. Up 0.05 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Rio Ruidoso at Ruidoso rising or falling?

Up 0.05 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Rio Ruidoso at Ruidoso normal?

Normal 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:08386505 (Agency page)
Coordinates
33.33653, -105.72631 (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

ParameterLast valueTime (UTC)Quality
Water level 1.85 ft 2026-10-20 06:10 Provisional
Flow 10.6 cfs 2026-10-20 06:05 Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Rio Ruidoso at Ruidoso (usgs:08386505). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/new-mexico/rio-ruidoso-at-ruidoso

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.