Rocky Arroyo at Highway Brd near Carlsbad water level

Name: Rocky Arroyo at Highway Brd near Carlsbad 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, Rocky Arroyo, New Mexico, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

3.22ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 02:30 PM MDT (36 min ago)

Flow: 0.0 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Rocky Arroyo at Highway Brd near Carlsbad, where the gauge shows 3.22 ft.

It is 21.78 ft below the flood stage of 25.00 ft.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours.

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

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 19.20 ftOctober 7, 1954

Paddling and fishing conditions

Most paddlers and anglers will find the river in good shape at this stage.

For reference, flood stage is 25.00 ft.

What happens at each level

33.00 ft: runoff from Rocky Arroyo covers the U.S. Highway 285 with 6-8 feet of water. This is 23 feet above the record stage.
25.00 ft: the river reaches minor flood stage, inundating several thousand acres of rangeland. Approaches to the U.S. Highway 285 bridge and the bridge itself may flood at stages over 25 feet.
23.00 ft: considerable rangeland floods. No significant damage is expected. Flood waters impact Lake Avalon and Carlsbad just downstream.
21.00 ft: the arroyo reaches bankfull. A few low lying areas flood, but no significant damage is expected.
3.22 ft: Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Chance of at least minor flooding in October to December: < 5 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	19.20 ft	October 7, 1954
2	16.14 ft	September 22, 2014
3	15.35 ft	August 23, 1966
4	14.90 ft	October 20, 1969
5	14.33 ft	September 12, 2013
6	13.60 ft	June 24, 1986
7	13.40 ft	July 11, 1964
8	12.90 ft	October 23, 1974
9	12.68 ft	August 10, 1984
10	12.45 ft	August 10, 1967

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 81° 54° – Wind 8 mph

21 Wed 84° 56° – Wind 8 mph

22 Thu 80° 55° – Wind 20 mph

23 Fri 79° 64° 0.35 in, 69% Wind 27 mph

24 Sat 68° 62° 0.48 in, 69% Wind 19 mph

25 Sun 68° 61° 0.11 in, 55% Wind 21 mph

26 Mon 67° 60° 0.11 in, 52% Wind 17 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:06 AM Sunset 06:20 PM Daylight 11 hr, 14 min Waxing gibbous 71%

Map

Other gauges on the Rocky Arroyo

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Rocky Arroyo below Rocky DamRiver gauge, Rocky Arroyo	1.44 ft	No reference yet	±0	56 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Pecos River at Damsite 3 near CarlsbadRiver gauge, Pecos River	1.65 ft	Below flood stage	±0	2.5 mi
Pecos River below Brantley Dam near CarlsbadRiver gauge, Pecos River	108 cfs	Normal	±0	2.6 mi
Brantley ReservoirReservoir	3,254.39 ft	High		2.7 mi
Pecos River below Avalon DamRiver gauge, Pecos River	0.0 cfs	Normal	±0	7 mi
Carlsbad Main Canal at Head near CarlsbadCanal gauge, Carlsbad Main Canal	250 cfs	Very high	+61.0 cfs	7 mi
Avalon ReservoirReservoir	3,175.02 ft	High		7 mi
Dark Canyon at CarlsbadRiver gauge, Dark Canyon	4.35 ft	Below flood stage	±0	11 mi
Pecos River below Dark Canyon at CarlsbadRiver gauge, Pecos River	0.89 ft	Below flood stage	±0	11 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Rocky Arroyo at Highway Brd near Carlsbad?

The official flood stage is 25.00 ft. The level is currently 21.78 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 Rocky Arroyo at Highway Brd near Carlsbad today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 02:30 PM MDT, the water level was 3.22 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Rocky Arroyo at Highway Brd near Carlsbad rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Rocky Arroyo at Highway Brd near Carlsbad normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Rocky Arroyo at Highway Brd near Carlsbad?

The highest level on record is 19.20 ft on October 7, 1954.

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:08401900 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 32.50608, -104.37499 (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	3.22 ft	2026-10-20 20:30	Provisional
Flow	0.0 cfs	2026-10-20 20:30	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Rocky Arroyo at Highway Brd near Carlsbad (usgs:08401900). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/new-mexico/rocky-arroyo-at-highway-brd-near-carlsbad

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