Rio Chama near Chamita water level

Name: Rio Chama near Chamita 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 Chama, New Mexico, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

4.11ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 04:00 AM MDT (53 min ago)

Flow: 213 cfs
Water temperature: 54 °F

History

7 days

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to fall to 4.10 ft by Monday, October 19 at 12:00 AM. Issued Sunday, October 18 at 06:56 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

The gauge at Rio Chama near Chamita reads 4.11 ft, a normal level.

It is 1.89 ft below the flood stage of 6.00 ft.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 4.10 ft by Monday, October 19 at 12:00 AM. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 4.07 ft and 4.15 ft.

The sensor also reports a water temperature of 54 °F.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 11.68 ftAugust 14, 1994
Forecast peak: 4.10 ftMonday, October 19 at 12:00 AM

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 6.00 ft, still 1.89 ft away.

What happens at each level

11.50 ft: Water getting dangerously close to bottom of bridges on highway 285 and state route 74. Debris in river may get caught on bridge supports and send water over the roadway. Significant flooding to properties along the Rio Chama and Rio Ojo Caliente is occurring and private roads along the river are impassable.
8.00 ft: Properties along the Rio Chama and southern reach of the Rio Ojo Caliente are flooded. Private roadways within several hundred yards of the river are impassable.
6.00 ft: Properties in the flood plain along the Rio Chama and near the junction of the Rio Ojo Caliente will see water in their yards. Impacts can include bank erosion and damage to wells and septic tanks. These impacts will increase in severity at higher river levels.
5.50 ft: Bankfull stage. Properties immediately adjacent to the river upstream of the bridge on SR-74 and especially near the junction with the Rio Ojo Caliente may see water encroach onto low lying areas.
4.11 ft: Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	11.68 ft	August 14, 1994
2	10.45 ft	May 22, 1920
3	9.65 ft	August 12, 1929
4	9.56 ft	August 29, 1969
5	9.50 ft	May 14, 1941
6	9.14 ft	September 18, 2013
7	8.80 ft	April 23, 1942
8	7.95 ft	August 9, 1967
9	7.29 ft	September 29, 1998
10	7.29 ft	June 18, 1984

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

19 Mon 72° 44° – Wind 15 mph

20 Tue 71° 46° 0.02 in, 22% Wind 21 mph

21 Wed 75° 52° 0.03 in, 52% Wind 13 mph

22 Thu 71° 58° 0.39 in, 81% Wind 18 mph

23 Fri 70° 52° 0.07 in, 83% Wind 19 mph

24 Sat 66° 48° – Wind 8 mph

25 Sun 66° 46° – Wind 18 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:15 AM Sunset 06:25 PM Daylight 11 hr, 9 min First quarter 58%

Map

Other gauges on the Rio Chama

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Rio Chama above ChamaRiver gauge, Rio Chama	1.67 ft	No reference yet	−0.05 ft	64 mi
Rio Chama near La PuenteRiver gauge, Rio Chama	111 cfs	High	−12.0 cfs	50 mi
Rio Chama below El Vado DamRiver gauge, Rio Chama	2.08 ft	Below flood stage	±0	49 mi
Rio Chama above Abiquiu ReservoirRiver gauge, Rio Chama	5.16 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	32 mi
Rio Chama below Abiquiu DamRiver gauge, Rio Chama	2.43 ft	Below flood stage	±0	20 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Rio Grande at EmbudoRiver gauge, Rio Grande	2.37 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	12 mi
Nambe Falls ReservoirReservoir	6,826.72 ft	Very high		13 mi
Santa Cruz River near CundiyoRiver gauge, Santa Cruz River	20.3 cfs	High	−1.5 cfs	14 mi
Rio Grande at Otowi BridgeRiver gauge, Rio Grande	3.05 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	14 mi
Embudo Creek at DixonRiver gauge, Embudo Creek	9.16 ft	Below flood stage	±0	15 mi
Rio Nambe below Nambe Falls Dam near NambeRiver gauge, Rio Nambe	10.9 cfs	High	−1.6 cfs	19 mi
Rio Ojo Caliente at La MaderaRiver gauge, Rio Ojo Caliente	2.59 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	19 mi
Rio Tesuque below Diversions near Santa FeRiver gauge, Rio Tesuque	2.4 cfs	High	−0.4 cfs	23 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Rio Chama near Chamita?

The official flood stage is 6.00 ft. The level is currently 1.89 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 Chama near Chamita today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 04:00 AM MDT, the water level was 4.11 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Rio Chama near Chamita rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Rio Chama near Chamita normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Rio Chama near Chamita?

The highest level on record is 11.68 ft on August 14, 1994.

Is Rio Chama near Chamita expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to fall to 4.10 ft by Monday, October 19 at 12:00 AM.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:08290000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 36.07356, -106.11169 (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	4.11 ft	2026-10-19 10:00	Provisional
Flow	213 cfs	2026-10-19 10:00	Provisional
Water temperature	54 °F	2026-10-19 10:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Rio Chama near Chamita (usgs:08290000). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/new-mexico/rio-chama-near-chamita

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