Rio Grande at Albuquerque water level

Name: Rio Grande at Albuquerque 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

2.60ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 05:15 PM MDT (37 min ago)

Flow: 168 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to fall to 2.60 ft by Sunday, October 18 at 12:00 PM. Issued Sunday, October 18 at 06:56 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Rio Grande at Albuquerque, where the gauge shows 2.60 ft.

It is 5.40 ft below the flood stage of 8.00 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 2.60 ft by Sunday, October 18 at 12:00 PM. The 30-day range is 2.55 ft – 2.66 ft.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 12.30 ftApril 24, 1942
Forecast peak: 2.60 ftSunday, October 18 at 12:00 PM

Paddling and fishing conditions

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

For reference, flood stage is 8.00 ft.

What happens at each level

12.50 ft: River levels have risen to the top of most levees and dikes and has overtopped them in several areas of the city. The flow now exceeds that observed during the big flood of 1942.
10.00 ft: Significant lowland flooding is occurring mainly outside of levee protected areas. Even those areas protected by levees and dikes should be closely monitored as the river flow now exceeds any experienced since the mid 1940s.
8.00 ft: Dikes and levees constructed after the floods of 1942 protect developed and personal property near the river in the Albuquerque metropolitan area. Levee heights range from 8 to 12 feet. Further upriver and downriver from the dikes and levees, water is flowing over natural banks flooding agricultural and grazing lowlands. Sustained flows of 8000 to 10,000 cubic feet per second over a period of 5 to 10 days would likely result in significant bank erosion outside of levee protected areas.
2.60 ft: Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	12.30 ft	April 24, 1942
2	7.82 ft	August 10, 1967
3	7.21 ft	April 24, 1985
4	7.17 ft	May 28, 1984
5	6.97 ft	June 1, 1979
6	6.80 ft	May 30, 1958
7	6.65 ft	May 11, 1994
8	6.61 ft	May 28, 1948
9	6.59 ft	May 10, 2017
10	6.51 ft	June 3, 2005

Weather at the gauge

The forecast is not available right now.

Sunrise 07:16 AM Sunset 06:29 PM Daylight 11 hr, 13 min First quarter 54%

Map

Other gauges on the Rio Grande

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Rio Grande below Taos Junction Bridge near TaosRiver gauge, Rio Grande	3.50 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	100 mi
Rio Grande at EmbudoRiver gauge, Rio Grande	2.34 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	87 mi
Rio Grande at Otowi BridgeRiver gauge, Rio Grande	3.05 ft	Below flood stage	−0.08 ft	62 mi
Rio Grande below Cochiti DamRiver gauge, Rio Grande	2.09 ft	Below flood stage	±0	42 mi
Rio Grande at Alameda Bridge at AlamedaRiver gauge, Rio Grande	554 cfs	Normal	−26.0 cfs	8 mi
Rio Grande near AlamedaRiver gauge, Rio Grande	246 cfs	Normal	−29.0 cfs	7 mi
Rio Grande at Valle De OroRiver gauge, Rio Grande	3.79 ft	No reference yet	+0.02 ft	7 mi
Rio Grande at Isleta Lakes near IsletaRiver gauge, Rio Grande	122 cfs	Low	+3.0 cfs	10 mi
Rio Grande near Bosque FarmsRiver gauge, Rio Grande	71.5 cfs	Normal	+19.9 cfs	15 mi
Rio Grande at State Highway 346 near BosqueRiver gauge, Rio Grande	170 cfs	Normal	−2.0 cfs	38 mi
Rio Grande at Bridge near EscondidaRiver gauge, Rio Grande	36.0 cfs	Low	−4.3 cfs	68 mi
Rio Grande above Us Highway 380 near San AntonioRiver gauge, Rio Grande	0.0 cfs	Very low	±0	81 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
South Diversion Channel above Tijeras Arroyo near Albq.River gauge, South Diversion Channel	0.0 cfs	Normal	±0	6.1 mi
North Floodway Channel near AlamedaRiver gauge, North Floodway Channel	0.0 cfs	Normal	±0	9 mi
Jemez River Outlet below Jemez Canyon DamRiver gauge, Jemez River Outlet	0.93 ft	Below flood stage	±0	22 mi
Galisteo Creek below Galisteo DamRiver gauge, Galisteo Creek	2.78 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	37 mi
Jemez River near JemezRiver gauge, Jemez River	3.37 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	40 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Rio Grande at Albuquerque?

The official flood stage is 8.00 ft. The level is currently 5.40 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 Albuquerque today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 05:15 PM MDT, the water level was 2.60 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Rio Grande at Albuquerque rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Rio Grande at Albuquerque 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 Albuquerque?

The highest level on record is 12.30 ft on April 24, 1942.

Is Rio Grande at Albuquerque expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to fall to 2.60 ft by Sunday, October 18 at 12:00 PM.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:08330000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 35.08917, -106.68069 (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	2.60 ft	2026-10-18 23:15	Provisional
Flow	168 cfs	2026-10-18 23:15	Provisional

Download

Embed this gauge

Add a live card for this gauge to your website. It updates on its own and links back here.

<iframe src="https://nivelmap.com/embed/9202?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Rio Grande at Albuquerque water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Rio Grande at Albuquerque (usgs:08330000). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/new-mexico/rio-grande-at-albuquerque

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