McElmo Creek near Colorado-Utah State Line water level

Name: McElmo Creek near Colorado-Utah State Line 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, McElmo Creek, Colorado, United States

Directions

Very low for mid-October

Water level

2.65ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 09:30 PM MDT (31 min ago)

Flow: 11.0 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

McElmo Creek near Colorado-Utah State Line is running far below normal at 2.65 ft.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. In the last month it has stayed between 2.65 ft and 2.96 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, and it usually takes a few days of steady rain to change that.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 7.35 ftAugust 18, 2021

Floating and fishing near McElmo Creek near Colorado-Utah State Line

Low water exposes gravel bars that make good wading access, but some boat ramps may be left high and dry.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	7.35 ft	August 18, 2021
2	7.01 ft	April 30, 2019
3	6.53 ft	June 27, 2024
4	5.81 ft	March 23, 2023
5	5.09 ft	August 18, 2022
6	4.27 ft	October 12, 2025
7	4.27 ft	July 13, 2018
8	4.09 ft	July 28, 2020

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 71° 44° – Wind 6 mph

21 Wed 65° 50° 1.07 in, 62% Wind 12 mph

22 Thu 65° 55° 1.48 in, 95% Wind 17 mph

23 Fri 65° 53° 0.13 in, 85% Wind 11 mph

24 Sat 64° 52° 0.05 in, 37% Wind 14 mph

25 Sun 62° 50° 0.06 in, 43% Wind 6 mph

26 Mon 64° 49° – Wind 11 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:30 AM Sunset 06:32 PM Daylight 11 hr, 2 min Waxing gibbous 74%

Map

Other gauges on McElmo Creek

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
McElmo Creek above Trail Canyon near CortezRiver gauge, McElmo Creek	10.4 cfs	Very low	+0.6 cfs	17 mi
McElmo Creek near Bluff, UtahRiver gauge, McElmo Creek	3.73 ft	No reference yet	−0.04 ft	12 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Mud Creek at State Highway 32, near CortezRiver gauge, Mud Creek	1.2 cfs	Low	−0.2 cfs	19 mi
San Juan River at Four CornersRiver gauge, San Juan River	1,430 cfs	High	−30.0 cfs	22 mi
Mancos River near TowaocRiver gauge, Mancos River	3.9 cfs	Low	−1.5 cfs	25 mi
Mcphee ReservoirReservoir	6,864.99 ft	Low		30 mi
Dolores River at DoloresRiver gauge, Dolores River	3.25 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	30 mi
Lost Canyon Creek near DoloresRiver gauge, Lost Canyon Creek	2.15 ft	Below flood stage	±0	31 mi
Recapture Creek near BlandingRiver gauge, Recapture Creek	0.0 cfs	Normal	±0	39 mi
South Creek above Reservoir near MonticelloRiver gauge, South Creek	0.0 cfs	Very low	±0	41 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 McElmo Creek near Colorado-Utah State Line today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 09:30 PM MDT, the water level was 2.65 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is McElmo Creek near Colorado-Utah State Line rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of McElmo Creek near Colorado-Utah State Line normal?

Very low for mid-October. Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at McElmo Creek near Colorado-Utah State Line?

The highest level on record is 7.35 ft on August 18, 2021.

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:09372000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 37.32416, -109.01567 (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	2.65 ft	2026-10-21 03:30	Provisional
Flow	11.0 cfs	2026-10-21 03:30	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: McElmo Creek near Colorado-Utah State Line (usgs:09372000). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/colorado/mcelmo-creek-near-colorado-utah-state-line

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