Purgatoire River at Rock Crossing near Timpas water level

Name: Purgatoire River at Rock Crossing near Timpas 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, Purgatoire River, Colorado, United States

Directions

Low for late October

Water level

6.11ft Down 0.05 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 21, 2026, 03:40 AM MDT (49 min ago)

Flow: 7.4 cfs
Water temperature: 57 °F

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

The Purgatoire River at Rock Crossing near Timpas is running below normal at 6.11 ft.

It has dropped 0.05 ft over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. In the last month it has stayed between 6.05 ft and 6.72 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, and it usually takes a few days of steady rain to change that. The water temperature at the gauge is 57 °F.

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

Floating and fishing near Purgatoire River at Rock Crossing near Timpas

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

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

21 Wed 76° 49° – Wind 10 mph

22 Thu 82° 53° – Wind 18 mph

23 Fri 77° 64° 0.04 in Wind 31 mph

24 Sat 68° 60° 0.08 in, 77% Wind 28 mph

25 Sun 72° 53° 0.17 in, 77% Wind 23 mph

26 Mon 52° 46° 0.20 in, 34% Wind 18 mph

27 Tue 64° 44° – Wind 8 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:09 AM Sunset 06:10 PM Daylight 11 hr, 1 min Waxing gibbous 76%

Map

Other gauges on the Purgatoire River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Purgatoire River at MadridRiver gauge, Purgatoire River	2.80 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	67 mi
Purgatoire River below Trinidad LakeRiver gauge, Purgatoire River	4.01 ft	Below flood stage	±0	62 mi
Purgatoire River near ThatcherRiver gauge, Purgatoire River	6.7 cfs	Low	+0.6 cfs	25 mi
Purgatoire River near Las AnimasRiver gauge, Purgatoire River	2.53 ft	Below flood stage	−0.07 ft	36 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Timpas Creek at Mouth near SwinkRiver gauge, Timpas Creek	29.2 cfs	Very low	+3.5 cfs	27 mi
Van Bremer Arroyo near ModelRiver gauge, Van Bremer Arroyo	0.1 cfs	Low	±0	27 mi
Arkansas River at Las AnimasRiver gauge, Arkansas River	4.7 cfs	Very low	±0	38 mi
Apishapa River near FowlerRiver gauge, Apishapa River	9.1 cfs	Normal	+0.7 cfs	40 mi
John Martin Reservoir at CaddoaReservoir, John Martin Reservoir	3,805.62 ft	No reference yet	+0.02 ft	47 mi
Arkansas River below John Martin ReservoirRiver gauge, Arkansas River	23.9 cfs	Low	±0	48 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 Purgatoire River at Rock Crossing near Timpas today?

On Oct 21, 2026, 03:40 AM MDT, the water level was 6.11 ft. Down 0.05 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Purgatoire River at Rock Crossing near Timpas rising or falling?

Down 0.05 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Purgatoire River at Rock Crossing near Timpas normal?

Low for late 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:07126485 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 37.61835, -103.59356 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: NGVD29
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	6.11 ft	2026-10-21 09:40	Provisional
Flow	7.4 cfs	2026-10-21 09:40	Provisional
Water temperature	57 °F	2026-10-21 09:30	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Purgatoire River at Rock Crossing near Timpas (usgs:07126485). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/colorado/purgatoire-river-at-rock-crossing-near-timpas

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