Rio Grande near Cerro water level

Name: Rio Grande near Cerro 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

1.90ft Down 0.25 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 05:15 PM MDT (34 min ago)

Flow: 108 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

The gauge at Rio Grande near Cerro reads 1.90 ft, a normal level.

It is 14.10 ft below the flood stage of 16.00 ft.

The level is falling, down 0.25 ft over the past 24 hours. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 1.30 ft and 2.83 ft.

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: 15.78 ftJune 22, 1949

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 16.00 ft, still 14.10 ft away.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	15.78 ft	June 22, 1949
2	15.40 ft	June 7, 1948
3	14.74 ft	May 8, 1952
4	13.34 ft	May 19, 1987
5	13.27 ft	June 14, 1985
6	12.94 ft	June 12, 1986
7	12.24 ft	June 11, 1979
8	11.72 ft	May 29, 1958
9	11.00 ft	May 27, 2005
10	10.76 ft	May 30, 1993

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 65° 42° – Wind 13 mph

21 Wed 67° 41° 0.06 in, 29% Wind 13 mph

22 Thu 65° 49° 0.23 in, 57% Wind 18 mph

23 Fri 62° 47° 0.30 in, 68% Wind 21 mph

24 Sat 61° 45° 0.26 in, 60% Wind 11 mph

25 Sun 58° 44° 0.24 in, 60% Wind 15 mph

26 Mon 57° 40° 0.04 in, 21% Wind 7 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:15 AM Sunset 06:21 PM Daylight 11 hr, 6 min Waxing gibbous 72%

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	3.65 ft	Below flood stage	−0.13 ft	29 mi
Rio Grande at EmbudoRiver gauge, Rio Grande	2.62 ft	Below flood stage	−0.22 ft	40 mi
Rio Grande at Otowi BridgeRiver gauge, Rio Grande	3.24 ft	Below flood stage	+0.17 ft	65 mi
Rio Grande below Cochiti DamRiver gauge, Rio Grande	2.08 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	85 mi
Rio Grande at Alameda Bridge at AlamedaRiver gauge, Rio Grande	490 cfs	Normal	−64.0 cfs	119 mi
Rio Grande near AlamedaRiver gauge, Rio Grande	212 cfs	Low	−34.0 cfs	121 mi
Rio Grande at AlbuquerqueRiver gauge, Rio Grande	2.49 ft	Below flood stage	−0.09 ft	127 mi
Rio Grande at Valle De OroRiver gauge, Rio Grande	3.63 ft	No reference yet	−0.12 ft	134 mi
Rio Grande at Isleta Lakes near IsletaRiver gauge, Rio Grande	90.6 cfs	Low	−28.4 cfs	136 mi
Rio Grande near Bosque FarmsRiver gauge, Rio Grande	58.3 cfs	Low	+2.7 cfs	142 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Red River below Fish Hatchery, near QuestaRiver gauge, Red River	43.2 cfs	Normal	±0	4.3 mi
Red River near QuestaRiver gauge, Red River	26.8 cfs	Normal	±0	7 mi
Rio Hondo near ValdezRiver gauge, Rio Hondo	14.3 cfs	Normal	±0	15 mi
Rio Lucero near Arroyo SecoRiver gauge, Rio Lucero	10.2 cfs	Normal	−0.4 cfs	18 mi
Costilla Creek near CostillaRiver gauge, Costilla Creek	1.48 ft	Below flood stage	±0	18 mi
Costilla Creek near GarciaRiver gauge, Costilla Creek	0.0 cfs	Low	±0	19 mi
Rio Pueblo De Taos near TaosRiver gauge, Rio Pueblo De Taos	5.6 cfs	Low	−0.3 cfs	23 mi
Costilla Creek below Costilla DamRiver gauge, Costilla Creek	0.2 cfs	Normal	±0	24 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Rio Grande near Cerro?

The official flood stage is 16.00 ft. The level is currently 14.10 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 near Cerro today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 05:15 PM MDT, the water level was 1.90 ft. Down 0.25 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Rio Grande near Cerro rising or falling?

Down 0.25 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Rio Grande near Cerro normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Rio Grande near Cerro?

The highest level on record is 15.78 ft on June 22, 1949.

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:08263500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 36.74002, -105.68344 (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	1.90 ft	2026-10-20 23:15	Provisional
Flow	108 cfs	2026-10-20 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/9703?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Rio Grande near Cerro water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Rio Grande near Cerro (usgs:08263500). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/new-mexico/rio-grande-near-cerro

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