McElmo Creek above Trail Canyon near Cortez water level

Name: McElmo Creek above Trail Canyon near Cortez 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

2.01ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 12:30 PM MDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 10.1 cfs
Water temperature: 54 °F

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

At 2.01 ft, McElmo Creek above Trail Canyon near Cortez is far below normal for mid-October.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 1.98 ft and 2.27 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, and it usually takes a few days of steady rain to change that. The sensor also reports a water temperature of 54 °F.

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

What the stage means on the water

Low water means more dragging on shallow riffles and slower floats. Fish crowd into the deeper runs, and warm, low water stresses them, so play and release them quickly.

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 68° 45° – Wind 10 mph

21 Wed 64° 50° 0.29 in, 80% Wind 17 mph

22 Thu 62° 53° 1.03 in, 96% Wind 21 mph

23 Fri 60° 49° 0.16 in, 92% Wind 14 mph

24 Sat 64° 47° 0.14 in, 43% Wind 12 mph

25 Sun 58° 45° 0.04 in, 31% Wind 6 mph

26 Mon 60° 44° – Wind 6 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:28 AM Sunset 06:32 PM Daylight 11 hr, 4 min Waxing gibbous 71%

Map

Other gauges on McElmo Creek

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
McElmo Creek near Colorado-Utah State LineRiver gauge, McElmo Creek	11.0 cfs	Very low	−1.8 cfs	17 mi
McElmo Creek near Bluff, UtahRiver gauge, McElmo Creek	3.73 ft	No reference yet	−0.06 ft	28 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Mud Creek at State Highway 32, near CortezRiver gauge, Mud Creek	1.5 cfs	Low	±0	2.4 mi
Dolores River at DoloresRiver gauge, Dolores River	3.30 ft	Below flood stage	+0.03 ft	15 mi
Lost Canyon Creek near DoloresRiver gauge, Lost Canyon Creek	2.13 ft	Below flood stage	±0	15 mi
Mcphee ReservoirReservoir	6,864.99 ft	Low		17 mi
Mancos River near TowaocRiver gauge, Mancos River	4.1 cfs	Low	−4.7 cfs	21 mi
Jackson Gulch ReservoirReservoir	7,803.31 ft	Very high		24 mi
San Juan River at Four CornersRiver gauge, San Juan River	1,450 cfs	Normal	−130.0 cfs	29 mi
San Juan River at ShiprockRiver gauge, San Juan River	8.45 ft	Below flood stage	−0.18 ft	38 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 above Trail Canyon near Cortez today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 12:30 PM MDT, the water level was 2.01 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is McElmo Creek above Trail Canyon near Cortez rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of McElmo Creek above Trail Canyon near Cortez normal?

Very low for mid-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:09371520 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 37.32666, -108.70066 (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	2.01 ft	2026-10-20 18:30	Provisional
Flow	10.1 cfs	2026-10-20 18:30	Provisional
Water temperature	54 °F	2026-10-20 18:30	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: McElmo Creek above Trail Canyon near Cortez (usgs:09371520). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/colorado/mcelmo-creek-above-trail-canyon-near-cortez

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