Rio Penasco near Dunken water level

Name: Rio Penasco near Dunken 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 Penasco, New Mexico, United States

Directions

Low for mid-October

Water level

1.74ft Up 0.08 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 01:15 PM MDT (29 min ago)

Flow: 4.2 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

The Rio Penasco near Dunken is running below normal at 1.74 ft.

It has risen 0.08 ft over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 1.62 ft and 1.74 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

Floating and fishing near Rio Penasco near Dunken

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.

19 Mon 72° 52° – Wind 14 mph

20 Tue 73° 53° 0.02 in Wind 12 mph

21 Wed 77° 56° – Wind 14 mph

22 Thu 76° 60° – Wind 13 mph

23 Fri 73° 57° 0.31 in, 66% Wind 23 mph

24 Sat 73° 56° 0.01 in, 66% Wind 17 mph

25 Sun 56° 49° 0.13 in, 39% Wind 20 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:09 AM Sunset 06:24 PM Daylight 11 hr, 16 min First quarter 62%

Map

Other gauges on the Rio Penasco

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Rio Penasco near HopeRiver gauge, Rio Penasco	2.3 cfs	Low	±0	7 mi
Rio Penasco at DaytonRiver gauge, Rio Penasco	0.19 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	45 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Rio Hondo above Alamo Canyon near HondoRiver gauge, Rio Hondo	5.08 ft	No reference yet	−0.09 ft	34 mi
Rio Hondo at Diamond A Ranch near RoswellRiver gauge, Rio Hondo	5.86 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	37 mi
Two R Reservoir (Rocky Arroyo Reservoir near RoswellReservoir, Two R Reservoir (Rocky Arroyo Reservoir	53.66 ft	No reference yet	±0	38 mi
Rio Hondo below Diamond A Dam near RoswellRiver gauge, Rio Hondo	32.8 cfs	Very high	+6.2 cfs	39 mi
Rio Ruidoso at HollywoodRiver gauge, Rio Ruidoso	2.22 ft	Below flood stage	+0.07 ft	40 mi
Rio Ruidoso at RuidosoRiver gauge, Rio Ruidoso	9.8 cfs	Normal	−15.1 cfs	45 mi
Eagle Creek below South Fork near AltoRiver gauge, Eagle Creek	0.0 cfs	Low	±0	47 mi
North Fork Eagle Creek near AltoRiver gauge, North Fork Eagle Creek	1.1 cfs	Normal	+0.9 cfs	49 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 Rio Penasco near Dunken today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 01:15 PM MDT, the water level was 1.74 ft. Up 0.08 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Rio Penasco near Dunken rising or falling?

Up 0.08 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Rio Penasco near Dunken normal?

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:08397600 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 32.88153, -105.17806 (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	1.74 ft	2026-10-19 19:15	Provisional
Flow	4.2 cfs	2026-10-19 19:15	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Rio Penasco near Dunken (usgs:08397600). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/new-mexico/rio-penasco-near-dunken

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