Santa Cruz River at Continental water level

Name: Santa Cruz River at Continental 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, Santa Cruz River, Arizona, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

1.13ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 03:00 PM MST (1 hour ago)

Flow: 0.0 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to rise to 1.55 ft by Monday, October 19 at 11:00 AM. Issued Monday, October 19 at 07:29 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Santa Cruz River at Continental, where the gauge shows 1.13 ft.

It is 12.87 ft below the flood stage of 14.00 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to rise to 1.55 ft by Monday, October 19 at 11:00 AM. The 30-day range is 1.13 ft – 1.14 ft.

Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 16.34 ftOctober 2, 1983
Forecast peak: 1.55 ftMonday, October 19 at 11:00 AM

Paddling and fishing conditions

Most paddlers and anglers will find the river in good shape at this stage.

For reference, flood stage is 14.00 ft.

What happens at each level

18.00 ft: The southern pacific railroad tracks may be overtopped. Major damage and rapid flooding is likely east of tracks in much of continental and eastern sections of sahuarita.
17.00 ft: Major flooding occurs between continental and the tucson city limits with numerous homes and businesses flooded. The interstate 19 bridge is threatened near kilometer marker 92.
16.00 ft: Bank protection is overtopped in Green Valley, flooding numerous homes and businesses. Much of Nogales Highway flooded from Continental Road and Pima Mine Road. Low lying areas in Sahuarita between Villita Road and Santa Rita Road flood.
15.00 ft: Bridge bottoms reached at Continental Rd, Sahuarita Rd, and Pima Mine Rd. Erosion damage begins at Haven Golf Course on left bank. Sections of Nogales Highway between Sahuarita and Pima Mine Roads threatened. Homes on the right bank may flood due to backup from the Continental Road bridge.
14.00 ft: Erosion likely outside soil cement bank protection. Pecan orchards further inundated.
12.00 ft: Pecan orchards adjacent to the river begin to flood.
1.13 ft: Right now

Impact statements from the U.S. National Weather Service.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	16.34 ft	October 2, 1983
2	14.75 ft	January 19, 1993
3	9.66 ft	December 28, 1984
4	8.39 ft	February 4, 1983
5	8.19 ft	October 23, 2000
6	7.25 ft	July 28, 2003
7	5.06 ft	September 6, 2002

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.16 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

19 Mon 86° 62° – Wind 14 mph

20 Tue 89° 63° – Wind 17 mph

21 Wed 87° 68° 0.01 in, 27% Wind 14 mph

22 Thu 80° 66° 0.28 in, 54% Wind 21 mph

23 Fri 78° 61° – Wind 14 mph

24 Sat 77° 58° – Wind 11 mph

25 Sun 80° 60° – Wind 12 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 06:31 AM Sunset 05:48 PM Daylight 11 hr, 18 min First quarter 63%

Map

Other gauges on the Santa Cruz River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Santa Cruz River near LochielRiver gauge, Santa Cruz River	0.0 cfs	Low	±0	42 mi
Santa Cruz River near NogalesRiver gauge, Santa Cruz River	11.4 cfs	High	−2.3 cfs	37 mi
Santa Cruz River at TubacRiver gauge, Santa Cruz River	21.00 ft	Below flood stage	−0.13 ft	18 mi
Santa Cruz River at Silverlake Road, at TucsonRiver gauge, Santa Cruz River	24.46 ft	No reference yet	−0.01 ft	23 mi
Santa Cruz River at TucsonRiver gauge, Santa Cruz River	0.00 ft	Below flood stage	+0.51 ft	24 mi
Santa Cruz River at CortaroRiver gauge, Santa Cruz River	8.49 ft	Below flood stage	−0.07 ft	34 mi
Santa Cruz River at Trico Road, near MaranaRiver gauge, Santa Cruz River	2.39 ft	Below flood stage	+0.12 ft	46 mi
Santa Cruz River near LaveenRiver gauge, Santa Cruz River	0.0 cfs	Normal	±0	117 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Barrel Canyon near SonoitaRiver gauge, Barrel Canyon	0.0 cfs	Normal	±0	17 mi
Pantano Wash near VailRiver gauge, Pantano Wash	0.2 cfs	Low	±0	21 mi
Brawley Wash near Three PointsRiver gauge, Brawley Wash	5.68 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	25 mi
Rincon Creek near TucsonRiver gauge, Rincon Creek	0.0 cfs	Normal	±0	27 mi
Rillito Creek at Dodge Boulevard, at TucsonRiver gauge, Rillito Creek	3.10 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	28 mi
Sabino Creek near TucsonRiver gauge, Sabino Creek	1.10 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	32 mi
Nogales Wash at NogalesRiver gauge, Nogales Wash	6.2 cfs	High	−0.7 cfs	37 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Santa Cruz River at Continental?

The official flood stage is 14.00 ft. The level is currently 12.87 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 Santa Cruz River at Continental today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 03:00 PM MST, the water level was 1.13 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Santa Cruz River at Continental rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Santa Cruz River at Continental normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Santa Cruz River at Continental?

The highest level on record is 16.34 ft on October 2, 1983.

Is Santa Cruz River at Continental expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to rise to 1.55 ft by Monday, October 19 at 11:00 AM.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:09482000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 31.87150, -110.98012 (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	1.13 ft	2026-10-19 22:00	Provisional
Flow	0.0 cfs	2026-10-19 22:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Santa Cruz River at Continental (usgs:09482000). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/arizona/santa-cruz-river-at-continental

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