Purgatoire River near Thatcher water level

Name: Purgatoire River near Thatcher 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 mid-October

Water level

2.17ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 05:35 PM MDT (20 min ago)

Flow: 6.1 cfs
Water temperature: 59 °F

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

At 2.17 ft, the Purgatoire River near Thatcher is below normal for mid-October.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 2.17 ft and 2.66 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 59 °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.

19 Mon 71° 44° – Wind 12 mph

20 Tue 74° 49° – Wind 16 mph

21 Wed 78° 48° – Wind 12 mph

22 Thu 81° 62° – Wind 24 mph

23 Fri 69° 58° 0.07 in Wind 28 mph

24 Sat 67° 52° 0.01 in, 22% Wind 20 mph

25 Sun 55° 46° – Wind 10 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:08 AM Sunset 06:14 PM Daylight 11 hr, 7 min First quarter 63%

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	44 mi
Purgatoire River below Trinidad LakeRiver gauge, Purgatoire River	4.01 ft	Below flood stage	±0	39 mi
Purgatoire River at Rock Crossing near TimpasRiver gauge, Purgatoire River	9.6 cfs	Low	−4.1 cfs	25 mi
Purgatoire River near Las AnimasRiver gauge, Purgatoire River	2.63 ft	Below flood stage	+0.19 ft	60 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Van Bremer Arroyo near ModelRiver gauge, Van Bremer Arroyo	0.1 cfs	Low	±0	3.3 mi
Lake Maloya near RatonLake, Lake Maloya	7,509.12 ft	No reference yet	−0.02 ft	37 mi
Trinidad Lake near TrinidadLake, Trinidad Lake	6,173.81 ft	No reference yet	+0.07 ft	39 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 near Thatcher today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 05:35 PM MDT, the water level was 2.17 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Purgatoire River near Thatcher rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Purgatoire River near Thatcher 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:07126300 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 37.35639, -103.89972 (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	2.17 ft	2026-10-19 23:35	Provisional
Flow	6.1 cfs	2026-10-19 23:35	Provisional
Water temperature	59 °F	2026-10-19 23:30	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/5411?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Purgatoire River near Thatcher water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Purgatoire River near Thatcher (usgs:07126300). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/colorado/purgatoire-river-near-thatcher

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