San Juan River at Pagosa Springs water level

Name: San Juan River at Pagosa Springs 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, San Juan River, Colorado, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

5.65ft Down 0.08 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 09:00 AM MDT (43 min ago)

Flow: 518 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to rise to 10.58 ft by Friday, October 23 at 12:00 AM. The forecast reaches flood stage. Follow local warnings. Issued Monday, October 19 at 09:37 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at San Juan River at Pagosa Springs, where the gauge shows 5.65 ft.

It is 4.85 ft below the flood stage of 10.50 ft.

It is still going down, by 0.08 ft over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to rise to 10.58 ft by Friday, October 23 at 12:00 AM. The forecast reaches flood stage. Follow local warnings. The 30-day range is 5.64 ft – 6.72 ft.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 12.82 ftOctober 14, 2025
Forecast peak: 10.58 ftFriday, October 23 at 12:00 AM

Paddling and fishing conditions

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

For reference, flood stage is 10.50 ft.

What happens at each level

20.00 ft: Access roads to the San Juan River Ranch are flooded. Some homes are inaccessible.
17.00 ft: Portions of San Juan Street are beginning to flood. Waters have reached the foundation of the Colorado Ranger Building.
16.20 ft: The parking lot and recreation area at the corner of Hot Springs Blvd and San Juan Street are flooded and inaccessible.
14.50 ft: Water has reached the foundations of some homes in the San Juan River Ranch northeast of Pagosa Springs.
13.70 ft: Flooding of some residences near the river around Pagosa Springs is possible.
12.40 ft: Portions of the San Juan River Campground east of Pagosa Springs are beginning to flood.
11.00 ft: Inundation of River Center Park and water will approach the shopping complexes adjacent to the park, north of East Pagosa Street. Water spreads across the backyards of homes along Hermosa Street and inundation of the bike path adjacent to the river can be expected.
10.30 ft: Water is flowing over the yards of homes in the San Juan River Village northeast of Pagosa Springs.
5.65 ft: Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Chance of at least minor flooding in October to December: 25 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	12.82 ft	October 14, 2025
2	12.66 ft	October 12, 2025
3	10.22 ft	June 9, 2019
4	9.55 ft	May 17, 2023
5	8.68 ft	June 11, 2015
6	8.54 ft	June 6, 2016
7	8.53 ft	June 7, 2011
8	8.16 ft	May 30, 2014
9	8.14 ft	September 22, 2013
10	7.94 ft	May 23, 2005

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.33 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 62° 32° – Wind 6 mph

18 Sun 64° 36° – Wind 6 mph

19 Mon 64° 42° 0.08 in Wind 9 mph

20 Tue 59° 44° 0.12 in, 54% Wind 6 mph

21 Wed 67° 46° 0.46 in, 70% Wind 6 mph

22 Thu 53° 49° 1.58 in, 89% Wind 6 mph

23 Fri 51° 37° 0.61 in, 94% Wind 10 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:21 AM Sunset 06:26 PM Daylight 11 hr, 4 min Waxing gibbous 69%

Map

Other gauges on the San Juan River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
San Juan River above Turkey Creek near Pagosa SpringsRiver gauge, San Juan River	5.44 ft	No reference yet	−0.06 ft	8 mi
San Juan River near CarracasRiver gauge, San Juan River	601 cfs	High	−31.0 cfs	24 mi
San Juan River near ArchuletaRiver gauge, San Juan River	3.86 ft	Below flood stage	±0	50 mi
San Juan River at BloomfieldRiver gauge, San Juan River	177 cfs	Very low	±0	66 mi
San Juan River at Bolack Ranch Bridge near FarmingtonRiver gauge, San Juan River	8.43 ft	No reference yet	+0.05 ft	74 mi
San Juan River at FarmingtonRiver gauge, San Juan River	2.48 ft	Below flood stage	−0.13 ft	77 mi
San Juan River at ShiprockRiver gauge, San Juan River	8.48 ft	Below flood stage	−0.16 ft	98 mi
San Juan River at Four CornersRiver gauge, San Juan River	1,470 cfs	Normal	−140.0 cfs	113 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Piedra River near ArbolesRiver gauge, Piedra River	619 cfs	Very high	−69.0 cfs	25 mi
Platoro ReservoirReservoir	9,986.47 ft	Normal		25 mi
Los Pinos River above Vallecito Reservoir near BayfieldRiver gauge, Los Pinos River	381 cfs	Very high	−10.0 cfs	29 mi
Vallecito ReservoirReservoir	7,648.05 ft	Very high		31 mi
Los Pinos River near IgnacioRiver gauge, Los Pinos River	48.4 cfs	Normal	+5.4 cfs	32 mi
Vallecito Creek near BayfieldRiver gauge, Vallecito Creek	299 cfs	Very high	−20.0 cfs	33 mi
Lemon Reservoir near DurangoReservoir, Lemon Reservoir	8,124.59 ft	Very high	+0.62 ft	37 mi
Lemon ReservoirReservoir	8,123.74 ft	Very high		37 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the San Juan River at Pagosa Springs?

The official flood stage is 10.50 ft. The level is currently 4.85 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 San Juan River at Pagosa Springs today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 09:00 AM MDT, the water level was 5.65 ft. Down 0.08 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is San Juan River at Pagosa Springs rising or falling?

Down 0.08 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of San Juan River at Pagosa Springs normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at San Juan River at Pagosa Springs?

The highest level on record is 12.82 ft on October 14, 2025.

Is San Juan River at Pagosa Springs expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to rise to 10.58 ft by Friday, October 23 at 12:00 AM. The forecast reaches flood stage. Follow local warnings.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:09342500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 37.26553, -107.01100 (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	5.65 ft	2026-10-20 15:00	Provisional
Flow	518 cfs	2026-10-20 15:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: San Juan River at Pagosa Springs (usgs:09342500). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/colorado/san-juan-river-at-pagosa-springs

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