Rio Penasco at Dayton water level

Name: Rio Penasco at Dayton 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

Below flood stage

Water level

0.19ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 08:45 AM MDT (28 min ago)

Flow: 0.0 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

The gauge at Rio Penasco at Dayton reads 0.19 ft, a normal level.

It is 19.81 ft below the flood stage of 20.00 ft.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 0.19 ft and 0.20 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, until steadier rain returns.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 13.64 ftJune 25, 1986

What the stage means on the water

A normal level is usually prime time for floating and wade fishing, as long as the weather holds upstream.

The National Weather Service puts flood stage for this gauge at 20.00 ft, still 19.81 ft away.

What happens at each level

25.00 ft: the river reaches major flood stage.
22.00 ft: the river reaches moderate flood stage, almost 6 feet above record stage (1966), covering U.S. Highway 285 with over 2 feet of very fast-moving water.
20.00 ft: the river reaches minor flood stage, flooding famrland, rangeland, and possibly U.S. Highway 285.
17.50 ft: the river floods a significant amount of Vandiver farms and area range land, rising to within 2 feet of U.S. Highway 285.
16.00 ft: the river reaches bankfull, and begins to spill out of the lowest banks onto the lowest terraces of Vandiver farms, about 4 feet below U.S. Highway 285.
0.19 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: < 5 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	13.64 ft	June 25, 1986
2	10.80 ft	November 3, 1983
3	10.61 ft	September 30, 2019
4	8.34 ft	August 20, 1977

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

19 Mon 78° 51° – Wind 10 mph

20 Tue 79° 55° – Wind 9 mph

21 Wed 80° 60° – Wind 14 mph

22 Thu 80° 61° – Wind 23 mph

23 Fri 75° 64° 0.98 in, 52% Wind 20 mph

24 Sat 74° 61° 0.09 in, 52% Wind 19 mph

25 Sun 65° 60° 0.40 in, 36% Wind 20 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:05 AM Sunset 06:21 PM Daylight 11 hr, 16 min First quarter 60%

Map

Other gauges on the Rio Penasco

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Rio Penasco near DunkenRiver gauge, Rio Penasco	4.0 cfs	Low	+0.9 cfs	45 mi
Rio Penasco near HopeRiver gauge, Rio Penasco	2.2 cfs	Low	±0	39 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Fourmile Draw near LakewoodRiver gauge, Fourmile Draw	2.21 ft	Below flood stage	±0	5.5 mi
Pecos River (Kaiser Channel) near LakewoodRiver gauge, Pecos River (Kaiser Channel)	9.50 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	8 mi
Pecos River near ArtesiaRiver gauge, Pecos River	2.93 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	9 mi
Brantley ReservoirReservoir	3,254.37 ft	High		14 mi
Pecos River below Brantley Dam near CarlsbadRiver gauge, Pecos River	109 cfs	Normal	±0	14 mi
Rocky Arroyo at Highway Brd near CarlsbadRiver gauge, Rocky Arroyo	3.22 ft	Below flood stage	±0	17 mi
Pecos River at Damsite 3 near CarlsbadRiver gauge, Pecos River	1.65 ft	Below flood stage	±0	17 mi
Pecos River near Lake ArthurRiver gauge, Pecos River	4.07 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	18 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Rio Penasco at Dayton?

The official flood stage is 20.00 ft. The level is currently 19.81 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 Rio Penasco at Dayton today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 08:45 AM MDT, the water level was 0.19 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Rio Penasco at Dayton rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Rio Penasco at Dayton normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Rio Penasco at Dayton?

The highest level on record is 13.64 ft on June 25, 1986.

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.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:08398500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 32.74345, -104.41413 (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	0.19 ft	2026-10-19 14:45	Provisional
Flow	0.0 cfs	2026-10-19 14:45	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Rio Penasco at Dayton (usgs:08398500). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/new-mexico/rio-penasco-at-dayton

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