Rio Ruidoso at Ruidoso water level

Name: Rio Ruidoso at Ruidoso 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 Ruidoso, New Mexico, United States

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

1.79ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 06:55 PM MDT (19 min ago)

Flow: 8.2 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

The Rio Ruidoso at Ruidoso is at 1.79 ft, in the normal range for mid-October.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 1.77 ft and 1.93 ft.

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

Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Floating and fishing near Rio Ruidoso at Ruidoso

Normal flows mean predictable rapids and good access at most put-ins.

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 67° 49° – Wind 10 mph

21 Wed 71° 51° – Wind 9 mph

22 Thu 69° 53° – Wind 9 mph

23 Fri 64° 51° 0.61 in, 78% Wind 10 mph

24 Sat 62° 48° 0.46 in, 78% Wind 10 mph

25 Sun 59° 49° 0.09 in, 62% Wind 11 mph

26 Mon 63° 47° 0.08 in, 50% Wind 8 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:13 AM Sunset 06:24 PM Daylight 11 hr, 11 min Waxing gibbous 73%

Map

Other gauges on the Rio Ruidoso

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Rio Ruidoso at HollywoodRiver gauge, Rio Ruidoso	2.12 ft	Below flood stage	−0.08 ft	5.9 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Eagle Creek below South Fork near AltoRiver gauge, Eagle Creek	1.6 cfs	Normal	+1.6 cfs	3.9 mi
Gavilan Canyon at Skunk Canyon near HollywoodRiver gauge, Gavilan Canyon	2.09 ft	No reference yet	±0	4.8 mi
Eagle Creek at AltoRiver gauge, Eagle Creek	4.02 ft	No reference yet	±0	4.9 mi
North Fork Eagle Creek near AltoRiver gauge, North Fork Eagle Creek	1.0 cfs	Normal	±0	5.1 mi
Tularosa Creek near BentRiver gauge, Tularosa Creek	9.3 cfs	Low	+0.3 cfs	17 mi
Malpais Spring near OscuraRiver gauge, Malpais Spring	6.3 cfs	Very high	±0	34 mi
Salt Creek near TularosaRiver gauge, Salt Creek	0.3 cfs	Normal	+0.1 cfs	39 mi
Rio Penasco near DunkenRiver gauge, Rio Penasco	3.9 cfs	Low	+0.7 cfs	45 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 Ruidoso at Ruidoso today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 06:55 PM MDT, the water level was 1.79 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Rio Ruidoso at Ruidoso rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Rio Ruidoso at Ruidoso normal?

Normal 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:08386505 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 33.33653, -105.72631 (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	1.79 ft	2026-10-21 00:55	Provisional
Flow	8.2 cfs	2026-10-21 00:55	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Rio Ruidoso at Ruidoso (usgs:08386505). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/new-mexico/rio-ruidoso-at-ruidoso

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