Uncompahgre River at Colona, CO
River level and flood forecast · Ouray County
Normal3.5 ftas of Mon 1:50 PM
The river is 6.0 ft below flood stage (9.5 ft).
Forecast to hold near 3.5 ft through Mon, Oct 19, 6 AM.
Flow: 56 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 11:22 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 14 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 12.5 ft |
| Flood stage | 9.5 ft |
| Action stage | 8.8 ft |
| Record crest (June 18, 2015) | 6.83 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 18 ftWater is overflowing the buckhorn road bridge and floods pasture lands and ranch buildings within 400 feet of the right riverbank. Water flows over properties within 150 feet of the left riverbank.
- 14 ftBuckhorn road east of the bridge over the Uncompahgre River is flooding. River water covers portions of the pasture and ranch land with in 200 feet of the right bank of the Uncompahgre River and reaches nearby houses and farm buildings. Flood waters reach properties to the southeast of the Buckhorn road bridge.
- 12.5 ftFlood waters are approaching Buckhorn Road east of the bridge over the Uncompahgre River and the house and farm buildings along the right bank near the bridge.
- 10.8 ftWater is inundating outbuildings and covers large portions of the pasture and corral along the right bank.
- 9.5 ftMinor flooding is occuring. The Uncompahgre River is approaching outbuildings and inundating pasture and farm land.
- 8.8 ftThe Uncompahgre River starts to inundate low-lying pasture land adjacent to the river banks.
- 8.5 ftThe Uncompahgre river reaches bankfull. Some minor flooding is occurring in low-lying marshes adjacent to the river banks.
Highest crests on record
- 6.83 ft — June 18, 2015
- 6.61 ft — June 11, 2016
- 6.46 ft — June 18, 2017
- 6.43 ft — June 22, 2024
- 6.32 ft — May 30, 2014
Recent crests: 5.36 ft (June 3, 2025) · 6.43 ft (June 22, 2024) · 5.87 ft (May 3, 2023) · 5.8 ft (May 1, 2022) · 5.17 ft (June 5, 2021)
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (CLOC2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.