Rio Grande below Taos, NM
River level and flood forecast · Taos County
Normal3.5 ftas of Mon 12:30 PM
The river is 6.5 ft below flood stage (10 ft).
Flow: 186 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Sun, Dec 31, 5 PM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 15 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 12 ft |
| Flood stage | 10 ft |
| Action stage | 9 ft |
| Record crest (May 17, 1941) | 9.41 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 10 ftPortions of state road 570 from above Pilar up to the Taos Junction bridge are inundated by one to two feet of water. Water levels have not been this high in the Pilar region since at least 1921. Rafting takeout points below the Taos Junction bridge along state road 570 may no longer be accessable.
- 9 ftA few low spots along state road 570 above Pilar along the Rio Grande will have up to six inches of ponded water on the roadway. Some of the day use recreation areas above Pilar between state road 570 and the Rio Grande will begin to flood.
Highest crests on record
- 9.41 ft — May 17, 1941
- 9.23 ft — June 22, 1949
- 9.18 ft — June 7, 1948
- 8.92 ft — May 19, 1987
- 8.800000000000002 ft — May 8, 1952
Recent crests: 6.79 ft (May 24, 2008) · 8.13 ft (May 27, 2005) · 7.08 ft (June 6, 1997) · 8.74 ft (July 6, 1995) · 8.92 ft (May 19, 1987)
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (TJBN5); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.