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Animas River at Durango

Highest listed crest 8.39 ftFlood stage 8.0 ft25 crests since 2004

The Animas River at Durango crested above flood stage 1 time among the 25 crests the National Weather Service lists from 2004 to 2026. The highest, 8.39 ft on October 23, 2026, was minor flooding, 0.39 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Animas River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
8.39 ft
October 23, 2026; 11,172 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
8.0 ft
Major flooding from 10.5 ft
Crests at major
0
1 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
October 23, 2026
8.39 ft, minor flooding
Location
La Plata County
Near Durango (1.1 mi)

Flood stages

The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.

Flood categories, Animas River at Durango
Action stage7.01May 25, 2005The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)8.01Oct 23, 2026Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage9.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage10.50—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

25 crests from 2004 to 2026. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Animas River at Durango, 2004 to 2026 24681012ft Flood stage 8.0 ftMajor 10.5 ft Sep 20, 2004: 5.58 ft, below flood stage; 4,170 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2005: 7.40 ft, action stage; 8,550 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2006: 5.34 ft, below flood stage; 3,590 cubic feet per secondOct 7, 2006: 6.92 ft, below flood stage; 7,720 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2008: 6.60 ft, below flood stage; 6,220 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 2009: 6.37 ft, below flood stage; 5,510 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 2010: 6.10 ft, below flood stage; 5,140 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2011: 6.28 ft, below flood stage; 5,570 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 2012: 4.40 ft, below flood stage; 2,290 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 2013: 4.90 ft, below flood stage; 2,990 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 2014: 5.75 ft, below flood stage; 5,070 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 2015: 6.69 ft, below flood stage; 6,730 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2016: 6.23 ft, below flood stage; 5,680 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 2017: 5.74 ft, below flood stage; 4,620 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 2018: 4.25 ft, below flood stage; 2,020 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 2019: 6.87 ft, below flood stage; 7,310 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2020: 5.80 ft, below flood stage; 4,750 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 2021: 5.05 ft, below flood stage; 3,280 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 2022: 4.90 ft, below flood stage; 3,020 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 2023: 5.85 ft, below flood stage; 4,710 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2024: 5.25 ft, below flood stage; 3,510 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 2025: 4.79 ft, below flood stage; 2,759 cubic feet per secondOct 14, 2025: 6.41 ft, below flood stage; 5,910 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 2026: 3.86 ft, below flood stage; 1,459 cubic feet per secondOct 23, 2026: 8.39 ft, minor flooding; 11,172 cubic feet per second Highest, 8.39 ft, Oct 23, 2026 20052010201520202025

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Animas River at Durango 2000s: 0 2010s: 0 2020s: 1 1 2000s2010s2020s
  1. These are the crests the local National Weather Service office lists for the gauge: the highest on record and recent crests. Lesser floods between them may be missing, so counts by decade are a floor.
  2. Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.
  3. 82 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 11.00 ft on Oct 5, 1911; 6.58 ft on Jun 10, 1922; 5.32 ft on Jun 15, 1924; 6.00 ft on Sep 19, 1925; 5.57 ft on Jun 6, 1926; 9.65 ft on Jun 29, 1927; and more.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Animas River at Durango
1Oct 23, 20268.39+0.39Minor11,172
2May 25, 20057.40−0.60Action8,550
3Oct 7, 20066.92−1.08Below flood stage7,720
4Jun 9, 20196.87−1.13Below flood stage7,310
5Jun 11, 20156.69−1.31Below flood stage6,730
6May 21, 20086.60−1.40Below flood stage6,220
7Oct 14, 20256.41−1.59Below flood stage5,910
8May 12, 20096.37−1.63Below flood stage5,510
9Jun 7, 20116.28−1.72Below flood stage5,570
10Jun 6, 20166.23−1.77Below flood stage5,680
11May 29, 20106.10−1.90Below flood stage5,140
12May 26, 20235.85−2.15Below flood stage4,710
13Jun 7, 20205.80−2.20Below flood stage4,750
14Jun 2, 20145.75−2.25Below flood stage5,070
15Jun 5, 20175.74−2.26Below flood stage4,620
16Sep 20, 20045.58−2.42Below flood stage4,170
17May 25, 20065.34−2.66Below flood stage3,590
18Jun 7, 20245.25−2.75Below flood stage3,510
19Jun 5, 20215.05−2.95Below flood stage3,280
20May 18, 20134.90−3.10Below flood stage2,990
21May 16, 20224.90−3.10Below flood stage3,020
22Jun 1, 20254.79−3.21Below flood stage2,759
23May 6, 20124.40−3.60Below flood stage2,290
24May 11, 20184.25−3.75Below flood stage2,020
25May 15, 20263.86−4.14Below flood stage1,459

The worst floods along the Animas River

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Animas River that crested above flood stage within a week.

October 23, 2026: 8.39 ft here, minor flooding

  • Cedar HillCO · Oct 24, 2026 · 11.91 ft · Moderate · its highest

Gauges on the Animas River

In USGS station-number order, which runs downstream within a river basin.

Flood gauges on the Animas River
Durango this gaugeCO8.08.39 ft, Oct 23, 20260
Cedar HillCO10.511.91 ft, Oct 24, 20260
FarmingtonNM10.016.50 ft, Oct 6, 19112

Other gauges in La Plata County

Flood gauges in La Plata County
Cedar Hill10.511.91 ft, Oct 24, 20260
Hesperus5.55.84 ft, May 21, 20050
State Line9.011.36 ft, Aug 24, 19270
Bayfield5.65.67 ft, Jun 12, 20150

La Plata County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Colorado

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge DRGC2, retrieved October 30, 2026. Stages in feet on the gauge's own datum, not elevation. Crests are as the National Weather Service lists them; preliminary values may be revised.