Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

La Plata River at State Line

Highest listed crest 11.36 ftFlood stage 9.0 ft24 crests since 1927

The La Plata River at State Line crested above flood stage 5 times among the 24 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1927 to 2005. The highest, 11.36 ft on August 24, 1927, was moderate flooding, 2.36 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
11.36 ft
August 24, 1927; 4,750 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
9.0 ft
Major flooding from 11.5 ft
Crests at major
0
5 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
July 25, 1977
9.45 ft, minor flooding
Location
La Plata County
Colorado

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, La Plata River at State Line
Action stage8.02Sep 9, 2003The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)9.03Jul 25, 1977Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage10.52Aug 26, 1934Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage11.50—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

24 crests from 1927 to 2005. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the La Plata River at State Line, 1927 to 2005 4681012ft Flood stage 9.0 ftMajor 11.5 ft Aug 24, 1927: 11.36 ft, moderate flooding; 4,750 cubic feet per secondAug 26, 1934: 10.80 ft, moderate flooding; 4,390 cubic feet per secondAug 30, 1936: 6.60 ft, below flood stage; 1,850 cubic feet per secondJul 29, 1937: 6.60 ft, below flood stage; 1,830 cubic feet per secondAug 24, 1940: 5.83 ft, below flood stage; 1,460 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 1941: 5.54 ft, below flood stage; 1,360 cubic feet per secondOct 25, 1941: 6.78 ft, below flood stage; 1,960 cubic feet per secondJul 29, 1946: 4.75 ft, below flood stage; 1,010 cubic feet per secondAug 22, 1947: 5.65 ft, below flood stage; 1,430 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 1949: 5.46 ft, below flood stage; 1,030 cubic feet per secondSep 19, 1950: 9.00 ft, minor flooding; 2,980 cubic feet per secondJul 29, 1953: 6.10 ft, below flood stage; 1,480 cubic feet per secondJul 27, 1955: 9.30 ft, minor flooding; 3,200 cubic feet per secondAug 5, 1959: 6.00 ft, below flood stage; 1,430 cubic feet per secondAug 3, 1970: 6.02 ft, below flood stage; 1,150 cubic feet per secondOct 20, 1972: 5.73 ft, below flood stage; 1,520 cubic feet per secondJul 25, 1977: 9.45 ft, minor flooding; 3,400 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 1979: 4.05 ft, below flood stage; 1,090 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 1980: 5.79 ft, below flood stage; 1,580 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 1981: 8.98 ft, action stage; 3,300 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 1990: 5.70 ft, below flood stage; 1,100 cubic feet per secondAug 25, 1995: 6.59 ft, below flood stage; 1,050 cubic feet per secondSep 9, 2003: 8.67 ft, action stage; 1,380 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 2005: 6.73 ft, below flood stage; 650 cubic feet per second Highest, 11.36 ft, Aug 24, 1927 19301940195019601970198019902000

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, La Plata River at State Line 1920s: 1 1930s: 1 1940s: 0 1950s: 2 2 1960s: 0 1970s: 1 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s
  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. 2 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 8.10 ft on Aug 6, 1929; 9.70 ft on Aug 9, 1930.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, La Plata River at State Line
1Aug 24, 192711.36+2.36Moderate4,750
2Aug 26, 193410.80+1.80Moderate4,390
3Jul 25, 19779.45+0.45Minor3,400
4Jul 27, 19559.30+0.30Minor3,200
5Sep 19, 19509.000.00Minor2,980
6Jul 13, 19818.98−0.02Action3,300
7Sep 9, 20038.67−0.33Action1,380
8Oct 25, 19416.78−2.22Below flood stage1,960
9May 22, 20056.73−2.27Below flood stage650
10Aug 30, 19366.60−2.40Below flood stage1,850
11Jul 29, 19376.60−2.40Below flood stage1,830
12Aug 25, 19956.59−2.41Below flood stage1,050
13Jul 29, 19536.10−2.90Below flood stage1,480
14Aug 3, 19706.02−2.98Below flood stage1,150
15Aug 5, 19596.00−3.00Below flood stage1,430
16Aug 24, 19405.83−3.17Below flood stage1,460
17Apr 23, 19805.79−3.21Below flood stage1,580
18Oct 20, 19725.73−3.27Below flood stage1,520
19Sep 28, 19905.70−3.30Below flood stage1,100
20Aug 22, 19475.65−3.35Below flood stage1,430
21May 4, 19415.54−3.46Below flood stage1,360
22Jun 19, 19495.46−3.54Below flood stage1,030
23Jul 29, 19464.75−4.25Below flood stage1,010
24Apr 19, 19794.05−4.95Below flood stage1,090

Gauges on the La Plata River

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

Flood gauges on the La Plata River
HesperusCO5.55.84 ft, May 21, 20050
State Line this gaugeCO9.011.36 ft, Aug 24, 19270

Other gauges in La Plata County

Flood gauges in La Plata County
Cedar Hill10.511.91 ft, Oct 24, 20260
Durango8.08.39 ft, Oct 23, 20260
Hesperus5.55.84 ft, May 21, 20050
Bayfield5.65.67 ft, Jun 12, 20150

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge LPSC2, 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.