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Purgatoire River at Madrid

Highest listed crest 12.80 ftFlood stage 7.0 ft16 crests since 1975

The Purgatoire River at Madrid crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 16 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1975 to 2017. The highest, 12.80 ft on July 20, 1976, was major flooding, 5.80 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
12.80 ft
July 20, 1976; 14,300 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
7.0 ft
Major flooding from 11.0 ft
Crests at major
1
6th of 100 gauges in Colorado
Most recent flood crest
May 9, 2017
7.13 ft, minor flooding
Location
Las Animas County
Colorado

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Purgatoire River at Madrid
Action stage6.06Aug 13, 2015The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)7.07May 9, 2017Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage9.02Aug 10, 1981Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage11.01Jul 20, 1976Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

16 crests from 1975 to 2017. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Purgatoire River at Madrid, 1975 to 2017 68101214ft Flood stage 7.0 ftMajor 11.0 ft Jul 12, 1975: 8.00 ft, minor flooding; 4,500 cubic feet per secondJul 20, 1976: 12.80 ft, major flooding; 14,300 cubic feet per secondJul 10, 1978: 9.00 ft, moderate flooding; 7,100 cubic feet per secondAug 14, 1979: 8.36 ft, minor flooding; 6,620 cubic feet per secondAug 10, 1981: 10.94 ft, moderate flooding; 11,600 cubic feet per secondJul 31, 1992: 7.51 ft, minor flooding; 4,850 cubic feet per secondJul 17, 1993: 7.37 ft, minor flooding; 4,680 cubic feet per secondAug 5, 1997: 6.91 ft, action stage; 4,130 cubic feet per secondSep 3, 2003: 6.61 ft, action stage; 2,360 cubic feet per secondAug 5, 2004: 7.12 ft, minor flooding; 6,230 cubic feet per secondAug 29, 2008: 7.17 ft, minor flooding; 6,400 cubic feet per secondJul 25, 2009: 6.47 ft, action stage; 4,250 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 2013: 6.82 ft, action stage; 5,270 cubic feet per secondAug 26, 2014: 6.71 ft, action stage; 4,940 cubic feet per secondAug 13, 2015: 6.82 ft, action stage; 5,270 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 2017: 7.13 ft, minor flooding; 6,270 cubic feet per second Highest, 12.80 ft, Jul 20, 1976 1980199020002010

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Purgatoire River at Madrid 1970s: 4 4 1980s: 1 1990s: 2 2000s: 2 2010s: 1 1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Purgatoire River at Madrid
1Jul 20, 197612.80+5.80Major14,300
2Aug 10, 198110.94+3.94Moderate11,600
3Jul 10, 19789.00+2.00Moderate7,100
4Aug 14, 19798.36+1.36Minor6,620
5Jul 12, 19758.00+1.00Minor4,500
6Jul 31, 19927.51+0.51Minor4,850
7Jul 17, 19937.37+0.37Minor4,680
8Aug 29, 20087.17+0.17Minor6,400
9May 9, 20177.13+0.13Minor6,270
10Aug 5, 20047.12+0.12Minor6,230
11Aug 5, 19976.91−0.09Action4,130
12May 8, 20136.82−0.18Action5,270
13Aug 13, 20156.82−0.18Action5,270
14Aug 26, 20146.71−0.29Action4,940
15Sep 3, 20036.61−0.39Action2,360
16Jul 25, 20096.47−0.53Action4,250

Las Animas County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Colorado

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge PGMC2, 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.