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Rio Grande at Alamosa

Highest listed crest 10.62 ftFlood stage 9.0 ft13 crests since 1944

The Rio Grande at Alamosa crested above flood stage 4 times among the 13 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1944 to 2019. The highest, 10.62 ft on June 20, 1949, was minor flooding, 1.62 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Rio Grande crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
10.62 ft
June 20, 1949; 6,350 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
9.0 ft
Major flooding from 13.0 ft
Crests at major
0
4 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
June 20, 1949
10.62 ft, minor flooding
Location
Alamosa County
Colorado

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Rio Grande at Alamosa
Action stage7.05Jun 15, 2019The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)9.04Jun 20, 1949Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage11.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage13.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

13 crests from 1944 to 2019. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Rio Grande at Alamosa, 1944 to 2019 468101214ft Flood stage 9.0 ftMajor 13.0 ft May 18, 1944: 9.32 ft, minor flooding; 4,020 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1948: 9.97 ft, minor floodingJun 5, 1948: 9.87 ft, minor flooding; 5,160 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 1949: 10.62 ft, minor flooding; 6,350 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 1995: 8.84 ft, action stage; 4,050 cubic feet per secondSep 24, 1997: 7.63 ft, action stage; 2,200 cubic feet per secondOct 14, 1997: 7.50 ft, action stage; 2,000 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2005: 7.19 ft, action stage; 2,010 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 2008: 6.45 ft, below flood stage; 1,310 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 2009: 5.13 ft, below flood stage; 872 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 2012: 5.17 ft, below flood stage; 745 cubic feet per secondSep 29, 2013: 5.54 ft, below flood stage; 768 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 2019: 8.75 ft, action stage; 2,370 cubic feet per second Highest, 10.62 ft, Jun 20, 1949 19501960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Rio Grande at Alamosa 1940s: 4 4 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 2010s: 0 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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. 1 crest measured on an earlier gauge datum is left out: -0.99 ft on Jun 18, 1921.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Rio Grande at Alamosa
1Jun 20, 194910.62+1.62Minor6,350
2May 23, 19489.97+0.97Minor—
3Jun 5, 19489.87+0.87Minor5,160
4May 18, 19449.32+0.32Minor4,020
5Jul 3, 19958.84−0.16Action4,050
6Jun 15, 20198.75−0.25Action2,370
7Sep 24, 19977.63−1.37Action2,200
8Oct 14, 19977.50−1.50Action2,000
9May 25, 20057.19−1.81Action2,010
10Jun 5, 20086.45−2.55Below flood stage1,310
11Sep 29, 20135.54−3.46Below flood stage768
12Mar 28, 20125.17−3.83Below flood stage745
13May 9, 20095.13−3.87Below flood stage872

The worst floods along the Rio Grande

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

June 20, 1949: 10.62 ft here, minor flooding

  • EmbudoNM · Jun 22, 1949 · 12.17 ft · Moderate
  • Del NorteCO · Jun 19, 1949 · 6.16 ft · Minor

May 23, 1948: 9.97 ft here, minor flooding

  • EmbudoNM · May 27, 1948 · 12.32 ft · Moderate
  • Del NorteCO · May 22, 1948 · 5.81 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Rio Grande

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Rio Grande
San Felipe PuebloNM8.510.53 ft, May 14, 19410
Alamosa this gaugeCO9.010.62 ft, Jun 20, 19490
AlbuquerqueNM8.012.30 ft, Apr 24, 19420
EmbudoNM10.015.90 ft, Jun 19, 19031
EspanolaNM9.510.40 ft, May 15, 19410
OtowiNM9.014.50 ft, Sep 29, 19040
Wagon Wheel GapCO6.06.10 ft, Jun 9, 19850
Cochiti DamNM6.67.05 ft, May 31, 19840
Del NorteCO5.56.80 ft, Oct 5, 19110
LobatosCO9.010.00 ft, Jun 18, 19030

Alamosa County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Colorado

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge ALAC2, 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.