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Rio Grande at Wagon Wheel Gap

Highest listed crest 6.10 ftFlood stage 6.0 ft19 crests since 1957

The Rio Grande at Wagon Wheel Gap crested above flood stage 1 time among the 19 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1957 to 2019. The highest, 6.10 ft on June 9, 1985, was minor flooding, 0.10 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Rio Grande crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
6.10 ft
June 9, 1985; 5,190 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
6.0 ft
No major stage set
Crests at major
0
1 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
June 9, 1985
6.10 ft, minor flooding
Location
Mineral 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 Wagon Wheel Gap
Action stage5.012Jun 12, 2019The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)6.01Jun 9, 1985Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat

Every listed crest

19 crests from 1957 to 2019. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Rio Grande at Wagon Wheel Gap, 1957 to 2019 4.555.566.5ft Flood stage 6.0 ft Jul 26, 1957: 5.38 ft, action stage; 4,870 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 1958: 5.32 ft, action stage; 4,550 cubic feet per secondSep 6, 1970: 5.84 ft, action stage; 4,660 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1975: 5.34 ft, action stage; 4,040 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1979: 5.60 ft, action stage; 4,480 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1980: 5.41 ft, action stage; 4,210 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1984: 5.32 ft, action stage; 4,250 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1985: 6.10 ft, minor flooding; 5,190 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 1986: 5.54 ft, action stage; 4,560 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1987: 5.21 ft, action stage; 4,090 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1990: 5.19 ft, action stage; 4,040 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 1997: 5.46 ft, action stage; 4,550 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1999: 4.94 ft, below flood stage; 4,000 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 2001: 4.83 ft, below flood stage; 4,240 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 2005: 4.88 ft, below flood stage; 4,410 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2008: 4.84 ft, below flood stage; 4,280 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 2015: 4.93 ft, below flood stage; 4,610 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2016: 4.76 ft, below flood stage; 4,210 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 2019: 5.38 ft, action stage; 5,220 cubic feet per second Highest, 6.10 ft, Jun 9, 1985 1960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Rio Grande at Wagon Wheel Gap 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 1 1 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 2010s: 0 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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, Rio Grande at Wagon Wheel Gap
1Jun 9, 19856.10+0.10Minor5,190
2Sep 6, 19705.84−0.16Action4,660
3May 30, 19795.60−0.40Action4,480
4Jun 7, 19865.54−0.46Action4,560
5Jun 2, 19975.46−0.54Action4,550
6Jun 10, 19805.41−0.59Action4,210
7Jul 26, 19575.38−0.62Action4,870
8Jun 12, 20195.38−0.62Action5,220
9Jun 15, 19755.34−0.66Action4,040
10May 24, 19585.32−0.68Action4,550
11May 27, 19845.32−0.68Action4,250
12Jun 16, 19875.21−0.79Action4,090
13Jun 5, 19905.19−0.81Action4,040
14Jun 10, 19994.94−1.06Below flood stage4,000
15Jun 11, 20154.93−1.07Below flood stage4,610
16May 22, 20054.88−1.12Below flood stage4,410
17May 21, 20084.84−1.16Below flood stage4,280
18Jun 2, 20014.83−1.17Below flood stage4,240
19Jun 6, 20164.76−1.24Below flood stage4,210

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 9, 1985: 6.10 ft here, minor flooding

  • Del NorteCO · Jun 9, 1985 · 5.91 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
AlamosaCO9.010.62 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 Gap this gaugeCO6.06.10 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

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge RWGC2, 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.