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Canadian River near Sanchez

Highest listed crest 36.60 ftFlood stage 22.0 ft25 crests since 1913

The Canadian River near Sanchez crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 25 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1913 to 2017. The highest, 36.60 ft on June 18, 1965, was major flooding, 14.60 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Canadian River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
36.60 ft
June 18, 1965; 145,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
22.0 ft
Major flooding from 30.0 ft
Crests at major
2
1st of 46 gauges in New Mexico
Most recent flood crest
June 18, 1965
36.60 ft, major flooding
Location
San Miguel County
New Mexico

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Canadian River near Sanchez
Action stage21.01May 1, 1999The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)22.03May 19, 1955Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage26.01Jun 12, 1913Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage30.02Jun 18, 1965Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

25 crests from 1913 to 2017. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Canadian River near Sanchez, 1913 to 2017 010203040ft Flood stage 22.0 ftMajor 30.0 ft Jun 12, 1913: 29.30 ft, moderate flooding; 82,700 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 1937: 23.20 ft, minor flooding; 46,300 cubic feet per secondOct 9, 1938: 16.00 ft, below flood stage; 19,000 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 1941: 23.00 ft, minor flooding; 44,900 cubic feet per secondSep 2, 1942: 30.00 ft, major flooding; 87,800 cubic feet per secondAug 29, 1946: 16.80 ft, below flood stage; 21,000 cubic feet per secondJul 7, 1947: 16.30 ft, below flood stage; 20,000 cubic feet per secondAug 10, 1951: 13.65 ft, below flood stage; 13,000 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1955: 22.30 ft, minor flooding; 41,200 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1965: 36.60 ft, major flooding; 145,000 cubic feet per secondJul 12, 1967: 12.15 ft, below flood stage; 11,300 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 1972: 12.50 ft, below flood stage; 12,400 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 1979: 14.60 ft, below flood stage; 16,600 cubic feet per secondAug 12, 1981: 11.73 ft, below flood stage; 9,810 cubic feet per secondJul 8, 1982: 15.66 ft, below flood stage; 19,900 cubic feet per secondAug 23, 1984: 12.79 ft, below flood stage; 11,800 cubic feet per secondSep 10, 1991: 16.14 ft, below flood stage; 18,900 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1995: 14.23 ft, below flood stage; 9,220 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 1999: 21.00 ft, action stage; 35,600 cubic feet per secondJul 11, 2004: 10.10 ft, below flood stage; 5,420 cubic feet per secondAug 20, 2006: 10.73 ft, below flood stage; 6,350 cubic feet per secondSep 29, 2007: 10.08 ft, below flood stage; 5,400 cubic feet per secondAug 7, 2008: 9.92 ft, below flood stage; 5,140 cubic feet per secondJul 27, 2014: 19.08 ft, below flood stage; 26,800 cubic feet per secondAug 10, 2017: 13.86 ft, below flood stage; 11,700 cubic feet per second Highest, 36.60 ft, Jun 18, 1965 19201940196019802000

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Canadian River near Sanchez 1910s: 1 1920s: 0 1930s: 1 1940s: 2 2 1950s: 1 1960s: 1 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 2010s: 0 1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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: 16.00 ft on May 1, 1914.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Canadian River near Sanchez
1Jun 18, 196536.60+14.60Major145,000
2Sep 2, 194230.00+8.00Major87,800
3Jun 12, 191329.30+7.30Moderate82,700
4Jun 3, 193723.20+1.20Minor46,300
5May 2, 194123.00+1.00Minor44,900
6May 19, 195522.30+0.30Minor41,200
7May 1, 199921.00−1.00Action35,600
8Jul 27, 201419.08−2.92Below flood stage26,800
9Aug 29, 194616.80−5.20Below flood stage21,000
10Jul 7, 194716.30−5.70Below flood stage20,000
11Sep 10, 199116.14−5.86Below flood stage18,900
12Oct 9, 193816.00−6.00Below flood stage19,000
13Jul 8, 198215.66−6.34Below flood stage19,900
14May 21, 197914.60−7.40Below flood stage16,600
15May 31, 199514.23−7.77Below flood stage9,220
16Aug 10, 201713.86−8.14Below flood stage11,700
17Aug 10, 195113.65−8.35Below flood stage13,000
18Aug 23, 198412.79−9.21Below flood stage11,800
19Jul 4, 197212.50−9.50Below flood stage12,400
20Jul 12, 196712.15−9.85Below flood stage11,300
21Aug 12, 198111.73−10.27Below flood stage9,810
22Aug 20, 200610.73−11.27Below flood stage6,350
23Jul 11, 200410.10−11.90Below flood stage5,420
24Sep 29, 200710.08−11.92Below flood stage5,400
25Aug 7, 20089.92−12.08Below flood stage5,140

The worst floods along the Canadian River

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

June 18, 1965: 36.60 ft here, major flooding

  • Taylor SpringsNM · Jun 18, 1965 · 47.40 ft · Moderate · its highest

Gauges on the Canadian River

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

Flood gauges on the Canadian River
Taylor SpringsNM38.047.40 ft, Jun 18, 19650
Sanchez this gaugeNM22.036.60 ft, Jun 18, 19652

Other gauges in San Miguel County

Flood gauges in San Miguel County
Montezuma7.09.70 ft, Aug 2, 19660
Pecos5.06.20 ft, Sep 21, 19290

San Miguel County: every hazard · River floods across the country · New Mexico

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SNCN5, 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.