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Gila River near Virden

Highest listed crest 29.00 ftFlood stage 15.0 ft90 crests since 1927

The Gila River near Virden crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 90 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1927 to 2016. The highest, 29.00 ft on December 19, 1978, was major flooding, 14.00 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Gila River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
29.00 ft
December 19, 1978; 58,700 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
15.0 ft
Major flooding from 28.0 ft
Crests at major
1
6th of 46 gauges in New Mexico
Most recent flood crest
September 16, 2013
17.68 ft, minor flooding
Location
Grant 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, Gila River near Virden
Action stage9.050Sep 30, 2016The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)15.08Sep 16, 2013Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage20.05Feb 12, 2005Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage28.01Dec 19, 1978Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

90 crests from 1927 to 2016. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Gila River near Virden, 1927 to 2016 0102030ft Flood stage 15.0 ftMajor 28.0 ft Jul 4, 1927: 5.90 ft, below flood stage; 1,800 cubic feet per secondJul 26, 1928: 5.54 ft, below flood stage; 1,630 cubic feet per secondJul 30, 1929: 8.85 ft, below flood stage; 5,700 cubic feet per secondAug 11, 1930: 9.43 ft, action stage; 7,400 cubic feet per secondAug 3, 1931: 13.60 ft, action stage; 8,000 cubic feet per secondJul 30, 1932: 12.35 ft, action stage; 6,800 cubic feet per secondSep 8, 1933: 11.10 ft, action stage; 5,650 cubic feet per secondAug 26, 1934: 13.50 ft, action stage; 8,920 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 1935: 13.30 ft, action stage; 8,600 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1936: 9.25 ft, action stage; 3,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 1937: 14.65 ft, action stage; 9,070 cubic feet per secondAug 31, 1938: 12.28 ft, action stage; 6,400 cubic feet per secondSep 16, 1939: 7.71 ft, below flood stage; 1,630 cubic feet per secondSep 6, 1940: 15.88 ft, minor flooding; 11,000 cubic feet per secondSep 29, 1941: 25.78 ft, moderate flooding; 41,700 cubic feet per secondSep 13, 1942: 8.18 ft, below flood stage; 3,140 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 1943: 6.87 ft, below flood stage; 1,600 cubic feet per secondAug 19, 1944: 9.03 ft, action stage; 4,010 cubic feet per secondAug 11, 1945: 10.00 ft, action stage; 5,370 cubic feet per secondOct 8, 1945: 13.07 ft, action stage; 10,600 cubic feet per secondAug 22, 1947: 8.46 ft, below flood stage; 3,400 cubic feet per secondAug 12, 1948: 8.10 ft, below flood stage; 2,240 cubic feet per secondJan 14, 1949: 17.43 ft, minor flooding; 15,600 cubic feet per secondSep 24, 1950: 8.05 ft, below flood stage; 2,190 cubic feet per secondAug 28, 1951: 4.40 ft, below flood stage; 440 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1952: 12.06 ft, action stage; 6,100 cubic feet per secondAug 21, 1953: 9.55 ft, action stage; 3,330 cubic feet per secondAug 21, 1954: 14.00 ft, action stage; 6,670 cubic feet per secondJul 28, 1955: 12.90 ft, action stage; 5,280 cubic feet per secondAug 13, 1956: 9.42 ft, action stage; 2,660 cubic feet per secondAug 5, 1957: 14.38 ft, action stage; 6,710 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1958: 12.45 ft, action stage; 4,550 cubic feet per secondAug 13, 1959: 18.20 ft, minor flooding; 16,400 cubic feet per secondJan 12, 1960: 12.40 ft, action stage; 5,220 cubic feet per secondAug 15, 1961: 8.19 ft, below flood stage; 1,920 cubic feet per secondSep 26, 1962: 11.20 ft, action stage; 3,920 cubic feet per secondAug 31, 1963: 14.46 ft, action stage; 7,320 cubic feet per secondJul 25, 1964: 11.90 ft, action stage; 4,480 cubic feet per secondJul 24, 1965: 9.22 ft, action stage; 2,540 cubic feet per secondDec 23, 1965: 17.30 ft, minor flooding; 10,900 cubic feet per secondAug 12, 1967: 17.70 ft, minor flooding; 11,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 1968: 10.50 ft, action stage; 2,920 cubic feet per secondSep 2, 1969: 8.78 ft, below flood stage; 1,790 cubic feet per secondSep 19, 1970: 7.45 ft, below flood stage; 1,130 cubic feet per secondSep 18, 1971: 11.48 ft, action stage; 3,730 cubic feet per secondOct 26, 1971: 13.12 ft, action stage; 5,700 cubic feet per secondOct 20, 1972: 21.90 ft, moderate flooding; 27,200 cubic feet per secondAug 4, 1974: 14.10 ft, action stage; 7,560 cubic feet per secondSep 8, 1975: 12.30 ft, action stage; 7,720 cubic feet per secondSep 15, 1976: 10.90 ft, action stage; 3,700 cubic feet per secondAug 13, 1977: 11.65 ft, action stage; 4,450 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1978: 14.25 ft, action stage; 7,800 cubic feet per secondDec 19, 1978: 29.00 ft, major flooding; 58,700 cubic feet per secondSep 10, 1980: 11.60 ft, action stage; 4,300 cubic feet per secondAug 18, 1981: 6.00 ft, below flood stage; 1,890 cubic feet per secondOct 2, 1981: 8.10 ft, below flood stage; 3,680 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 1983: 11.89 ft, action stage; 5,870 cubic feet per secondOct 2, 1983: 13.80 ft, action stage; 15,500 cubic feet per secondDec 28, 1984: 23.20 ft, moderate flooding; 37,000 cubic feet per secondOct 11, 1985: 12.21 ft, action stage; 6,670 cubic feet per secondAug 11, 1987: 9.50 ft, action stage; 2,680 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 1988: 13.58 ft, action stage; 9,000 cubic feet per secondJul 30, 1989: 6.30 ft, below flood stage; 696 cubic feet per secondAug 23, 1990: 6.99 ft, below flood stage; 710 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 1991: 14.14 ft, action stage; 10,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1992: 10.77 ft, action stage; 4,430 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 1993: 20.97 ft, moderate flooding; 30,000 cubic feet per secondSep 6, 1994: 7.06 ft, below flood stage; 783 cubic feet per secondDec 6, 1994: 16.40 ft, minor flooding; 22,700 cubic feet per secondAug 21, 1996: 10.73 ft, action stage; 11,200 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 1997: 14.91 ft, action stage; 19,300 cubic feet per secondJul 25, 1998: 6.98 ft, below flood stage; 2,350 cubic feet per secondAug 6, 1999: 7.75 ft, below flood stage; 3,680 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 2000: 3.81 ft, below flood stage; 266 cubic feet per secondNov 6, 2000: 8.09 ft, below flood stage; 4,380 cubic feet per secondSep 12, 2002: 8.95 ft, below flood stage; 6,830 cubic feet per secondOct 7, 2002: 9.34 ft, action stage; 7,920 cubic feet per secondSep 25, 2004: 12.78 ft, action stage; 14,950 cubic feet per secondFeb 12, 2005: 21.14 ft, moderate flooding; 32,700 cubic feet per secondAug 17, 2006: 12.85 ft, action stage; 8,280 cubic feet per secondOct 9, 2006: 9.77 ft, action stage; 3,580 cubic feet per secondJan 29, 2008: 15.40 ft, minor flooding; 12,500 cubic feet per secondSep 18, 2009: 8.57 ft, below flood stage; 2,270 cubic feet per secondJan 23, 2010: 10.28 ft, action stage; 3,170 cubic feet per secondAug 14, 2011: 6.43 ft, below flood stage; 740 cubic feet per secondAug 18, 2012: 7.62 ft, below flood stage; 1,290 cubic feet per secondSep 16, 2013: 17.68 ft, minor flooding; 11,200 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 2014: 11.89 ft, action stage; 4,440 cubic feet per secondJul 10, 2015: 11.54 ft, action stage; 3,770 cubic feet per secondSep 30, 2016: 9.48 ft, action stage; 2,140 cubic feet per second Highest, 29.00 ft, Dec 19, 1978 1940196019802000

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Gila River near Virden 1920s: 0 1930s: 0 1940s: 3 3 1950s: 1 1960s: 2 1970s: 2 1980s: 1 1990s: 2 2000s: 2 2010s: 1 1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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

The 50 highest of 90 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Gila River near Virden
1Dec 19, 197829.00+14.00Major58,700
2Sep 29, 194125.78+10.78Moderate41,700
3Dec 28, 198423.20+8.20Moderate37,000
4Oct 20, 197221.90+6.90Moderate27,200
5Feb 12, 200521.14+6.14Moderate32,700
6Jan 11, 199320.97+5.97Moderate30,000
7Aug 13, 195918.20+3.20Minor16,400
8Aug 12, 196717.70+2.70Minor11,500
9Sep 16, 201317.68+2.68Minor11,200
10Jan 14, 194917.43+2.43Minor15,600
11Dec 23, 196517.30+2.30Minor10,900
12Dec 6, 199416.40+1.40Minor22,700
13Sep 6, 194015.88+0.88Minor11,000
14Jan 29, 200815.40+0.40Minor12,500
15Sep 22, 199714.91−0.09Action19,300
16Feb 17, 193714.65−0.35Action9,070
17Aug 31, 196314.46−0.54Action7,320
18Aug 5, 195714.38−0.62Action6,710
19Mar 3, 197814.25−0.75Action7,800
20Mar 2, 199114.14−0.86Action10,200
21Aug 4, 197414.10−0.90Action7,560
22Aug 21, 195414.00−1.00Action6,670
23Oct 2, 198313.80−1.20Action15,500
24Aug 3, 193113.60−1.40Action8,000
25Sep 22, 198813.58−1.42Action9,000
26Aug 26, 193413.50−1.50Action8,920
27Sep 27, 193513.30−1.70Action8,600
28Oct 26, 197113.12−1.88Action5,700
29Oct 8, 194513.07−1.93Action10,600
30Jul 28, 195512.90−2.10Action5,280
31Aug 17, 200612.85−2.15Action8,280
32Sep 25, 200412.78−2.22Action14,950
33Mar 23, 195812.45−2.55Action4,550
34Jan 12, 196012.40−2.60Action5,220
35Jul 30, 193212.35−2.65Action6,800
36Sep 8, 197512.30−2.70Action7,720
37Aug 31, 193812.28−2.72Action6,400
38Oct 11, 198512.21−2.79Action6,670
39Jan 19, 195212.06−2.94Action6,100
40Jul 25, 196411.90−3.10Action4,480
41Feb 4, 198311.89−3.11Action5,870
42Sep 22, 201411.89−3.11Action4,440
43Aug 13, 197711.65−3.35Action4,450
44Sep 10, 198011.60−3.40Action4,300
45Jul 10, 201511.54−3.46Action3,770
46Sep 18, 197111.48−3.52Action3,730
47Sep 26, 196211.20−3.80Action3,920
48Sep 8, 193311.10−3.90Action5,650
49Sep 15, 197610.90−4.10Action3,700
50Feb 14, 199210.77−4.23Action4,430

The worst floods along the Gila River

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

December 19, 1978: 29.00 ft here, major flooding

  • RedrockNM · Dec 19, 1978 · 29.80 ft · Major

September 29, 1941: 25.78 ft here, moderate flooding

  • RedrockNM · Sep 29, 1941 · 31.00 ft · Major · its highest

December 28, 1984: 23.20 ft here, moderate flooding

  • RedrockNM · Dec 28, 1984 · 25.20 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Gila River

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

Flood gauges on the Gila River
GilaNM11.012.90 ft, Sep 15, 20130
Coolidge DamAZ2,515.02,521.36 ft, Jan 25, 19930
DuncanAZ20.021.36 ft, Feb 15, 20050
KelvinAZ27.033.00 ft, Oct 2, 19830
Painted Rock LakeAZ661.0667.05 ft, Feb 27, 19930
CalvaAZ20.023.00 ft, Oct 3, 19830
MaricopaAZ6.06.80 ft, Jan 22, 19930
RedrockNM20.031.00 ft, Sep 29, 19412
Virden this gaugeNM15.029.00 ft, Dec 19, 19781

Other gauges in Grant County

Flood gauges in Grant County
Gila11.012.90 ft, Sep 15, 20130
Redrock20.031.00 ft, Sep 29, 19412

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge GVRN5, 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.