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Pecos River 3 miles ESE of Malaga

Highest listed crest 42.10 ftFlood stage 30.0 ft9 crests since 1954

The Pecos River 3 miles ESE of Malaga crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 9 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1954 to 2014. The highest, 42.10 ft on August 23, 1966, was major flooding, 12.10 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
42.10 ft
August 23, 1966; 120,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
30.0 ft
Major flooding from 42.0 ft
Crests at major
1
6th of 46 gauges in New Mexico
Most recent flood crest
June 24, 1986
31.41 ft, minor flooding
Location
Eddy 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, Pecos River 3 miles ESE of Malaga
Action stage20.06Sep 19, 2014The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)30.01Jun 24, 1986Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage35.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage42.01Aug 23, 1966Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

9 crests from 1954 to 2014. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Pecos River 3 miles ESE of Malaga, 1954 to 2014 1020304050ft Flood stage 30.0 ftMajor 42.0 ft Oct 6, 1954: 28.31 ft, action stage; 43,100 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1965: 18.55 ft, below flood stage; 12,900 cubic feet per secondAug 23, 1966: 42.10 ft, major flooding; 120,000 cubic feet per secondOct 21, 1969: 24.34 ft, action stage; 29,800 cubic feet per secondSep 26, 1978: 25.39 ft, action stage; 25,410 cubic feet per secondSep 26, 1980: 25.71 ft, action stage; 26,400 cubic feet per secondAug 11, 1984: 23.94 ft, action stage; 22,300 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 1986: 31.41 ft, minor flooding; 49,100 cubic feet per secondSep 19, 2014: 22.13 ft, action stage; 17,892 cubic feet per second Highest, 42.10 ft, Aug 23, 1966 196019701980199020002010

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Pecos River 3 miles ESE of Malaga 1950s: 0 1960s: 1 1 1970s: 0 1980s: 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.
  3. 1 crest measured on an earlier gauge datum is left out: 29.40 ft on Sep 1, 1919.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Pecos River 3 miles ESE of Malaga
1Aug 23, 196642.10+12.10Major120,000
2Jun 24, 198631.41+1.41Minor49,100
3Oct 6, 195428.31−1.69Action43,100
4Sep 26, 198025.71−4.29Action26,400
5Sep 26, 197825.39−4.61Action25,410
6Oct 21, 196924.34−5.66Action29,800
7Aug 11, 198423.94−6.06Action22,300
8Sep 19, 201422.13−7.87Action17,892
9May 31, 196518.55−11.45Below flood stage12,900

Other gauges in Eddy County

Flood gauges in Eddy County
Black River 5 miles W of Malaga18.021.70 ft, Aug 23, 19660
Carlsbad15.022.00 ft, Aug 23, 19661
Delaware River (NM) 11 miles NW of Red Bluff26.027.00 ft, Oct 2, 19550
Fourmile Draw 4 miles NNW of Lakewood12.017.18 ft, Jun 25, 19860
Pecos River 10 miles S of Malaga20.033.32 ft, Aug 23, 19661
Dark Canyon14.022.00 ft, Aug 23, 19662
Pecos River 6 miles E of Artesia12.513.76 ft, Oct 8, 19540
Pecos River 6 miles NE of Lakewood20.022.35 ft, Sep 19, 20130

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge MLGN5, 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.