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Pecos River above Lake Arthur

Highest listed crest 21.90 ftFlood stage 20.0 ft32 crests since 1937

The Pecos River above Lake Arthur crested above flood stage 3 times among the 32 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1937 to 2019. The highest, 21.90 ft on September 24, 1941, was minor flooding, 1.90 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Pecos River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
21.90 ft
September 24, 1941; 49,600 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
20.0 ft
Major flooding from 25.0 ft
Crests at major
0
3 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
October 7, 1954
20.60 ft, minor flooding
Location
Chaves County
Near Artesia (11.2 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Pecos River above Lake Arthur
Action stage17.53Sep 13, 2013The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)20.03Oct 7, 1954Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage22.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage25.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

32 crests from 1937 to 2019. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Pecos River above Lake Arthur, 1937 to 2019 510152025ft Flood stage 20.0 ftMajor 25.0 ft May 30, 1937: 21.77 ft, minor flooding; 51,500 cubic feet per secondSep 5, 1938: 11.08 ft, below flood stage; 10,500 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1939: 8.50 ft, below flood stage; 5,840 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1940: 9.15 ft, below flood stage; 7,010 cubic feet per secondSep 24, 1941: 21.90 ft, minor flooding; 49,600 cubic feet per secondOct 2, 1941: 18.12 ft, action stage; 27,200 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 1948: 10.20 ft, below flood stage; 8,120 cubic feet per secondJul 15, 1949: 12.73 ft, below flood stage; 12,700 cubic feet per secondJul 7, 1950: 10.39 ft, below flood stage; 8,530 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1954: 10.69 ft, below flood stage; 7,740 cubic feet per secondOct 7, 1954: 20.60 ft, minor flooding; 26,700 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1957: 9.17 ft, below flood stage; 6,360 cubic feet per secondJul 11, 1960: 14.82 ft, below flood stage; 11,700 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 1963: 9.58 ft, below flood stage; 5,730 cubic feet per secondJul 29, 1965: 11.84 ft, below flood stage; 8,230 cubic feet per secondAug 24, 1966: 14.53 ft, below flood stage; 11,500 cubic feet per secondJul 6, 1968: 10.36 ft, below flood stage; 6,560 cubic feet per secondSep 10, 1972: 11.42 ft, below flood stage; 7,720 cubic feet per secondSep 23, 1974: 13.55 ft, below flood stage; 7,940 cubic feet per secondOct 24, 1974: 11.06 ft, below flood stage; 5,250 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 1986: 18.14 ft, action stage; 13,000 cubic feet per secondJul 17, 1991: 13.87 ft, below flood stage; 5,280 cubic feet per secondJun 30, 1996: 10.74 ft, below flood stage; 3,780 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 1999: 12.94 ft, below flood stage; 3,360 cubic feet per secondSep 12, 2002: 11.44 ft, below flood stage; 2,910 cubic feet per secondOct 7, 2005: 15.30 ft, below flood stage; 4,470 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 2006: 8.94 ft, below flood stage; 2,060 cubic feet per secondJul 22, 2009: 10.57 ft, below flood stage; 2,320 cubic feet per secondSep 13, 2013: 17.85 ft, action stage; 5,690 cubic feet per secondSep 24, 2014: 16.22 ft, below flood stage; 4,820 cubic feet per secondOct 21, 2015: 10.54 ft, below flood stage; 1,830 cubic feet per secondOct 2, 2019: 10.88 ft, below flood stage; 1,970 cubic feet per second Highest, 21.90 ft, Sep 24, 1941 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Pecos River above Lake Arthur 1930s: 1 1 1940s: 1 1950s: 1 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 2010s: 0 1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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, Pecos River above Lake Arthur
1Sep 24, 194121.90+1.90Minor49,600
2May 30, 193721.77+1.77Minor51,500
3Oct 7, 195420.60+0.60Minor26,700
4Jun 26, 198618.14−1.86Action13,000
5Oct 2, 194118.12−1.88Action27,200
6Sep 13, 201317.85−2.15Action5,690
7Sep 24, 201416.22−3.78Below flood stage4,820
8Oct 7, 200515.30−4.70Below flood stage4,470
9Jul 11, 196014.82−5.18Below flood stage11,700
10Aug 24, 196614.53−5.47Below flood stage11,500
11Jul 17, 199113.87−6.13Below flood stage5,280
12Sep 23, 197413.55−6.45Below flood stage7,940
13May 4, 199912.94−7.06Below flood stage3,360
14Jul 15, 194912.73−7.27Below flood stage12,700
15Jul 29, 196511.84−8.16Below flood stage8,230
16Sep 12, 200211.44−8.56Below flood stage2,910
17Sep 10, 197211.42−8.58Below flood stage7,720
18Sep 5, 193811.08−8.92Below flood stage10,500
19Oct 24, 197411.06−8.94Below flood stage5,250
20Oct 2, 201910.88−9.12Below flood stage1,970
21Jun 30, 199610.74−9.26Below flood stage3,780
22May 19, 195410.69−9.31Below flood stage7,740
23Jul 22, 200910.57−9.43Below flood stage2,320
24Oct 21, 201510.54−9.46Below flood stage1,830
25Jul 7, 195010.39−9.61Below flood stage8,530
26Jul 6, 196810.36−9.64Below flood stage6,560
27Jun 3, 194810.20−9.80Below flood stage8,120
28Jun 3, 19639.58−10.42Below flood stage5,730
29May 31, 19579.17−10.83Below flood stage6,360
30May 22, 19409.15−10.85Below flood stage7,010
31Jun 9, 20068.94−11.06Below flood stage2,060
32Apr 6, 19398.50−11.50Below flood stage5,840

The worst floods along the Pecos River

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

September 24, 1941: 21.90 ft here, minor flooding

  • AcmeNM · Sep 23, 1941 · 13.71 ft · Minor

May 30, 1937: 21.77 ft here, minor flooding

  • AcmeNM · May 28, 1937 · 14.82 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Pecos River

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

Flood gauges on the Pecos River
AcmeNM13.017.37 ft, Aug 21, 20221
Lake Arthur this gaugeNM20.021.90 ft, Sep 24, 19410

Other gauges in Chaves County

Flood gauges in Chaves County
Acme13.017.37 ft, Aug 21, 20221
Roswell26.028.78 ft, Sep 22, 19411

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge LATN5, 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.