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Rio Chama near Chamita

Highest listed crest 11.68 ftFlood stage 6.0 ft16 crests since 1920

The Rio Chama near Chamita crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 16 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1920 to 2013. The highest, 11.68 ft on August 14, 1994, was major flooding, 5.68 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
11.68 ft
August 14, 1994; 4,530 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
6.0 ft
Major flooding from 11.5 ft
Crests at major
1
6th of 46 gauges in New Mexico
Most recent flood crest
September 18, 2013
9.14 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Rio Arriba County
Near Española (5.3 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Rio Chama near Chamita
Action stage5.50—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)6.09Jul 21, 2009Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage8.06Sep 18, 2013Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage11.51Aug 14, 1994Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

16 crests from 1920 to 2013. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Rio Chama near Chamita, 1920 to 2013 681012ft Flood stage 6.0 ftMajor 11.5 ft May 22, 1920: 10.45 ft, moderate flooding; 15,000 cubic feet per secondAug 12, 1929: 9.65 ft, moderate flooding; 10,400 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 1941: 9.50 ft, moderate flooding; 9,910 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 1942: 8.80 ft, moderate flooding; 8,350 cubic feet per secondAug 9, 1967: 7.95 ft, minor flooding; 8,150 cubic feet per secondAug 29, 1969: 9.56 ft, moderate flooding; 10,000 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1984: 7.29 ft, minor flooding; 4,840 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1991: 6.89 ft, minor flooding; 3,820 cubic feet per secondAug 14, 1994: 11.68 ft, major flooding; 4,530 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1995: 6.74 ft, minor flooding; 3,260 cubic feet per secondSep 29, 1998: 7.29 ft, minor flooding; 4,190 cubic feet per secondJul 29, 2000: 6.59 ft, minor flooding; 3,190 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 2005: 6.86 ft, minor flooding; 3,450 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 2008: 6.33 ft, minor flooding; 2,640 cubic feet per secondJul 21, 2009: 6.66 ft, minor flooding; 3,140 cubic feet per secondSep 18, 2013: 9.14 ft, moderate flooding; 6,587 cubic feet per second Highest, 11.68 ft, Aug 14, 1994 19201940196019802000

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Rio Chama near Chamita 1920s: 2 1930s: 0 1940s: 2 1950s: 0 1960s: 2 1970s: 0 1980s: 1 1990s: 4 4 2000s: 4 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

Highest listed crests, Rio Chama near Chamita
1Aug 14, 199411.68+5.68Major4,530
2May 22, 192010.45+4.45Moderate15,000
3Aug 12, 19299.65+3.65Moderate10,400
4Aug 29, 19699.56+3.56Moderate10,000
5May 14, 19419.50+3.50Moderate9,910
6Sep 18, 20139.14+3.14Moderate6,587
7Apr 23, 19428.80+2.80Moderate8,350
8Aug 9, 19677.95+1.95Minor8,150
9Jun 18, 19847.29+1.29Minor4,840
10Sep 29, 19987.29+1.29Minor4,190
11Jun 13, 19916.89+0.89Minor3,820
12May 11, 20056.86+0.86Minor3,450
13May 22, 19956.74+0.74Minor3,260
14Jul 21, 20096.66+0.66Minor3,140
15Jul 29, 20006.59+0.59Minor3,190
16Apr 25, 20086.33+0.33Minor2,640

The worst floods along the Rio Chama

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

May 14, 1941: 9.50 ft here, moderate flooding

Gauges on the Rio Chama

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

Flood gauges on the Rio Chama
El Vado DamNM6.87.08 ft, May 7, 19850
AbiquiuNM5.45.52 ft, May 14, 19850
Chamita this gaugeNM6.011.68 ft, Aug 14, 19941

Other gauges in Rio Arriba County

Flood gauges in Rio Arriba County
Abiquiu5.45.52 ft, May 14, 19850
El Vado Dam6.87.08 ft, May 7, 19850
Embudo10.015.90 ft, Jun 19, 19031
Espanola9.510.40 ft, May 15, 19410
La Madera7.010.32 ft, Aug 25, 20251

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CMTN5, 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.