Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Rio Grande at Albuquerque

Highest listed crest 12.30 ftFlood stage 8.0 ft18 crests since 1942

The Rio Grande at Albuquerque crested above flood stage 1 time among the 18 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1942 to 2017. The highest, 12.30 ft on April 24, 1942, was moderate flooding, 4.30 feet above flood stage. 3 other gauges on the Rio Grande crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
12.30 ft
April 24, 1942; 25,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
8.0 ft
Major flooding from 12.5 ft
Crests at major
0
1 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
April 24, 1942
12.30 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Bernalillo County
Near Albuquerque (2.2 mi), Rio Rancho (13.6 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Rio Grande at Albuquerque
Action stage8.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)8.00—Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage10.01Apr 24, 1942Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage12.50—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

18 crests from 1942 to 2017. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Rio Grande at Albuquerque, 1942 to 2017 468101214ft Flood stage 8.0 ftMajor 12.5 ft Apr 24, 1942: 12.30 ft, moderate flooding; 25,000 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1948: 6.61 ft, below flood stage; 13,100 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 1949: 6.47 ft, below flood stage; 10,800 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1958: 6.80 ft, below flood stage; 12,700 cubic feet per secondAug 10, 1967: 7.82 ft, below flood stage; 13,300 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1979: 6.97 ft, below flood stage; 8,650 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1984: 7.17 ft, below flood stage; 9,500 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 1985: 7.21 ft, below flood stage; 9,370 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 1994: 6.65 ft, below flood stage; 7,050 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 1995: 6.35 ft, below flood stage; 6,570 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1997: 6.21 ft, below flood stage; 6,270 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1999: 5.79 ft, below flood stage; 4,920 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 2001: 5.83 ft, below flood stage; 4,970 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 2005: 6.51 ft, below flood stage; 6,780 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2008: 6.31 ft, below flood stage; 5,400 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 2010: 6.17 ft, below flood stage; 5,140 cubic feet per secondSep 13, 2013: 5.74 ft, below flood stage; 4,350 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 2017: 6.59 ft, below flood stage; 6,560 cubic feet per second Highest, 12.30 ft, Apr 24, 1942 1950196019701980199020002010

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Rio Grande at Albuquerque 1940s: 1 1 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 2010s: 0 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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 Grande at Albuquerque
1Apr 24, 194212.30+4.30Moderate25,000
2Aug 10, 19677.82−0.18Below flood stage13,300
3Apr 24, 19857.21−0.79Below flood stage9,370
4May 28, 19847.17−0.83Below flood stage9,500
5Jun 1, 19796.97−1.03Below flood stage8,650
6May 30, 19586.80−1.20Below flood stage12,700
7May 11, 19946.65−1.35Below flood stage7,050
8May 28, 19486.61−1.39Below flood stage13,100
9May 10, 20176.59−1.41Below flood stage6,560
10Jun 3, 20056.51−1.49Below flood stage6,780
11Jun 23, 19496.47−1.53Below flood stage10,800
12May 25, 19956.35−1.65Below flood stage6,570
13May 25, 20086.31−1.69Below flood stage5,400
14Jun 8, 19976.21−1.79Below flood stage6,270
15May 22, 20106.17−1.83Below flood stage5,140
16May 22, 20015.83−2.17Below flood stage4,970
17May 28, 19995.79−2.21Below flood stage4,920
18Sep 13, 20135.74−2.26Below flood stage4,350

The worst floods along the Rio Grande

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

April 24, 1942: 12.30 ft here, moderate flooding

Gauges on the Rio Grande

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

Flood gauges on the Rio Grande
San Felipe PuebloNM8.510.53 ft, May 14, 19410
AlamosaCO9.010.62 ft, Jun 20, 19490
Albuquerque this gaugeNM8.012.30 ft, Apr 24, 19420
EmbudoNM10.015.90 ft, Jun 19, 19031
EspanolaNM9.510.40 ft, May 15, 19410
OtowiNM9.014.50 ft, Sep 29, 19040
Wagon Wheel GapCO6.06.10 ft, Jun 9, 19850
Cochiti DamNM6.67.05 ft, May 31, 19840
Del NorteCO5.56.80 ft, Oct 5, 19110
LobatosCO9.010.00 ft, Jun 18, 19030

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge ABQN5, 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.