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Rio Ojo Caliente below La Madera

Highest listed crest 10.32 ftFlood stage 7.0 ft13 crests since 1958

The Rio Ojo Caliente below La Madera crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 13 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1958 to 2025. The highest, 10.32 ft on August 25, 2025, was major flooding, 3.32 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
10.32 ft
August 25, 2025; 4,590 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
7.0 ft
Major flooding from 10.0 ft
Crests at major
1
6th of 46 gauges in New Mexico
Most recent flood crest
August 25, 2025
10.32 ft, major flooding
Location
Rio Arriba 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, Rio Ojo Caliente below La Madera
Action stage6.51Apr 20, 2017The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)7.05May 9, 2017Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage9.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage10.01Aug 25, 2025Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

13 crests from 1958 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Rio Ojo Caliente below La Madera, 1958 to 2025 4681012ft Flood stage 7.0 ftMajor 10.0 ft Apr 21, 1958: 6.42 ft, below flood stage; 3,140 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1980: 6.33 ft, below flood stage; 1,840 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 1985: 6.26 ft, below flood stage; 1,770 cubic feet per secondAug 14, 1994: 8.27 ft, minor flooding; 3,640 cubic feet per secondJul 8, 1998: 7.70 ft, minor flooding; 3,990 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 2000: 7.15 ft, minor flooding; 3,170 cubic feet per secondJul 9, 2002: 5.86 ft, below flood stage; 1,950 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 2005: 6.22 ft, below flood stage; 1,570 cubic feet per secondJul 26, 2007: 7.35 ft, minor flooding; 2,590 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 2009: 6.02 ft, below flood stage; 1,310 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 2017: 6.85 ft, action stage; 1,070 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 2017: 7.13 ft, minor flooding; 1,289 cubic feet per secondAug 25, 2025: 10.32 ft, major flooding; 4,590 cubic feet per second Highest, 10.32 ft, Aug 25, 2025 1960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Rio Ojo Caliente below La Madera 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 2 2 2000s: 2 2010s: 1 2020s: 1 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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. 4 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: -9.90 ft on Apr 16, 1937; -9.90 ft on May 13, 1941; -9.90 ft on Apr 23, 1942; -9.90 ft on May 5, 1952.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Rio Ojo Caliente below La Madera
1Aug 25, 202510.32+3.32Major4,590
2Aug 14, 19948.27+1.27Minor3,640
3Jul 8, 19987.70+0.70Minor3,990
4Jul 26, 20077.35+0.35Minor2,590
5Jun 29, 20007.15+0.15Minor3,170
6May 9, 20177.13+0.13Minor1,289
7Apr 20, 20176.85−0.15Action1,070
8Apr 21, 19586.42−0.58Below flood stage3,140
9May 8, 19806.33−0.67Below flood stage1,840
10May 6, 19856.26−0.74Below flood stage1,770
11May 18, 20056.22−0.78Below flood stage1,570
12Apr 30, 20096.02−0.98Below flood stage1,310
13Jul 9, 20025.86−1.14Below flood stage1,950

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
Chamita6.011.68 ft, Aug 14, 19941
Embudo10.015.90 ft, Jun 19, 19031
Espanola9.510.40 ft, May 15, 19410

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge LMDN5, 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.