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Rio Grande at El Paso (Courchesne Bridge)

Highest listed crest 11.20 ftFlood stage 8.5 ft47 crests since 1903

The Rio Grande at El Paso (Courchesne Bridge) crested above flood stage 5 times among the 47 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1903 to 2017. The highest, 11.20 ft on June 21, 1903, was moderate flooding, 2.70 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
11.20 ft
June 21, 1903; 18,073 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
8.5 ft
Major flooding from 11.5 ft
Crests at major
0
5 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
September 4, 2006
8.61 ft, minor flooding
Location
El Paso County
Near Sunland Park (3.7 mi), El Paso (7.2 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 El Paso (Courchesne Bridge)
Action stage7.58Sep 28, 2017The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)8.53Sep 4, 2006Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage9.52Jun 3, 1912Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage11.50—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

47 crests from 1903 to 2017. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Rio Grande at El Paso (Courchesne Bridge), 1903 to 2017 4681012ft Flood stage 8.5 ftMajor 11.5 ft Jun 21, 1903: 11.20 ft, moderate flooding; 18,073 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 1912: 10.50 ft, moderate flooding; 15,990 cubic feet per secondSep 13, 1925: 8.25 ft, action stage; 9,145 cubic feet per secondAug 31, 1935: 7.56 ft, action stage; 7,120 cubic feet per secondJul 14, 1950: 7.93 ft, action stage; 7,730 cubic feet per secondSep 14, 1958: 8.90 ft, minor flooding; 11,578 cubic feet per secondAug 14, 1980: 5.14 ft, below flood stage; 1,410 cubic feet per secondJul 31, 1981: 5.60 ft, below flood stage; 2,090 cubic feet per secondSep 20, 1982: 5.20 ft, below flood stage; 1,720 cubic feet per secondAug 26, 1983: 5.10 ft, below flood stage; 1,210 cubic feet per secondAug 5, 1984: 6.11 ft, below flood stage; 1,940 cubic feet per secondOct 18, 1985: 5.44 ft, below flood stage; 1,550 cubic feet per secondDec 22, 1986: 6.31 ft, below flood stage; 3,210 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 1987: 7.18 ft, below flood stage; 3,900 cubic feet per secondAug 24, 1987: 7.92 ft, action stage; 3,490 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1988: 6.05 ft, below flood stage; 2,140 cubic feet per secondAug 2, 1989: 6.38 ft, below flood stage; 1,420 cubic feet per secondJul 24, 1990: 5.91 ft, below flood stage; 1,572 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 1991: 6.59 ft, below flood stage; 1,734 cubic feet per secondAug 2, 1992: 6.27 ft, below flood stage; 1,451 cubic feet per secondAug 9, 1993: 6.22 ft, below flood stage; 1,741 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 1994: 6.59 ft, below flood stage; 2,709 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 1995: 6.59 ft, below flood stage; 4,167 cubic feet per secondSep 13, 1996: 6.35 ft, below flood stage; 2,938 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 1997: 6.53 ft, below flood stage; 2,776 cubic feet per secondAug 9, 1998: 6.61 ft, below flood stage; 2,610 cubic feet per secondJul 21, 1999: 7.35 ft, below flood stage; 3,567 cubic feet per secondAug 4, 1999: 7.82 ft, action stage; 7,063 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 2000: 6.79 ft, below flood stage; 3,132 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 2001: 6.41 ft, below flood stage; 2,119 cubic feet per secondJul 18, 2002: 6.73 ft, below flood stage; 2,783 cubic feet per secondAug 4, 2003: 5.35 ft, below flood stage; 1,042 cubic feet per secondAug 14, 2004: 5.94 ft, below flood stage; 1,451 cubic feet per secondJul 30, 2005: 6.66 ft, below flood stage; 2,592 cubic feet per secondAug 1, 2006: 9.28 ft, minor flooding; 6,992 cubic feet per secondSep 4, 2006: 8.61 ft, minor flooding; 5,721 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 2007: 6.51 ft, below flood stage; 1,402 cubic feet per secondJul 28, 2008: 8.32 ft, action stage; 3,920 cubic feet per secondJul 22, 2009: 6.71 ft, below flood stage; 1,413 cubic feet per secondAug 26, 2010: 7.70 ft, action stage; 2,433 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 2011: 6.18 ft, below flood stage; 1,190 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 2012: 5.61 ft, below flood stage; 907 cubic feet per secondSep 12, 2013: 6.01 ft, below flood stage; 1,146 cubic feet per secondAug 1, 2014: 6.41 ft, below flood stage; 1,304 cubic feet per secondJul 11, 2015: 6.30 ft, below flood stage; 1,383 cubic feet per secondAug 24, 2016: 7.47 ft, below flood stage; 2,101 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 2017: 7.70 ft, action stage; 3,300 cubic feet per second Highest, 11.20 ft, Jun 21, 1903 19201940196019802000

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Rio Grande at El Paso (Courchesne Bridge) 1900s: 1 1910s: 1 1920s: 0 1930s: 0 1940s: 0 1950s: 1 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 2 2 2010s: 0 1900s1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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 El Paso (Courchesne Bridge)
1Jun 21, 190311.20+2.70Moderate18,073
2Jun 3, 191210.50+2.00Moderate15,990
3Aug 1, 20069.28+0.78Minor6,992
4Sep 14, 19588.90+0.40Minor11,578
5Sep 4, 20068.61+0.11Minor5,721
6Jul 28, 20088.32−0.18Action3,920
7Sep 13, 19258.25−0.25Action9,145
8Jul 14, 19507.93−0.57Action7,730
9Aug 24, 19877.92−0.58Action3,490
10Aug 4, 19997.82−0.68Action7,063
11Aug 26, 20107.70−0.80Action2,433
12Sep 28, 20177.70−0.80Action3,300
13Aug 31, 19357.56−0.94Action7,120
14Aug 24, 20167.47−1.03Below flood stage2,101
15Jul 21, 19997.35−1.15Below flood stage3,567
16Jun 28, 19877.18−1.32Below flood stage3,900
17Jun 19, 20006.79−1.71Below flood stage3,132
18Jul 18, 20026.73−1.77Below flood stage2,783
19Jul 22, 20096.71−1.79Below flood stage1,413
20Jul 30, 20056.66−1.84Below flood stage2,592
21Aug 9, 19986.61−1.89Below flood stage2,610
22Jul 3, 19916.59−1.91Below flood stage1,734
23Jun 27, 19946.59−1.91Below flood stage2,709
24Jul 1, 19956.59−1.91Below flood stage4,167
25Jun 6, 19976.53−1.97Below flood stage2,776
26Jun 22, 20076.51−1.99Below flood stage1,402
27Jun 25, 20016.41−2.09Below flood stage2,119
28Aug 1, 20146.41−2.09Below flood stage1,304
29Aug 2, 19896.38−2.12Below flood stage1,420
30Sep 13, 19966.35−2.15Below flood stage2,938
31Dec 22, 19866.31−2.19Below flood stage3,210
32Jul 11, 20156.30−2.20Below flood stage1,383
33Aug 2, 19926.27−2.23Below flood stage1,451
34Aug 9, 19936.22−2.28Below flood stage1,741
35Mar 28, 20116.18−2.32Below flood stage1,190
36Aug 5, 19846.11−2.39Below flood stage1,940
37Mar 20, 19886.05−2.45Below flood stage2,140
38Sep 12, 20136.01−2.49Below flood stage1,146
39Aug 14, 20045.94−2.56Below flood stage1,451
40Jul 24, 19905.91−2.59Below flood stage1,572
41Jun 14, 20125.61−2.89Below flood stage907
42Jul 31, 19815.60−2.90Below flood stage2,090
43Oct 18, 19855.44−3.06Below flood stage1,550
44Aug 4, 20035.35−3.15Below flood stage1,042
45Sep 20, 19825.20−3.30Below flood stage1,720
46Aug 14, 19805.14−3.36Below flood stage1,410
47Aug 26, 19835.10−3.40Below flood stage1,210

El Paso County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Texas

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge EPRT2, 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.