TornadoLiveMap

Costilla Creek at Costilla — water level right now

Taos County, New Mexico · NWS gauge COSN5
Loading the latest reading…
–
current stage (ft)
 
5
minor flood stage
 
5.37
record crest
set 1942-05-11
–
flood status
official NWS category
Official NOAA forecast → USGS data → Full US flood map →

Flood stages at this gauge

Where the water stands right now against the four official thresholds:

action · 4
minor · 5
Flood stageLevel (ft)What it means
Minor flood stage5low-lying roads and fields near the river start to flood
Action stage4water is approaching flood level — time to pay attention

Highest floods on record here

#Crest (ft)Datevs. minor flood stage
15.371942-05-11+0.37 above
24.681983-06-010.32 below
34.621979-05-260.38 below
44.32005-05-240.7 below
54.271994-05-190.73 below
64.092010-04-140.91 below
73.982005-04-191.02 below
83.921995-06-201.08 below

Historic crests recorded at this gauge by the National Weather Service — the 12 highest on file.

Where this gauge is

The marker is this gauge; nearby gauges load live and are clickable.

Nearby river gauges

Rio Grande near Cerro 18 mi away · loading… Cimarron River (NM) above Cimarron 42 mi away · loading… Rio Pueblo De Taos below Taos 42 mi away · loading… Vermejo River above Dawson 44 mi away · loading… Rio Grande below Taos 47 mi away · loading… Rio Ojo Caliente below La Madera 52 mi away · loading…

Gauge details

NWS gauge IDCOSN5
USGS site08255500
CountyTaos
StateNew Mexico
NWS forecast officeAlbuquerque
River forecast centerWest Gulf River Forecast Center
Coordinates36.967, -105.507
Time zoneMST7MDT
Turn Around, Don't Drown. Six inches of moving water can knock you off your feet and twelve inches can float a car. Never drive around barricades or into water of unknown depth — most flood deaths happen in vehicles.

Questions about Costilla Creek at Costilla

Is Costilla Creek at Costilla flooding right now?

The live reading at the top of this page answers that: the gauge is compared against its official NWS flood stages every 15 minutes. Minor flooding at this gauge begins at 5 ft. Blue means normal, yellow is action stage, orange minor, red moderate and dark red major flooding.

What is flood stage for Costilla Creek at Costilla?

minor flood stage 5 ft, action stage 4 ft. These are official National Weather Service thresholds set specifically for this gauge, not generic values.

What is the record flood at Costilla Creek at Costilla?

The highest crest on file at this gauge is 5.37 ft, reached on 1942-05-11 — that is 0.37 ft above minor flood stage. The full list of the highest crests is in the table on this page.

Where does this data come from?

From the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, the official U.S. river gauge network — a U.S. government work in the public domain. Live stage is refreshed every 15 minutes; flood thresholds and historic crests are refreshed monthly. For life-safety decisions follow NWS Albuquerque and local emergency management.