Rio Grande level at Taos
New Mexico · Paddling & whitewater
Measured at USGS 08276500 — RIO GRANDE BLW TAOS JUNCTION BRIDGE NEAR TAOS, NM · NWS forecast point TJBN5
Reading taken · as of 58 min ago
Too low for most boats — rocky and technical
At 186 CFS, this gauge is in the lowest 10% of the 100 years USGS has recorded for this date (1926–2026), at 71% of the 262 CFS median.
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Flood stages at Taos
National Weather Service categories for gauge TJBN5, WFO ABQ. Impact wording is the NWS's own, verbatim.
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Major flood 15.0 ft · 25,000 CFS
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Moderate flood 12.0 ft · 15,000 CFS
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Minor flood 10.0 ft · 9,800 CFS
- 10.0 ft Portions of state road 570 from above Pilar up to the Taos Junction bridge are inundated by one to two feet of water. Water levels have not been this high in the Pilar region since at least 1921. Rafting takeout points below the Taos Junction bridge along state road 570 may no longer be accessable.
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Action 9.0 ft · 7,750 CFS
- 9.0 ft A few low spots along state road 570 above Pilar along the Rio Grande will have up to six inches of ponded water on the roadway. Some of the day use recreation areas above Pilar between state road 570 and the Rio Grande will begin to flood.
- Right now 3.54 ft
Flow history at Taos
Daily values from USGS 08276500, updated every 15 to 60 minutes; NWS forecast for TJBN5 reissued through the day. Provisional.
Highest crests on record at Taos
12 on record
| Stage | Flow | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 9.41 ft | 9,630 CFS | May 17, 1941 |
| 9.23 ft | 9,730 CFS | Jun 22, 1949 |
| 9.18 ft | 9,730 CFS | Jun 7, 1948 |
| 8.92 ft | 8,430 CFS | May 19, 1987 |
| 8.80 ft | 8,640 CFS | May 8, 1952 |
| 8.75 ft | 8,640 CFS | May 13, 1942 |
| 8.74 ft | 7,220 CFS | Jul 6, 1995 |
| 8.69 ft | 7,710 CFS | Jun 14, 1985 |
| 8.57 ft | 7,560 CFS | Jun 10, 1979 |
| 8.13 ft | 6,020 CFS | May 27, 2005 |
Crests published by the National Weather Service.
About Rio Grande at Taos
In New Mexico — the reading paddlers, anglers and outfitters here check before committing to a shuttle. Racecourse and Taos Box; Los Rios most popular trip.
Rio Grande at Taos — common questions
3 questions
How fast can Rio Grande at Taos come up?
Fast. It is free-flowing, so rain upstream moves it directly. Several feet in a few hours is normal after a heavy storm.
Is Rio Grande at Taos high or low for this time of year?
The USGS median flow for late September here is 262 CFS, from 100 years of record (1926–2026). Today sits in the lowest 10% of those years, at 71% of the median. The comparison is what makes the raw number mean anything: the same reading is a drought on one river and a flood on another.
How often does this reading update?
USGS transmits from gauge 08276500 every 15 to 60 minutes, and the National Weather Service reissues the flood forecast for TJBN5 a few times a day — more often when the river is rising. This page refreshes from both when you open it. The timestamp is in the gauge's local time.