Rivers in Colorado

Roaring Fork River near Aspen

Pitkin County, ColoradoNWS APNC2USGS 09073400Grand Junction office

Below flood stage
0.79ftStage

Observed Sun, Sep 20, 9:30 AM MDT

Flood stage
5.00 ft
Forecast crest
0.71 ftSat, Sep 19, 6:00 PM MDT
Record crest
5.97 ft1995

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood9.00 ft
Moderate flood7.00 ft
Minor flood5.00 ft
Action4.00 ft
  1. 9.00 ftWidespread residential flooding can be expected in Aspen.
  2. 8.00 ftWater will approach the museum close to Mill Street in Aspen.
  3. 7.00 ft Water will impact some homes and condominiums along and near North Street in Aspen.
  4. 6.00 ftWater will approach some condominiums along the river.
  5. 5.00 ftFlooding of lowland areas adjacent to the river can be expected in Aspen.

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor floodingUnder 5%
Moderate flooding-99900%
Major floodingUnder 5%

The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued September 19, 2026.

Crest history

63 crests on NOAA’s list since 1965.

#DateStage
1July 11, 19955.97 ft
2June 9, 19855.29 ft
3June 18, 20155.27 ft
4June 21, 19975.24 ft
5July 1, 19655.20 ft
6June 30, 19845.17 ft
7June 7, 20104.98 ft
8June 24, 19994.72 ft
9July 1, 19794.56 ft
10June 19, 20174.46 ft
11June 25, 19834.45 ft
12June 15, 19964.34 ft
13June 20, 19804.32 ft
14June 9, 19874.24 ft
15June 21, 20164.19 ft
16July 6, 20194.18 ft
17June 6, 19684.15 ft
18May 30, 20034.11 ft
19June 22, 19714.04 ft
20June 9, 20243.99 ft
21May 24, 19673.90 ft
22June 19, 20083.88 ft
23June 11, 19903.86 ft
24June 5, 20143.79 ft
25May 28, 19703.77 ft

Most recent crests

  • May 15, 2026: 1.57 ft
  • June 3, 2025: 2.42 ft
  • May 31, 2025: 2.01 ft
  • June 9, 2024: 3.99 ft
  • June 21, 2023: 3.70 ft
  • May 20, 2022: 2.50 ft
  • June 6, 2021: 2.49 ft
  • June 7, 2020: 3.01 ft
  • July 6, 2019: 4.18 ft
  • May 25, 2018: 2.35 ft

Nearby

Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.

What this means

Forecasts by the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center. Forecasts are issued routinely year-round. Gauge reading may be affected by ice. Forecast flows are unadjusted for ice.

Sources

Stage, flood stages, impacts and crest history from NOAA’s National Water Prediction Service. Streamflow and the daily record from the U.S. Geological Survey.