Rivers in Colorado

Uncompahgre River near Ridgway

Ouray County, ColoradoNWS UCRC2USGS 09146200Grand Junction office

Below flood stage
2.00ftStage

Observed Tue, Sep 22, 12:00 AM MDT

Flood stage
5.80 ft
Forecast crest
2.20 ftFri, Sep 25, 6:00 PM MDT
Record crest
5.73 ft1983

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood10.00 ft
Moderate flood8.00 ft
Minor flood5.80 ft
Action5.00 ft
  1. 12.60 ftWater will rise to the base of the County Road 24 Bridge 2.4 miles northeast of Ridgway.
  2. 11.00 ftWater will inundate sections of Highway 550 near Dexter Creek.
  3. 10.00 ftWater will move into the residential area near Dexter Creek.
  4. 9.00 ftWater will affect the KOA campground on County Road 23 at Portland.
  5. 8.00 ftWater will affect some houses and outbuildings along the river above Ridgway Dam.
  6. 7.00 ftConsiderable agricultural flooding can be expected near Orvis Hot Springs.
  7. 6.00 ftMinor lowland flooding can be excpected near Orvis Hot Springs.

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor floodingUnder 5%
Moderate floodingUnder 5%
Major floodingUnder 5%

The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued September 21, 2026.

Crest history

68 crests on NOAA’s list since 1959.

#DateStage
1June 24, 19835.73 ft
2June 15, 19955.59 ft
3June 17, 19995.56 ft
4June 5, 20105.54 ft
5May 24, 19845.48 ft
6August 10, 20055.43 ft
7September 6, 19705.38 ft
8June 1, 19975.31 ft
9June 18, 20085.29 ft
10June 28, 19735.25 ft
11June 6, 20115.20 ft
12June 10, 19855.17 ft
13July 3, 19755.14 ft
14June 16, 19795.12 ft
15June 15, 19785.10 ft
16August 12, 20245.09 ft
17May 29, 20035.05 ft
18May 17, 20095.01 ft
19June 5, 19685.01 ft
20June 5, 20165.01 ft
21June 11, 20154.93 ft
22June 1, 20144.91 ft
23July 12, 19654.89 ft
24August 13, 19644.84 ft
25June 6, 19864.84 ft

Most recent crests

  • May 15, 2026: 2.75 ft
  • June 3, 2025: 4.39 ft
  • August 12, 2024: 5.09 ft
  • June 7, 2023: 4.24 ft
  • May 16, 2022: 3.69 ft
  • June 5, 2021: 4.73 ft
  • June 6, 2020: 4.02 ft
  • July 1, 2019: 4.82 ft
  • May 11, 2018: 3.50 ft
  • June 19, 2017: 4.63 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.

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.