McElmo Creek
Streamflow, conditions and background by watershed segment. Data through November 1, 2026.
Data gaps and disparities
Found automatically in the gauge records behind this river, and notes from a reviewer who checked them against other sources. Gauges need at least 26 weeks of daily data to appear on the Flow tab.
Warnings (1)
- warning: gap Mcelmo Creek Near Cortez, CO: 3 gaps of 60+ days inside the record (16,529 days in all). Longest: Oct 1, 1954 to Dec 31, 1981 (9,954 days); Oct 1, 1929 to Sep 30, 1940 (4,018 days); Oct 1, 1943 to Sep 30, 1950 (2,557 days).
Context (3)
Show 3 notes
- ended Discontinued gauges: 3 gauges have stopped reporting: Mcelmo Creek Below Cortez, CO (last 1983); Mcelmo Creek Above Alkali Canyon, Nr Cortez, CO (last 1986); Mcelmo Creek Near Cortez, CO (last 1993). Their segments rest on fewer gauges after those years.
- spike Mcelmo Creek Above Trail Canyon Near Cortez, CO: 1 single-day flow far above the gauge's usual range (99th percentile 177 cfs) with no annual peak on record to confirm them: 1,310 cfs on Nov 1, 2026. Flash floods are common here, but these are unverified.
- flatline Mcelmo Creek Near Cortez, CO: 4 runs of 30+ days at exactly the same flow: 30.0 cfs for 74 days from Dec 1, 1926; 135.0 cfs for 31 days from Oct 1, 1941; 12.0 cfs for 31 days from Oct 1, 1950. Usually an estimated period (ice, a broken gauge) rather than measured daily flow.
Values removed (0)
A reading is removed automatically only when it is impossible (for example, a daily mean above the highest flow USGS recorded that water year). Low and zero flows are never removed: rivers here really do dry up.
None.
Gauges
Each row is one physical gauge; "published by" lists every agency copy that was merged into it.
| Gauge | Segment | Published by | First | Last | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mcelmo Creek Near Colorado-Utah State Line | McElmo | codwr, nwps, usgs | 1951-02-26 | 2026-10-26 | 3949 |
| Mcelmo Creek Below Cortez, CO | McElmo | codwr, usgs | 1972-10-02 | 1983-09-26 | 574 |
| Mcelmo Creek Above Alkali Canyon, Nr Cortez, CO | McElmo | codwr, usgs | 1972-10-02 | 1986-09-22 | 730 |
| Mcelmo Creek Above Trail Canyon Near Cortez, CO | McElmo | codwr, usgs | 1993-08-02 | 2026-10-26 | 1735 |
| Mcelmo Creek Near Cortez, CO | McElmo | codwr, usgs | 1926-10-04 | 1993-09-27 | 1135 |