Purgatoire River
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.
Reviewed
- Purgatoire River @ Ninemile Dam verified
Reviewed 2026-09-27On January 24, 2007 the Corps 15-minute readings climb to about 50,000 cfs within a day while the days either side sit near 20 to 40 cfs of winter base flow. This is a data error in the Corps series (no other agency publishes this gauge), and it inflates that week's and month's means.
Warnings (3)
- warning: peak conflict Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO: 1 approved USGS daily value exceed that water year's USGS annual peak, in water year 1982 (e.g. 3,910 cfs on Aug 22, 1982 against a peak of 3,580). A day's mean cannot exceed the year's peak, so one of the two USGS records is wrong for those years; the daily values are kept.
- warning: gap Purgatoire River At Trinidad, CO: 8 gaps of 60+ days inside the record (12,091 days in all). Longest: Sep 30, 1981 to Mar 23, 2002 (7,480 days); Sep 30, 1899 to Aug 31, 1905 (2,162 days); Sep 30, 1912 to Sep 30, 1915 (1,096 days).
- warning: gap Purgatoire River Near Alfalfa, CO: 2 gaps of 60+ days inside the record (14,398 days in all). Longest: Sep 30, 1928 to Sep 30, 1951 (8,401 days); Sep 30, 1907 to Feb 29, 1924 (5,997 days).
Context (13)
Show 13 notes
- ended Discontinued gauges: 3 gauges have stopped reporting: Purgatoire River Near Alfalfa, CO (last 1968); Purgatoire River Near Hoehne, CO (last 1968); Middle Fork Purgatoire River At Stonewall, CO (last 1981). Their segments rest on fewer gauges after those years.
- gap Purgatoire River @ Ninemile Dam: 1 gap of 60+ days inside the record (153 days in all). Longest: Sep 13, 2002 to Feb 12, 2003 (153 days).
- spike Purgatoire River @ Ninemile Dam: 10 single-day flows far above the gauge's usual range (99th percentile 718 cfs) with no annual peak on record to confirm them: 20,119 cfs on Oct 2, 2026; 9,134 cfs on Aug 28, 2006; 8,550 cfs on Oct 1, 2026. Flash floods are common here, but these are unverified.
- zero run Purgatoire River @ Ninemile Dam: 4 runs of 60+ days at zero flow; longest 75 days from Oct 19, 2003; 72 days from Dec 16, 2023. Usually real (a dry channel or no release), not missing data.
- copy disagree Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO: The usace_cwms copy agrees on the median but differs by more than 10% on 35% of 8,496 shared days (often provisional vs approved data, or a different daily averaging window). The report takes 1 days from usace_cwms where usgs is missing, so the level can shift there.
- fallback Purgatoire River At Trinidad, CO: 75% of days come from usgs; usace_cwms 25%, nwps 0% fill days usgs does not cover, so the source changes within the record.
- flatline Purgatoire River At Trinidad, CO: 54 runs of 30+ days at exactly the same flow: 25.0 cfs for 90 days from Jan 1, 1898; 9.0 cfs for 90 days from Dec 1, 1916; 30.0 cfs for 90 days from Dec 1, 1918. Usually an estimated period (ice, a broken gauge) rather than measured daily flow.
- zero run Purgatoire River At Trinidad, CO: 2 runs of 60+ days at zero flow; longest 212 days from Sep 27, 2003; 67 days from Feb 13, 2003. Usually real (a dry channel or no release), not missing data.
- flatline Purgatoire River Near Alfalfa, CO: 29 runs of 30+ days at exactly the same flow: 9.0 cfs for 61 days from Feb 1, 1925; 15.0 cfs for 60 days from Jan 1, 1928; 10.0 cfs for 47 days from Dec 16, 1954. Usually an estimated period (ice, a broken gauge) rather than measured daily flow.
- zero run Purgatoire River Near Hoehne, CO: 3 runs of 60+ days at zero flow; longest 163 days from Aug 27, 1956; 138 days from Dec 9, 1964. Usually real (a dry channel or no release), not missing data.
- spike Purgatoire River Near Thatcher, CO: 1 single-day flow far above the gauge's usual range (99th percentile 625 cfs) with no annual peak on record to confirm them: 3,920 cfs on Sep 12, 2014. Flash floods are common here, but these are unverified.
- zero run Purgatoire River Near Thatcher, CO: 2 runs of 60+ days at zero flow; longest 166 days from Jun 16, 2012; 78 days from Aug 2, 2024. Usually real (a dry channel or no release), not missing data.
- spike Purgatoire River Nr Las Animas: 3 single-day flows far above the gauge's usual range (99th percentile 606 cfs) with no annual peak on record to confirm them: 7,024 cfs on Sep 3, 2025; 4,959 cfs on Sep 2, 2025; 4,294 cfs on Apr 4, 2025. Flash floods are common here, but these are unverified.
Values removed (67)
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.
Show 67 removed values
| Gauge | Date | Source | cfs | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Purgatoire River @ Ninemile Dam | 2007-01-22 | usace_cwms | 6080.9 | listed: Corps 15-minute readings jump to 49,000-61,000 cfs on these three winter days while the days before and after hold at about 19-42 cfs; no other agency publishes this gauge. A sensor or transmission error. Reviewed 2026-09-27. |
| Purgatoire River @ Ninemile Dam | 2007-01-23 | usace_cwms | 2786.5 | listed: Corps 15-minute readings jump to 49,000-61,000 cfs on these three winter days while the days before and after hold at about 19-42 cfs; no other agency publishes this gauge. A sensor or transmission error. Reviewed 2026-09-27. |
| Purgatoire River @ Ninemile Dam | 2007-01-24 | usace_cwms | 10112.4 | listed: Corps 15-minute readings jump to 49,000-61,000 cfs on these three winter days while the days before and after hold at about 19-42 cfs; no other agency publishes this gauge. A sensor or transmission error. Reviewed 2026-09-27. |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2002-05-20 | usace_cwms | 547.6 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 464 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2002-08-19 | usace_cwms | 2069.2 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 464 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2002-08-20 | usace_cwms | 4332.1 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 464 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2002-08-21 | usace_cwms | 2279.2 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 464 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2023-12-01 | usace_cwms | 1710.9 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 999 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2023-12-02 | usace_cwms | 4518.2 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 999 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2023-12-11 | usace_cwms | 1671.5 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 999 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2023-12-13 | usace_cwms | 1946.4 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 999 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2023-12-22 | usace_cwms | 4390 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 999 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2023-12-28 | usace_cwms | 3054.8 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 999 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2023-12-29 | usace_cwms | 5793.3 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 999 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2023-12-30 | usace_cwms | 2418.1 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 999 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2023-12-31 | usace_cwms | 6823.6 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 999 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2024-01-01 | usace_cwms | 2238.2 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 999 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2024-01-06 | usace_cwms | 2180.2 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 999 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2024-01-07 | usace_cwms | 3583.8 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 999 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2024-01-13 | usace_cwms | 2552.9 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 999 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2024-01-15 | usace_cwms | 1281.6 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 999 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2024-01-27 | usace_cwms | 3291.1 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 999 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2024-02-01 | usace_cwms | 5328.2 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 999 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2024-02-02 | usace_cwms | 2865.7 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 999 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2024-12-09 | usace_cwms | 2011.8 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,620 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2024-12-10 | usace_cwms | 4410.6 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,620 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2024-12-13 | usace_cwms | 15117.1 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,620 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2024-12-14 | usace_cwms | 6085.6 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,620 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2024-12-15 | usace_cwms | 8006.3 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,620 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2024-12-16 | usace_cwms | 4182 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,620 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2024-12-17 | usace_cwms | 7326 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,620 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2024-12-19 | usace_cwms | 11685 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,620 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2024-12-20 | usace_cwms | 8382.5 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,620 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2024-12-21 | usace_cwms | 2488.6 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,620 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2024-12-22 | usace_cwms | 4281.7 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,620 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2024-12-23 | usace_cwms | 5573.2 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,620 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2024-12-24 | usace_cwms | 4584.5 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,620 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2024-12-25 | usace_cwms | 8377.7 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,620 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2024-12-27 | usace_cwms | 6214 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,620 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2024-12-29 | usace_cwms | 5397 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,620 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2024-12-31 | usace_cwms | 2186.4 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,620 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2025-01-01 | usace_cwms | 5146.2 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,620 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2025-01-02 | usace_cwms | 7387.2 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,620 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2025-01-04 | usace_cwms | 7043 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,620 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2025-01-05 | usace_cwms | 7015.2 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,620 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2025-01-12 | usace_cwms | 10706.5 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,620 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2025-01-17 | usace_cwms | 6696.6 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,620 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2025-01-18 | usace_cwms | 4786.7 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,620 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2025-01-19 | usace_cwms | 25796 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,620 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2025-01-21 | usace_cwms | 16090.3 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,620 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2025-01-22 | usace_cwms | 7223.7 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,620 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2025-01-31 | usace_cwms | 5956 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,620 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2025-02-06 | usace_cwms | 5363.5 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,620 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2025-02-07 | usace_cwms | 2889.4 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,620 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2025-02-09 | usace_cwms | 3505.7 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,620 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2025-02-12 | usace_cwms | 6883.3 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,620 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2025-02-15 | usace_cwms | 2481.6 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,620 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2025-02-19 | usace_cwms | 3181.7 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,620 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2025-02-21 | usace_cwms | 2822.8 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,620 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2025-02-22 | usace_cwms | 2593.1 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,620 cfs |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | 2025-02-23 | usace_cwms | 2673.7 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 1,620 cfs |
| Purgatoire River Below Trinidad Lake, CO | 2000-04-30 | usace_cwms | 10116.4 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 289 cfs |
| Purgatoire River Below Trinidad Lake, CO | 2000-07-01 | usace_cwms | 506 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 289 cfs |
| Purgatoire River Below Trinidad Lake, CO | 2000-10-15 | usace_cwms | 2533.1 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 293 cfs |
| Purgatoire River Below Trinidad Lake, CO | 2000-10-19 | usace_cwms | 1249.6 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 293 cfs |
| Purgatoire River Below Trinidad Lake, CO | 2000-11-05 | usace_cwms | 5089.2 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 293 cfs |
| Purgatoire River Below Trinidad Lake, CO | 2001-09-01 | usace_cwms | 1266.5 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 293 cfs |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Purgatoire River Nr Las Animas | Purgatoire | usace_cwms | 2002-03-25 | 2026-10-12 | 1279 |
| Purgatoire River @ Ninemile Dam | Purgatoire | usace_cwms | 2002-03-25 | 2026-10-12 | 1239 |
| Middle Fork Purgatoire River At Stonewall, CO | Purgatoire | usgs | 1978-05-08 | 1981-09-21 | 177 |
| Purgatoire River Near Alfalfa, CO | Purgatoire | usgs | 1905-04-03 | 1968-09-23 | 1256 |
| Purgatoire River Below Trinidad Lake, CO | Purgatoire | nwps, usace_cwms, usgs | 1976-12-20 | 2026-10-26 | 2602 |
| Purgatoire River At Madrid, CO | Purgatoire | usace_cwms, usgs | 1972-02-28 | 2026-10-26 | 2853 |
| Purgatoire River Near Hoehne, CO | Purgatoire | usgs | 1954-10-04 | 1968-09-23 | 730 |
| Purgatoire River At Trinidad, CO | Purgatoire | nwps, usace_cwms, usgs | 1896-09-28 | 2026-10-26 | 5059 |
| Purgatoire River Near Thatcher, CO | Purgatoire | usace_cwms, usgs | 1966-07-04 | 2026-10-26 | 3148 |