Rio Peñasco
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 (3)
- warning: gap Rio Penasco Near Dunken, NM: 3 gaps of 60+ days inside the record (15,124 days in all). Longest: Jul 1, 1962 to Feb 18, 2000 (13,747 days); Aug 25, 2017 to Sep 29, 2019 (766 days); Jan 10, 2022 to Sep 12, 2023 (611 days).
- warning: gap Rio Penasco Near Hope, NM: 1 gap of 60+ days inside the record (611 days in all). Longest: Jan 10, 2022 to Sep 12, 2023 (611 days).
- warning: negative Rio Penasco Near Hope, NM: 2 days with negative flow (lowest -1.6 cfs, Jul 29, 2018 to Jul 30, 2018). Negative values usually mean reverse flow, backwater or a computed (not measured) record.
Context (9)
Show 9 notes
- single gauge Rio Penasco: 59% of this segment's weeks rest on a single gauge; the segment value is that gauge in those weeks, and jumps when other gauges join or drop out.
- gap Rio Penasco At Dayton, NM: 1 gap of 60+ days inside the record (96 days in all). Longest: Feb 3, 2000 to May 8, 2000 (96 days).
- spike Rio Penasco At Dayton, NM: 2 single-day flows far above the gauge's usual range (99th percentile 4 cfs) with no annual peak on record to confirm them: 397 cfs on Sep 25, 2026; 295 cfs on Sep 26, 2026. Flash floods are common here, but these are unverified.
- zero run Rio Penasco At Dayton, NM: 75 runs of 60+ days at zero flow; longest 1,025 days from Aug 19, 2021; 954 days from Jan 1, 1975. Usually real (a dry channel or no release), not missing data.
- spike Rio Penasco Near Dunken, NM: 3 single-day flows far above the gauge's usual range (99th percentile 65 cfs) with no annual peak on record to confirm them: 1,940 cfs on Aug 14, 2021; 743 cfs on Jul 1, 2021; 500 cfs on Aug 28, 2005. Flash floods are common here, but these are unverified.
- zero run Rio Penasco Near Dunken, NM: 1 run of 60+ days at zero flow; longest 65 days from Apr 12, 2006. Usually real (a dry channel or no release), not missing data.
- flatline Rio Penasco Near Hope, NM: 1 run of 30+ days at exactly the same flow: 20.0 cfs for 45 days from Aug 11, 2007. Usually an estimated period (ice, a broken gauge) rather than measured daily flow.
- spike Rio Penasco Near Hope, NM: 6 single-day flows far above the gauge's usual range (99th percentile 84 cfs) with no annual peak on record to confirm them: 1,690 cfs on Aug 14, 2021; 691 cfs on Sep 12, 2002; 589 cfs on Aug 17, 2003. Flash floods are common here, but these are unverified.
- zero run Rio Penasco Near Hope, NM: 16 runs of 60+ days at zero flow; longest 321 days from Jul 5, 2020; 299 days from Sep 12, 2005. Usually real (a dry channel or no release), not missing data.
Values removed (1)
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 1 removed values
| Gauge | Date | Source | cfs | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rio Penasco Near Dunken, NM | 2007-09-26 | usgs | 400 | automatic: daily mean above that water year's USGS peak of 313 cfs (USGS flags the daily value as estimated) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rio Penasco Near Dunken, NM | Rio Penasco | usgs | 1956-10-01 | 2026-10-26 | 1493 |
| Rio Penasco Near Hope, NM | Rio Penasco | usgs | 2000-02-21 | 2026-10-26 | 1306 |
| Rio Penasco At Dayton, NM | Rio Penasco | nwps, usbr_hydrodata, usgs | 1951-04-02 | 2026-10-26 | 3930 |