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Big Creek near Needville

Highest listed crest 24.37 ftFlood stage 19.0 ft41 crests since 1969

The Big Creek near Needville crested at major flood stage 4 times among the 41 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1969 to 2019. The highest, 24.37 ft on November 11, 1985, was major flooding, 5.37 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
24.37 ft
November 11, 1985; 6,490 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
19.0 ft
Major flooding from 23.0 ft
Crests at major
4
157th of 370 gauges in Texas
Most recent flood crest
May 8, 2019
22.41 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Fort Bend County
Near Rosenberg (5.5 mi), Richmond (8.0 mi), Sugar Land (13.2 mi)

Flood stages

The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.

Flood categories, Big Creek near Needville
Action stage16.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)19.011Apr 18, 2016Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage21.026May 8, 2019Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage23.04Oct 18, 1994Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

41 crests from 1969 to 2019. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Big Creek near Needville, 1969 to 2019 1820222426ft Flood stage 19.0 ftMajor 23.0 ft Feb 21, 1969: 21.16 ft, moderate flooding; 3,220 cubic feet per secondOct 12, 1970: 22.06 ft, moderate flooding; 3,600 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1973: 22.35 ft, moderate flooding; 4,220 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1975: 22.00 ft, moderate flooding; 4,000 cubic feet per secondSep 20, 1979: 23.13 ft, major flooding; 7,140 cubic feet per secondAug 31, 1981: 22.95 ft, moderate flooding; 6,420 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 1982: 21.96 ft, moderate flooding; 3,960 cubic feet per secondAug 18, 1983: 22.20 ft, moderate flooding; 4,380 cubic feet per secondOct 25, 1984: 21.54 ft, moderate flooding; 3,560 cubic feet per secondNov 11, 1985: 24.37 ft, major flooding; 6,490 cubic feet per secondDec 15, 1986: 21.31 ft, moderate flooding; 3,360 cubic feet per secondDec 21, 1987: 19.10 ft, minor flooding; 1,940 cubic feet per secondAug 2, 1989: 23.15 ft, major flooding; 3,530 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1990: 21.59 ft, moderate flooding; 2,100 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1991: 20.46 ft, minor flooding; 1,690 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 1992: 22.05 ft, moderate flooding; 2,330 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 1993: 20.52 ft, minor flooding; 1,710 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 1994: 21.26 ft, moderate flooding; 1,960 cubic feet per secondOct 18, 1994: 24.23 ft, major flooding; 6,000 cubic feet per secondDec 17, 1995: 21.93 ft, moderate flooding; 2,270 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1997: 22.46 ft, moderate flooding; 2,610 cubic feet per secondSep 11, 1998: 21.33 ft, moderate flooding; 1,990 cubic feet per secondNov 13, 1998: 21.87 ft, moderate flooding; 2,240 cubic feet per secondAug 31, 2001: 21.55 ft, moderate flooding; 3,210 cubic feet per secondAug 15, 2002: 20.30 ft, minor flooding; 2,250 cubic feet per secondOct 29, 2002: 21.30 ft, moderate flooding; 2,960 cubic feet per secondNov 4, 2002: 20.10 ft, minor flooding; 1,700 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 2004: 20.10 ft, minor floodingNov 23, 2004: 21.78 ft, moderate flooding; 3,940 cubic feet per secondOct 16, 2006: 22.60 ft, moderate flooding; 4,600 cubic feet per secondOct 27, 2006: 21.14 ft, moderate flooding; 1,900 cubic feet per secondJul 5, 2007: 19.42 ft, minor floodingOct 16, 2007: 19.33 ft, minor flooding; 2,340 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 2009: 22.34 ft, moderate flooding; 4,330 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 2010: 20.51 ft, minor floodingJul 2, 2010: 21.14 ft, moderate flooding; 3,330 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 2012: 20.41 ft, minor flooding; 2,880 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 2015: 21.35 ft, moderate flooding; 7,250 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2016: 19.19 ft, minor flooding; 3,800 cubic feet per secondAug 28, 2017: 21.71 ft, moderate flooding; 6,513 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 2019: 22.41 ft, moderate flooding Highest, 24.37 ft, Nov 11, 1985 197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Big Creek near Needville 1960s: 1 1970s: 4 1980s: 8 1990s: 10 2000s: 11 11 2010s: 7 1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  1. These are the crests the local National Weather Service office lists for the gauge: the highest on record and recent crests. Lesser floods between them may be missing, so counts by decade are a floor.
  2. Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.
  3. 2 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 23.81 ft on Jun 26, 1960; 22.86 ft on Jun 19, 1961.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Big Creek near Needville
1Nov 11, 198524.37+5.37Major6,490
2Oct 18, 199424.23+5.23Major6,000
3Aug 2, 198923.15+4.15Major3,530
4Sep 20, 197923.13+4.13Major7,140
5Aug 31, 198122.95+3.95Moderate6,420
6Oct 16, 200622.60+3.60Moderate4,600
7Apr 4, 199722.46+3.46Moderate2,610
8May 8, 201922.41+3.41Moderate—
9Jun 13, 197322.35+3.35Moderate4,220
10Apr 19, 200922.34+3.34Moderate4,330
11Aug 18, 198322.20+3.20Moderate4,380
12Oct 12, 197022.06+3.06Moderate3,600
13Apr 18, 199222.05+3.05Moderate2,330
14May 30, 197522.00+3.00Moderate4,000
15May 13, 198221.96+2.96Moderate3,960
16Dec 17, 199521.93+2.93Moderate2,270
17Nov 13, 199821.87+2.87Moderate2,240
18Nov 23, 200421.78+2.78Moderate3,940
19Aug 28, 201721.71+2.71Moderate6,513
20Feb 21, 199021.59+2.59Moderate2,100
21Aug 31, 200121.55+2.55Moderate3,210
22Oct 25, 198421.54+2.54Moderate3,560
23May 26, 201521.35+2.35Moderate7,250
24Sep 11, 199821.33+2.33Moderate1,990
25Dec 15, 198621.31+2.31Moderate3,360
26Oct 29, 200221.30+2.30Moderate2,960
27May 16, 199421.26+2.26Moderate1,960
28Feb 21, 196921.16+2.16Moderate3,220
29Oct 27, 200621.14+2.14Moderate1,900
30Jul 2, 201021.14+2.14Moderate3,330
31Jun 20, 199320.52+1.52Minor1,710
32May 14, 201020.51+1.51Minor—
33Apr 5, 199120.46+1.46Minor1,690
34Feb 18, 201220.41+1.41Minor2,880
35Aug 15, 200220.30+1.30Minor2,250
36Nov 4, 200220.10+1.10Minor1,700
37May 15, 200420.10+1.10Minor—
38Jul 5, 200719.42+0.42Minor—
39Oct 16, 200719.33+0.33Minor2,340
40Apr 18, 201619.19+0.19Minor3,800
41Dec 21, 198719.10+0.10Minor1,940

Other gauges in Fort Bend County

Flood gauges in Fort Bend County
Richmond45.055.19 ft, Sep 1, 20176
US 5966.567.69 ft, May 12, 20240

Fort Bend County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Texas

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BCNT2, retrieved October 30, 2026. Stages in feet on the gauge's own datum, not elevation. Crests are as the National Weather Service lists them; preliminary values may be revised.