Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Brays Bayou at Gessner Drive

Highest listed crest 61.60 ftFlood stage 57.0 ft10 crests since 1983

The Brays Bayou at Gessner Drive crested at major flood stage 7 times among the 10 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1983 to 2017. The highest, 61.60 ft on May 26, 2015, was major flooding, 4.60 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Brays Bayou crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
61.60 ft
May 26, 2015; 18,300 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
57.0 ft
Major flooding from 59.0 ft
Crests at major
7
90th of 370 gauges in Texas
Most recent flood crest
August 27, 2017
60.00 ft, major flooding
Location
Harris County
Near Stafford (3.9 mi), Bellaire (4.6 mi), West University Place (6.5 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Brays Bayou at Gessner Drive
Action stage54.02Jun 9, 2001The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)57.00—Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage58.01Jan 9, 2012Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage59.07Aug 27, 2017Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

10 crests from 1983 to 2017. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Brays Bayou at Gessner Drive, 1983 to 2017 56586062ft Flood stage 57.0 ftMajor 59.0 ft Sep 19, 1983: 61.35 ft, major floodingMar 4, 1992: 61.15 ft, major flooding; 16,900 cubic feet per secondOct 18, 1994: 59.45 ft, major floodingSep 11, 1998: 56.85 ft, action stage; 11,300 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 2001: 56.73 ft, action stage; 11,200 cubic feet per secondNov 17, 2003: 60.78 ft, major flooding; 16,400 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 2012: 58.27 ft, moderate flooding; 13,700 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 2015: 61.60 ft, major flooding; 18,300 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2016: 61.26 ft, major flooding; 17,800 cubic feet per secondAug 27, 2017: 60.00 ft, major flooding; 15,100 cubic feet per second Highest, 61.60 ft, May 26, 2015 199020002010

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Brays Bayou at Gessner Drive 1980s: 1 1990s: 2 2000s: 1 2010s: 4 4 1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Brays Bayou at Gessner Drive
1May 26, 201561.60+4.60Major18,300
2Sep 19, 198361.35+4.35Major—
3Apr 18, 201661.26+4.26Major17,800
4Mar 4, 199261.15+4.15Major16,900
5Nov 17, 200360.78+3.78Major16,400
6Aug 27, 201760.00+3.00Major15,100
7Oct 18, 199459.45+2.45Major—
8Jan 9, 201258.27+1.27Moderate13,700
9Sep 11, 199856.85−0.15Action11,300
10Jun 9, 200156.73−0.27Action11,200

The worst floods along the Brays Bayou

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Brays Bayou that crested above flood stage within a week.

May 26, 2015: 61.60 ft here, major flooding

  • HoustonTX · May 26, 2015 · 42.83 ft · Moderate

April 18, 2016: 61.26 ft here, major flooding

  • HoustonTX · Apr 18, 2016 · 41.98 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Brays Bayou

In USGS station-number order, which runs downstream within a river basin.

Flood gauges on the Brays Bayou
Gessner Drive this gaugeTX57.061.60 ft, May 26, 20157
HoustonTX41.045.67 ft, Aug 27, 20171

Other gauges in Harris County

Flood gauges in Harris County
Barker111.0114.86 ft, Apr 18, 20165
Houston41.045.67 ft, Aug 27, 20171
Barker Reservoir93.2101.60 ft, Aug 27, 20170
Piney Point Village52.062.84 ft, Aug 31, 20171
Shepherd Drive28.041.90 ft, Aug 28, 20172
West Belt Drive62.271.22 ft, Aug 31, 20173
Crosby53.458.99 ft, Aug 28, 20170
Telephone Road43.547.40 ft, Aug 29, 20170
Cypress122.0129.97 ft, Aug 28, 20173
Hockley157.3162.85 ft, Aug 28, 20176
Westfield85.597.12 ft, Aug 29, 20179
Houston55.062.88 ft, Aug 28, 201710
Houston30.044.85 ft, Aug 28, 201717
Houston84.886.16 ft, Apr 18, 20160
Addicks Reservoir96.0109.09 ft, Aug 30, 20170
Addicks109.0112.64 ft, Apr 18, 20163
Sheldon10.028.72 ft, Aug 29, 201716
Houston26.230.44 ft, Oct 5, 19815
Spring91.5111.60 ft, Oct 18, 19944
Tide Station (HGX) at Manchester3.77.57 ft, Sep 14, 20211
Tide Station (HGX) at Morgan's Point3.76.03 ft, Sep 14, 20211
Humble49.369.18 ft, Aug 29, 201724
Houston32.045.60 ft, Aug 28, 20174
Tomball129.4133.89 ft, Aug 28, 20171

Harris County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Texas

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge GSST2, 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.