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Brazos River near Palo Pinto

Highest listed crest 30.00 ftFlood stage 16.0 ft23 crests since 1930

The Brazos River near Palo Pinto crested at major flood stage 6 times among the 23 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1930 to 2021. The highest, 30.00 ft on June 16, 1930, was major flooding, 14.00 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Brazos River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
30.00 ft
June 16, 1930; 95,600 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
16.0 ft
Major flooding from 22.0 ft
Crests at major
6
111th of 370 gauges in Texas
Most recent flood crest
June 8, 2021
19.99 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Palo Pinto County
Near Mineral Wells (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, Brazos River near Palo Pinto
Action stage14.01May 20, 1935The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)16.05Oct 25, 2018Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage18.011Jun 8, 2021Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage22.06Jul 1, 2007Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

23 crests from 1930 to 2021. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Brazos River near Palo Pinto, 1930 to 2021 15202530ft Flood stage 16.0 ftMajor 22.0 ft Jun 16, 1930: 30.00 ft, major flooding; 95,600 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 1935: 15.60 ft, action stage; 47,200 cubic feet per secondOct 5, 1941: 17.30 ft, minor flooding; 51,200 cubic feet per secondOct 17, 1942: 17.42 ft, minor flooding; 46,600 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 1955: 20.53 ft, moderate flooding; 51,800 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 1957: 28.87 ft, major flooding; 85,400 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 1966: 18.42 ft, moderate flooding; 43,200 cubic feet per secondAug 8, 1978: 22.93 ft, major flooding; 54,500 cubic feet per secondOct 13, 1981: 26.53 ft, major flooding; 69,300 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 1990: 23.25 ft, major flooding; 44,300 cubic feet per secondDec 20, 1991: 21.67 ft, moderate flooding; 39,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 1997: 21.18 ft, moderate flooding; 38,700 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 2007: 18.78 ft, moderate flooding; 31,600 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 2007: 22.89 ft, major flooding; 55,675 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2010: 19.91 ft, moderate flooding; 35,193 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 2010: 18.47 ft, moderate flooding; 30,710 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 2015: 20.33 ft, moderate flooding; 32,700 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2016: 16.47 ft, minor flooding; 24,525 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 2016: 21.09 ft, moderate flooding; 39,000 cubic feet per secondOct 18, 2018: 16.41 ft, minor flooding; 22,651 cubic feet per secondOct 25, 2018: 16.52 ft, minor flooding; 22,907 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 2020: 21.15 ft, moderate flooding; 35,057 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 2021: 19.99 ft, moderate flooding; 32,185 cubic feet per second Highest, 30.00 ft, Jun 16, 1930 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Brazos River near Palo Pinto 1930s: 1 1940s: 2 1950s: 2 1960s: 1 1970s: 1 1980s: 1 1990s: 3 2000s: 2 2010s: 7 7 2020s: 2 1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Brazos River near Palo Pinto
1Jun 16, 193030.00+14.00Major95,600
2Apr 29, 195728.87+12.87Major85,400
3Oct 13, 198126.53+10.53Major69,300
4Apr 27, 199023.25+7.25Major44,300
5Aug 8, 197822.93+6.93Major54,500
6Jul 1, 200722.89+6.89Major55,675
7Dec 20, 199121.67+5.67Moderate39,300
8Feb 20, 199721.18+5.18Moderate38,700
9Mar 18, 202021.15+5.15Moderate35,057
10Jun 1, 201621.09+5.09Moderate39,000
11Sep 27, 195520.53+4.53Moderate51,800
12May 27, 201520.33+4.33Moderate32,700
13Jun 8, 202119.99+3.99Moderate32,185
14Apr 18, 201019.91+3.91Moderate35,193
15Mar 31, 200718.78+2.78Moderate31,600
16May 15, 201018.47+2.47Moderate30,710
17May 1, 196618.42+2.42Moderate43,200
18Oct 17, 194217.42+1.42Minor46,600
19Oct 5, 194117.30+1.30Minor51,200
20Oct 25, 201816.52+0.52Minor22,907
21Apr 18, 201616.47+0.47Minor24,525
22Oct 18, 201816.41+0.41Minor22,651
23May 20, 193515.60−0.40Action47,200

The worst floods along the Brazos River

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

June 16, 1930: 30.00 ft here, major flooding

  • South BendTX · Jun 16, 1930 · 35.50 ft · Major
  • SeymourTX · Jun 14, 1930 · 15.00 ft · Moderate

April 29, 1957: 28.87 ft here, major flooding

  • RichmondTX · May 5, 1957 · 50.13 ft · Major
  • DennisTX · May 1, 1957 · 31.80 ft · Major
  • HempsteadTX · May 2, 1957 · 54.21 ft · Moderate
  • South BendTX · Apr 29, 1957 · 32.70 ft · Moderate

October 13, 1981: 26.53 ft here, major flooding

  • Glen RoseTX · Oct 15, 1981 · 35.19 ft · Major
  • DennisTX · Oct 14, 1981 · 31.88 ft · Major · its highest
  • South BendTX · Oct 15, 1981 · 30.35 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Brazos River

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

Flood gauges on the Brazos River
Lubbock 4ESETX11.014.99 ft, Sep 15, 20230
JusticeburgTX19.025.80 ft, Jan 1, 19140
Aspermont 10STX21.029.50 ft, Sep 26, 19550
SeymourTX12.023.00 ft, Sep 28, 19551
South BendTX21.041.50 ft, Aug 6, 19784
Palo Pinto this gaugeTX16.030.00 ft, Jun 16, 19306
DennisTX21.031.88 ft, Oct 14, 19816
Glen RoseTX29.035.76 ft, Apr 28, 19904
AquillaTX29.045.00 ft, May 9, 19221
WacoTX19.040.90 ft, Sep 27, 193615
HighbankTX35.042.00 ft, Dec 1, 19132
HempsteadTX50.066.10 ft, Dec 8, 19132
San FelipeTX122.5129.00 ft, Aug 29, 20170
RichmondTX45.055.19 ft, Sep 1, 20176
US 59TX66.567.69 ft, May 12, 20240
RosharonTX43.052.65 ft, Aug 29, 20177
West ColumbiaTX26.030.73 ft, Sep 3, 20173

Palo Pinto County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Texas

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge PLOT2, 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.