Buffalo Bayou at Shepherd Drive

Highest listed crest 41.90 ftFlood stage 28.0 ft5 crests since 2009

The Buffalo Bayou at Shepherd Drive crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 5 crests the National Weather Service lists from 2009 to 2019. The highest, 41.90 ft on August 28, 2017, was major flooding, 13.90 feet above flood stage. 3 other gauges on the Buffalo Bayou crested above flood stage within a week of it, 3 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest: 41.90 ft; August 28, 2017; 36,400 cubic feet per second
Flood stage: 28.0 ft; Major flooding from 32.0 ft
Crests at major: 2; 218th of 370 gauges in Texas
Most recent flood crest: September 19, 2019; 31.27 ft, moderate flooding
Location: Harris County; Near Houston (2.1 mi), West University Place (3.4 mi), Bellaire (5.0 mi)
Identifiers: NWS BBST2; USGS 08074000

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Buffalo Bayou at Shepherd Drive

Action stage	17.0	1	Apr 28, 2009	The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)	28.0	0	—	Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage	29.5	2	Sep 19, 2019	Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage	32.0	2	Aug 28, 2017	Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

5 crests from 2009 to 2019. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

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.
Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.
20 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 30.15 ft on Aug 30, 1945; 26.40 ft on Aug 31, 1981; 25.67 ft on Aug 18, 1983; 23.00 ft on Oct 25, 1985; 20.81 ft on Nov 24, 1985; 30.00 ft on May 18, 1989; and more.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Buffalo Bayou at Shepherd Drive

1	Aug 28, 2017	41.90	+13.90	Major	36,400
2	May 26, 2015	33.64	+5.64	Major	17,400
3	Apr 18, 2016	31.70	+3.70	Moderate	—
4	Sep 19, 2019	31.27	+3.27	Moderate	21,837
5	Apr 28, 2009	27.99	−0.01	Action	10,900

The worst floods along the Buffalo Bayou

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

August 28, 2017: 41.90 ft here, major flooding

West Belt DriveTX · Aug 31, 2017 · 71.22 ft · Major · its highest
Piney Point VillageTX · Aug 31, 2017 · 62.84 ft · Major · its highest
Barker ReservoirTX · Aug 27, 2017 · 101.60 ft · Minor · its highest

May 26, 2015: 33.64 ft here, major flooding

West Belt DriveTX · May 26, 2015 · 65.00 ft · Moderate
Piney Point VillageTX · May 26, 2015 · 58.28 ft · Moderate

April 18, 2016: 31.70 ft here, moderate flooding

West Belt DriveTX · Apr 18, 2016 · 65.29 ft · Moderate
Piney Point VillageTX · Apr 18, 2016 · 57.75 ft · Moderate
Barker ReservoirTX · Apr 25, 2016 · 95.25 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Buffalo Bayou

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

Flood gauges on the Buffalo Bayou

Barker Reservoir	TX	93.2	101.60 ft, Aug 27, 2017	0
West Belt Drive	TX	62.2	71.22 ft, Aug 31, 2017	3
Piney Point Village	TX	52.0	62.84 ft, Aug 31, 2017	1
Shepherd Drive this gauge	TX	28.0	41.90 ft, Aug 28, 2017	2

Other gauges in Harris County

Flood gauges in Harris County

Barker	111.0	114.86 ft, Apr 18, 2016	5
Gessner Drive	57.0	61.60 ft, May 26, 2015	7
Houston	41.0	45.67 ft, Aug 27, 2017	1
Barker Reservoir	93.2	101.60 ft, Aug 27, 2017	0
Piney Point Village	52.0	62.84 ft, Aug 31, 2017	1
West Belt Drive	62.2	71.22 ft, Aug 31, 2017	3
Crosby	53.4	58.99 ft, Aug 28, 2017	0
Telephone Road	43.5	47.40 ft, Aug 29, 2017	0
Cypress	122.0	129.97 ft, Aug 28, 2017	3
Hockley	157.3	162.85 ft, Aug 28, 2017	6
Westfield	85.5	97.12 ft, Aug 29, 2017	9
Houston	55.0	62.88 ft, Aug 28, 2017	10
Houston	30.0	44.85 ft, Aug 28, 2017	17
Houston	84.8	86.16 ft, Apr 18, 2016	0
Addicks Reservoir	96.0	109.09 ft, Aug 30, 2017	0
Addicks	109.0	112.64 ft, Apr 18, 2016	3
Sheldon	10.0	28.72 ft, Aug 29, 2017	16
Houston	26.2	30.44 ft, Oct 5, 1981	5
Spring	91.5	111.60 ft, Oct 18, 1994	4
Tide Station (HGX) at Manchester	3.7	7.57 ft, Sep 14, 2021	1
Tide Station (HGX) at Morgan's Point	3.7	6.03 ft, Sep 14, 2021	1
Humble	49.3	69.18 ft, Aug 29, 2017	24
Houston	32.0	45.60 ft, Aug 28, 2017	4
Tomball	129.4	133.89 ft, Aug 28, 2017	1

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BBST2, 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.