Colorado River (TX) above Silver

Highest listed crest 22.98 ftFlood stage 15.0 ft11 crests since 1971

The Colorado River (TX) above Silver crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 11 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1971 to 2018. The highest, 22.98 ft on September 9, 1980, was major flooding, 7.98 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Colorado River (TX) crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest: 22.98 ft; September 9, 1980; 18,900 cubic feet per second
Flood stage: 15.0 ft; Major flooding from 21.0 ft
Crests at major: 3; 187th of 370 gauges in Texas
Most recent flood crest: October 10, 2018; 18.76 ft, moderate flooding
Location: Coke County; Texas
Identifiers: NWS SILT2; USGS 08123850

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Colorado River (TX) above Silver

Action stage	13.0	0	—	The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)	15.0	5	May 21, 2017	Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage	18.0	3	Oct 10, 2018	Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage	21.0	3	Mar 24, 2000	Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

11 crests from 1971 to 2018. 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.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Colorado River (TX) above Silver

1	Sep 9, 1980	22.98	+7.98	Major	18,900
2	Mar 24, 2000	22.42	+7.42	Major	—
3	Oct 6, 1986	21.96	+6.96	Major	17,100
4	May 11, 1994	20.05	+5.05	Moderate	9,160
5	Sep 29, 2012	19.96	+4.96	Moderate	9,060
6	Oct 10, 2018	18.76	+3.76	Moderate	8,460
7	May 29, 1971	17.68	+2.68	Minor	12,900
8	Jun 20, 1982	15.93	+0.93	Minor	7,630
9	Oct 23, 2015	15.73	+0.73	Minor	4,910
10	Apr 23, 1981	15.70	+0.70	Minor	7,400
11	May 21, 2017	15.40	+0.40	Minor	4,570

The worst floods along the Colorado River (TX)

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

September 9, 1980: 22.98 ft here, major flooding

WinchellTX · Sep 10, 1980 · 38.04 ft · Major
BallingerTX · Sep 9, 1980 · 24.72 ft · Major

October 6, 1986: 21.96 ft here, major flooding

BallingerTX · Oct 6, 1986 · 19.86 ft · Minor

September 29, 2012: 19.96 ft here, moderate flooding

BallingerTX · Sep 29, 2012 · 27.78 ft · Major · its highest

Gauges on the Colorado River (TX)

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

Flood gauges on the Colorado River (TX)

Silver this gauge	TX	15.0	22.98 ft, Sep 9, 1980	3
Ballinger	TX	18.0	27.78 ft, Sep 29, 2012	7
Winchell	TX	26.0	62.20 ft, Sep 19, 1936	18
San Saba	TX	30.0	62.24 ft, Jul 23, 1938	8
Lake Travis	TX	685.0	710.44 ft, Dec 25, 1991	7
Austin	TX	33.0	51.00 ft, Jul 7, 1869	7
Bastrop	TX	23.0	60.30 ft, Jul 7, 1869	12
Smithville	TX	20.0	47.40 ft, Dec 4, 1913	9
La Grange	TX	26.0	56.70 ft, Jul 9, 1869	10
Columbus	TX	34.0	48.40 ft, Jul 26, 1938	11
Wharton	TX	39.0	50.47 ft, Aug 31, 2017	11
Bay City	TX	44.0	46.40 ft, Jun 26, 1960	2

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SILT2, 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.