Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Colorado River (TX) at Austin

Highest listed crest 51.00 ftFlood stage 33.0 ft19 crests since 1869

The Colorado River (TX) at Austin crested at major flood stage 7 times among the 19 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1869 to 2015. The highest, 51.00 ft on July 7, 1869, was major flooding, 18.00 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Colorado River (TX) crested above flood stage within a week of it, 2 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
51.00 ft
July 7, 1869; 550,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
33.0 ft
Major flooding from 42.0 ft
Crests at major
7
90th of 370 gauges in Texas
Most recent flood crest
October 30, 2015
33.22 ft, minor flooding
Location
Travis County
Near Austin (5.7 mi), Manor (10.4 mi), Pflugerville (14.7 mi)

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) at Austin
Action stage25.05Sep 8, 2010The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)33.02Oct 30, 2015Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage38.02May 1, 1922Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage42.07Jul 25, 1938Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

19 crests from 1869 to 2015. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Colorado River (TX) at Austin, 1869 to 2015 2030405060ft Flood stage 33.0 ftMajor 42.0 ft Jul 7, 1869: 51.00 ft, major flooding; 550,000 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1899: 38.40 ft, moderate flooding; 113,000 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1900: 43.50 ft, major flooding; 236,000 cubic feet per secondDec 4, 1913: 42.60 ft, major flooding; 164,000 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 1922: 39.00 ft, moderate flooding; 120,000 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 1929: 42.40 ft, major flooding; 154,000 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1935: 50.00 ft, major flooding; 481,000 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 1936: 43.20 ft, major flooding; 234,000 cubic feet per secondJul 25, 1938: 45.20 ft, major flooding; 276,000 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 1981: 25.76 ft, action stage; 27,100 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 1984: 29.63 ft, action stage; 106,000 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1987: 23.86 ft, below flood stage; 38,300 cubic feet per secondDec 22, 1991: 26.40 ft, action stage; 38,700 cubic feet per secondOct 17, 1998: 24.40 ft, below flood stage; 39,400 cubic feet per secondNov 15, 2001: 24.58 ft, below flood stage; 34,900 cubic feet per secondNov 22, 2004: 25.91 ft, action stage; 38,000 cubic feet per secondSep 8, 2010: 27.70 ft, action stageMay 26, 2015: 34.09 ft, minor flooding; 34,400 cubic feet per secondOct 30, 2015: 33.22 ft, minor flooding; 32,129 cubic feet per second Highest, 51.00 ft, Jul 7, 1869 1880190019201940196019802000

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Colorado River (TX) at Austin 1860s: 1 1870s: 0 1880s: 0 1890s: 1 1900s: 1 1910s: 1 1920s: 2 1930s: 3 3 1940s: 0 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 2010s: 2 1860s1880s1900s1920s1940s1960s1980s2000s
  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, Colorado River (TX) at Austin
1Jul 7, 186951.00+18.00Major550,000
2Jun 15, 193550.00+17.00Major481,000
3Jul 25, 193845.20+12.20Major276,000
4Apr 7, 190043.50+10.50Major236,000
5Sep 28, 193643.20+10.20Major234,000
6Dec 4, 191342.60+9.60Major164,000
7May 29, 192942.40+9.40Major154,000
8May 1, 192239.00+6.00Moderate120,000
9Jun 8, 189938.40+5.40Moderate113,000
10May 26, 201534.09+1.09Minor34,400
11Oct 30, 201533.22+0.22Minor32,129
12Dec 31, 198429.63−3.37Action106,000
13Sep 8, 201027.70−5.30Action—
14Dec 22, 199126.40−6.60Action38,700
15Nov 22, 200425.91−7.09Action38,000
16May 25, 198125.76−7.24Action27,100
17Nov 15, 200124.58−8.42Below flood stage34,900
18Oct 17, 199824.40−8.60Below flood stage39,400
19Jun 4, 198723.86−9.14Below flood stage38,300

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.

July 7, 1869: 51.00 ft here, major flooding

  • BastropTX · Jul 7, 1869 · 60.30 ft · Major · its highest
  • La GrangeTX · Jul 9, 1869 · 56.70 ft · Major · its highest

June 15, 1935: 50.00 ft here, major flooding

  • BastropTX · Jun 16, 1935 · 57.00 ft · Major
  • La GrangeTX · Jun 17, 1935 · 50.84 ft · Major

July 25, 1938: 45.20 ft here, major flooding

  • San SabaTX · Jul 23, 1938 · 62.24 ft · Major · its highest
  • ColumbusTX · Jul 26, 1938 · 48.40 ft · Major · its highest
  • WinchellTX · Jul 24, 1938 · 45.70 ft · Major
  • La GrangeTX · Jul 27, 1938 · 42.95 ft · Major
  • SmithvilleTX · Jul 27, 1938 · 36.02 ft · Major

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)
SilverTX15.022.98 ft, Sep 9, 19803
BallingerTX18.027.78 ft, Sep 29, 20127
WinchellTX26.062.20 ft, Sep 19, 193618
San SabaTX30.062.24 ft, Jul 23, 19388
Lake TravisTX685.0710.44 ft, Dec 25, 19917
Austin this gaugeTX33.051.00 ft, Jul 7, 18697
BastropTX23.060.30 ft, Jul 7, 186912
SmithvilleTX20.047.40 ft, Dec 4, 19139
La GrangeTX26.056.70 ft, Jul 9, 186910
ColumbusTX34.048.40 ft, Jul 26, 193811
WhartonTX39.050.47 ft, Aug 31, 201711
Bay CityTX44.046.40 ft, Jun 26, 19602

Other gauges in Travis County

Flood gauges in Travis County
Hwy 71 near Oak Hill12.024.83 ft, Oct 30, 20154
Loop 3608.026.00 ft, May 25, 192915
Loop 3605.018.72 ft, Nov 24, 20005
Lake Travis685.0710.44 ft, Dec 25, 19917
US 18317.040.15 ft, Oct 31, 20138
West 12th Street7.023.11 ft, May 24, 198115
FM 1826 near Austin8.011.06 ft, May 4, 20190
Manchaca Road at Austin13.016.10 ft, Oct 30, 20150
Oak Hill6.012.01 ft, Oct 13, 20134

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge ACRT2, 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.