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Colorado River (TX) at Columbus

Highest listed crest 48.40 ftFlood stage 34.0 ft34 crests since 1908

The Colorado River (TX) at Columbus crested at major flood stage 11 times among the 34 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1908 to 2017. The highest, 48.40 ft on July 26, 1938, was major flooding, 14.40 feet above flood stage. 5 other gauges on the Colorado River (TX) crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
48.40 ft
July 26, 1938
Flood stage
34.0 ft
Major flooding from 43.0 ft
Crests at major
11
51st of 370 gauges in Texas
Most recent flood crest
August 29, 2017
48.17 ft, major flooding
Location
Colorado County
Texas

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 Columbus
Action stage30.05Nov 3, 2013The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)34.05Feb 23, 2003Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage39.07May 28, 2015Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage43.011Aug 29, 2017Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

34 crests from 1908 to 2017. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Colorado River (TX) at Columbus, 1908 to 2017 1020304050ft Flood stage 34.0 ftMajor 43.0 ft Apr 27, 1908: 42.80 ft, moderate flooding; 43,100 cubic feet per secondNov 14, 1918: 40.90 ft, moderate flooding; 55,100 cubic feet per secondOct 14, 1919: 41.60 ft, moderate flooding; 63,900 cubic feet per secondSep 13, 1921: 40.80 ft, moderate flooding; 67,400 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 1922: 45.30 ft, major flooding; 117,000 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1926: 43.40 ft, major flooding; 73,100 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1929: 45.00 ft, major flooding; 110,000 cubic feet per secondJul 26, 1938: 48.40 ft, major floodingJul 1, 1940: 46.20 ft, major flooding; 152,000 cubic feet per secondNov 24, 1940: 45.40 ft, major flooding; 136,000 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1981: 35.25 ft, minor flooding; 47,300 cubic feet per secondNov 1, 1981: 39.50 ft, moderate flooding; 70,000 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 1983: 25.84 ft, below flood stage; 22,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 1985: 23.57 ft, below flood stage; 17,700 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1987: 37.57 ft, minor flooding; 51,100 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 1990: 16.44 ft, below flood stage; 6,240 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 1991: 30.12 ft, action stage; 32,300 cubic feet per secondDec 25, 1991: 41.28 ft, moderate flooding; 72,800 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 1993: 28.30 ft, below flood stage; 27,700 cubic feet per secondOct 18, 1994: 37.57 ft, minor flooding; 56,500 cubic feet per secondSep 21, 1996: 20.65 ft, below flood stage; 12,400 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 1997: 28.64 ft, below flood stage; 28,600 cubic feet per secondOct 21, 1998: 43.56 ft, major flooding; 67,800 cubic feet per secondNov 18, 2001: 30.14 ft, action stage; 32,900 cubic feet per secondNov 6, 2002: 36.45 ft, minor flooding; 52,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 2003: 36.11 ft, minor floodingNov 24, 2004: 43.05 ft, major flooding; 84,800 cubic feet per secondJul 8, 2007: 32.65 ft, action stage; 39,300 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2009: 30.25 ft, action stage; 35,600 cubic feet per secondNov 3, 2013: 32.64 ft, action stage; 37,400 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2015: 40.21 ft, moderate flooding; 64,100 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 2016: 45.67 ft, major flooding; 135,000 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 2016: 43.07 ft, major flooding; 63,600 cubic feet per secondAug 29, 2017: 48.17 ft, major flooding; 165,000 cubic feet per second Highest, 48.40 ft, Jul 26, 1938 19201940196019802000

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Colorado River (TX) at Columbus 1900s: 1 1910s: 2 1920s: 4 4 1930s: 1 1940s: 2 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 3 1990s: 3 2000s: 3 2010s: 4 1900s1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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.
  3. 2 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 31.85 ft on Oct 21, 1930; 38.52 ft on Jun 19, 1935.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Colorado River (TX) at Columbus
1Jul 26, 193848.40+14.40Major—
2Aug 29, 201748.17+14.17Major165,000
3Jul 1, 194046.20+12.20Major152,000
4Apr 19, 201645.67+11.67Major135,000
5Nov 24, 194045.40+11.40Major136,000
6May 5, 192245.30+11.30Major117,000
7Jun 1, 192945.00+11.00Major110,000
8Oct 21, 199843.56+9.56Major67,800
9Apr 22, 192643.40+9.40Major73,100
10May 29, 201643.07+9.07Major63,600
11Nov 24, 200443.05+9.05Major84,800
12Apr 27, 190842.80+8.80Moderate43,100
13Oct 14, 191941.60+7.60Moderate63,900
14Dec 25, 199141.28+7.28Moderate72,800
15Nov 14, 191840.90+6.90Moderate55,100
16Sep 13, 192140.80+6.80Moderate67,400
17May 28, 201540.21+6.21Moderate64,100
18Nov 1, 198139.50+5.50Moderate70,000
19Jun 16, 198737.57+3.57Minor51,100
20Oct 18, 199437.57+3.57Minor56,500
21Nov 6, 200236.45+2.45Minor52,000
22Feb 23, 200336.11+2.11Minor—
23Jun 16, 198135.25+1.25Minor47,300
24Jul 8, 200732.65−1.35Action39,300
25Nov 3, 201332.64−1.36Action37,400
26Apr 18, 200930.25−3.75Action35,600
27Nov 18, 200130.14−3.86Action32,900
28Jan 11, 199130.12−3.88Action32,300
29Jun 27, 199728.64−5.36Below flood stage28,600
30Jun 20, 199328.30−5.70Below flood stage27,700
31May 21, 198325.84−8.16Below flood stage22,400
32Feb 24, 198523.57−10.43Below flood stage17,700
33Sep 21, 199620.65−13.35Below flood stage12,400
34May 5, 199016.44−17.56Below flood stage6,240

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 26, 1938: 48.40 ft here, major flooding

  • San SabaTX · Jul 23, 1938 · 62.24 ft · Major · its highest
  • WinchellTX · Jul 24, 1938 · 45.70 ft · Major
  • AustinTX · Jul 25, 1938 · 45.20 ft · Major
  • La GrangeTX · Jul 27, 1938 · 42.95 ft · Major
  • SmithvilleTX · Jul 27, 1938 · 36.02 ft · Major

August 29, 2017: 48.17 ft here, major flooding

  • La GrangeTX · Aug 28, 2017 · 54.14 ft · Major
  • WhartonTX · Aug 31, 2017 · 50.47 ft · Major · its highest
  • Bay CityTX · Sep 2, 2017 · 46.16 ft · Major
  • SmithvilleTX · Aug 28, 2017 · 31.91 ft · Major
  • BastropTX · Aug 28, 2017 · 26.31 ft · Moderate

July 1, 1940: 46.20 ft here, major flooding

  • WhartonTX · Jul 3, 1940 · 48.99 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
AustinTX33.051.00 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
Columbus this gaugeTX34.048.40 ft, Jul 26, 193811
WhartonTX39.050.47 ft, Aug 31, 201711
Bay CityTX44.046.40 ft, Jun 26, 19602

Other gauges in Colorado County

Flood gauges in Colorado County
Frelsburg27.042.12 ft, Aug 28, 20173
Frelsburg23.031.95 ft, Apr 18, 20162

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CBST2, 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.