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Colorado River (TX) near Ballinger

Highest listed crest 27.78 ftFlood stage 18.0 ft13 crests since 1980

The Colorado River (TX) near Ballinger crested at major flood stage 7 times among the 13 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1980 to 2019. The highest, 27.78 ft on September 29, 2012, was major flooding, 9.78 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Colorado River (TX) crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
27.78 ft
September 29, 2012; 10,100 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
18.0 ft
Major flooding from 24.0 ft
Crests at major
7
90th of 370 gauges in Texas
Most recent flood crest
May 18, 2019
20.44 ft, minor flooding
Location
Runnels 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) near Ballinger
Action stage15.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)18.05May 18, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage21.01Oct 18, 2018Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage24.07Sep 29, 2012Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

13 crests from 1980 to 2019. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Colorado River (TX) near Ballinger, 1980 to 2019 182022242628ft Flood stage 18.0 ftMajor 24.0 ft Sep 9, 1980: 24.72 ft, major flooding; 9,840 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1981: 20.62 ft, minor flooding; 7,520 cubic feet per secondOct 13, 1981: 26.77 ft, major flooding; 13,000 cubic feet per secondAug 28, 1986: 25.07 ft, major flooding; 11,400 cubic feet per secondOct 6, 1986: 19.86 ft, minor flooding; 6,920 cubic feet per secondSep 21, 1990: 27.50 ft, major flooding; 12,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 1992: 18.86 ft, minor flooding; 6,160 cubic feet per secondSep 15, 1996: 18.04 ft, minor flooding; 4,870 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 1997: 24.75 ft, major flooding; 9,940 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2000: 24.30 ft, major flooding; 9,540 cubic feet per secondSep 29, 2012: 27.78 ft, major flooding; 10,100 cubic feet per secondOct 18, 2018: 22.97 ft, moderate flooding; 5,660 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 2019: 20.44 ft, minor flooding; 5,095 cubic feet per second Highest, 27.78 ft, Sep 29, 2012 19801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Colorado River (TX) near Ballinger 1980s: 5 5 1990s: 4 2000s: 1 2010s: 3 1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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. 7 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 36.00 ft on Jan 1, 1884; 32.00 ft on Aug 6, 1906; 27.45 ft on Jun 14, 1930; 26.25 ft on May 18, 1935; 28.60 ft on Jun 18, 1936; 23.77 ft on Aug 20, 1953; and more.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Colorado River (TX) near Ballinger
1Sep 29, 201227.78+9.78Major10,100
2Sep 21, 199027.50+9.50Major12,200
3Oct 13, 198126.77+8.77Major13,000
4Aug 28, 198625.07+7.07Major11,400
5Jun 23, 199724.75+6.75Major9,940
6Sep 9, 198024.72+6.72Major9,840
7Jun 4, 200024.30+6.30Major9,540
8Oct 18, 201822.97+4.97Moderate5,660
9May 30, 198120.62+2.62Minor7,520
10May 18, 201920.44+2.44Minor5,095
11Oct 6, 198619.86+1.86Minor6,920
12Feb 24, 199218.86+0.86Minor6,160
13Sep 15, 199618.04+0.04Minor4,870

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 29, 2012: 27.78 ft here, major flooding

  • SilverTX · Sep 29, 2012 · 19.96 ft · Moderate

June 23, 1997: 24.75 ft here, major flooding

  • San SabaTX · Jun 23, 1997 · 34.48 ft · Moderate

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
Ballinger this gaugeTX18.027.78 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
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 Runnels County

Flood gauges in Runnels County
Ballinger7.014.20 ft, Oct 13, 19571

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BLIT2, 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.