Cow Bayou at SH 87

Highest listed crest 7.72 ftFlood stage 4.0 ft2 crests since 2017

The Cow Bayou at SH 87 crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 2 crests the National Weather Service lists from 2017 to 2019. The highest, 7.72 ft on September 3, 2017, was major flooding, 3.72 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Cow Bayou crested above flood stage within a week of it, 2 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest: 7.72 ft; September 3, 2017
Flood stage: 4.0 ft; Major flooding from 6.0 ft
Crests at major: 1; 248th of 370 gauges in Texas
Most recent flood crest: September 20, 2019; 4.36 ft, minor flooding
Location: Orange County; Near Orange (6.8 mi), Groves (8.9 mi), Port Neches (10.2 mi)
Identifiers: NWS COWT2; USGS 08031050

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Cow Bayou at SH 87

Action stage	3.0	0	—	The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)	4.0	1	Sep 20, 2019	Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage	5.0	0	—	Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage	6.0	1	Sep 3, 2017	Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

2 crests from 2017 to 2019. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

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, Cow Bayou at SH 87

1	Sep 3, 2017	7.72	+3.72	Major	—
2	Sep 20, 2019	4.36	+0.36	Minor	—

The worst floods along the Cow Bayou

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

September 3, 2017: 7.72 ft here, major flooding

MauricevilleTX · Aug 30, 2017 · 26.85 ft · Major · its highest
FM 1442TX · Sep 3, 2017 · 16.53 ft · Major · its highest

September 20, 2019: 4.36 ft here, minor flooding

MauricevilleTX · Sep 20, 2019 · 24.06 ft · Major
FM 1442TX · Sep 20, 2019 · 14.91 ft · Major

Gauges on the Cow Bayou

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

Flood gauges on the Cow Bayou

Mauriceville	TX	17.0	26.85 ft, Aug 30, 2017	5
FM 1442	TX	6.0	16.53 ft, Sep 3, 2017	2
SH 87 this gauge	TX	4.0	7.72 ft, Sep 3, 2017	1

Other gauges in Orange County

Flood gauges in Orange County

FM 3247	6.0	13.30 ft, Sep 1, 2017	2
SH 87	4.0	9.50 ft, Sep 1, 2017	1
I-10	10.0	12.06 ft, Dec 8, 2018	0
FM 1442	6.0	16.53 ft, Sep 3, 2017	2
Mauriceville	17.0	26.85 ft, Aug 30, 2017	5
Saltwater Barrier	4.0	21.56 ft, Sep 1, 2017	11
I-10	3.0	3.37 ft, Sep 23, 2020	0
International Paper	7.0	7.67 ft, Apr 30, 2020	0
Orange	4.0	7.83 ft, Sep 3, 2017	3

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge COWT2, 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.