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Devils River at Pafford Crossing near Comstock

Highest listed crest 19.82 ftFlood stage 5.0 ft16 crests since 1964

The Devils River at Pafford Crossing near Comstock crested at major flood stage 6 times among the 16 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1964 to 2026. The highest, 19.82 ft on September 18, 1974, was major flooding, 14.82 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
19.82 ft
September 18, 1974; 250,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
5.0 ft
Major flooding from 12.0 ft
Crests at major
6
111th of 370 gauges in Texas
Most recent flood crest
October 2, 2026
7.76 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Val Verde County
Texas

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Devils River at Pafford Crossing near Comstock
Action stage4.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)5.01Sep 23, 2018Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage6.09Oct 2, 2026Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage12.06Oct 5, 1986Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

16 crests from 1964 to 2026. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Devils River at Pafford Crossing near Comstock, 1964 to 2026 5101520ft Flood stage 5.0 ftMajor 12.0 ft Sep 21, 1964: 11.35 ft, moderate flooding; 114,000 cubic feet per secondAug 15, 1971: 14.31 ft, major flooding; 139,000 cubic feet per secondAug 12, 1972: 16.18 ft, major flooding; 173,000 cubic feet per secondSep 18, 1974: 19.82 ft, major flooding; 250,000 cubic feet per secondJul 17, 1976: 13.02 ft, major flooding; 117,000 cubic feet per secondSep 25, 1980: 11.55 ft, moderate flooding; 94,100 cubic feet per secondOct 11, 1981: 14.47 ft, major flooding; 142,000 cubic feet per secondOct 20, 1983: 9.32 ft, moderate flooding; 63,000 cubic feet per secondOct 5, 1986: 13.19 ft, major flooding; 119,000 cubic feet per secondJul 11, 1988: 8.12 ft, moderate flooding; 48,600 cubic feet per secondSep 23, 1990: 7.91 ft, moderate flooding; 46,243 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 2007: 9.38 ft, moderate flooding; 64,292 cubic feet per secondSep 23, 2018: 5.14 ft, minor flooding; 14,419 cubic feet per secondOct 19, 2018: 6.20 ft, moderate flooding; 30,000 cubic feet per secondJul 19, 2026: 10.99 ft, moderate floodingOct 2, 2026: 7.76 ft, moderate flooding; 43,846 cubic feet per second Highest, 19.82 ft, Sep 18, 1974 197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Devils River at Pafford Crossing near Comstock 1960s: 1 1970s: 4 1980s: 5 5 1990s: 1 2000s: 1 2010s: 2 2020s: 2 1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Devils River at Pafford Crossing near Comstock
1Sep 18, 197419.82+14.82Major250,000
2Aug 12, 197216.18+11.18Major173,000
3Oct 11, 198114.47+9.47Major142,000
4Aug 15, 197114.31+9.31Major139,000
5Oct 5, 198613.19+8.19Major119,000
6Jul 17, 197613.02+8.02Major117,000
7Sep 25, 198011.55+6.55Moderate94,100
8Sep 21, 196411.35+6.35Moderate114,000
9Jul 19, 202610.99+5.99Moderate—
10Jun 10, 20079.38+4.38Moderate64,292
11Oct 20, 19839.32+4.32Moderate63,000
12Jul 11, 19888.12+3.12Moderate48,600
13Sep 23, 19907.91+2.91Moderate46,243
14Oct 2, 20267.76+2.76Moderate43,846
15Oct 19, 20186.20+1.20Moderate30,000
16Sep 23, 20185.14+0.14Minor14,419

The worst floods along the Devils River

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

October 11, 1981: 14.47 ft here, major flooding

October 5, 1986: 13.19 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Devils River

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Devils River
Bakers Crossing near JunoTX6.035.00 ft, Jun 28, 19548
Cauthorn Ranch near JunoTX8.022.57 ft, Jul 18, 20262
Pafford Crossing near Comstock this gaugeTX5.019.82 ft, Sep 18, 19746

Other gauges in Val Verde County

Flood gauges in Val Verde County
Bakers Crossing near Juno6.035.00 ft, Jun 28, 19548
Cauthorn Ranch near Juno8.022.57 ft, Jul 18, 20262
Comstock5.010.30 ft, Sep 14, 19860
Pandale Crossing7.043.90 ft, Jun 28, 19545
Langtry10.038.14 ft, Nov 5, 19785
Del Rio4.538.25 ft, Jun 28, 195416
Foster Ranch14.050.00 ft, Jun 17, 19229
Lake Amistad1,120.01,135.66 ft, Sep 22, 19743

Val Verde County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Texas

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CMKT2, 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.