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Leon River near Belton

Highest listed crest 25.00 ftFlood stage 14.0 ft20 crests since 1913

The Leon River near Belton crested at major flood stage 5 times among the 20 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1913 to 2016. The highest, 25.00 ft on December 1, 1913, was major flooding, 11.00 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Leon River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
25.00 ft
December 1, 1913; 60,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
14.0 ft
Major flooding from 20.0 ft
Crests at major
5
132nd of 370 gauges in Texas
Most recent flood crest
March 13, 1946
15.95 ft, minor flooding
Location
Bell County
Near Belton (2.6 mi), Temple (3.9 mi), Harker Heights (12.1 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Leon River near Belton
Action stage10.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)14.05Mar 13, 1946Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage16.02Apr 25, 1942Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage20.05Apr 22, 1945Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

20 crests from 1913 to 2016. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Leon River near Belton, 1913 to 2016 510152025ft Flood stage 14.0 ftMajor 20.0 ft Dec 1, 1913: 25.00 ft, major flooding; 60,000 cubic feet per secondSep 1, 1921: 21.00 ft, major flooding; 41,000 cubic feet per secondOct 2, 1927: 15.05 ft, minor flooding; 27,100 cubic feet per secondOct 6, 1930: 15.35 ft, minor flooding; 26,900 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1935: 17.08 ft, moderate flooding; 30,800 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 1936: 20.00 ft, major flooding; 38,000 cubic feet per secondJul 24, 1938: 14.65 ft, minor flooding; 25,100 cubic feet per secondNov 25, 1940: 14.16 ft, minor flooding; 24,200 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1942: 16.58 ft, moderate flooding; 29,600 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 1944: 22.22 ft, major flooding; 45,500 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1945: 24.41 ft, major flooding; 56,500 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 1946: 15.95 ft, minor flooding; 28,300 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1956: 8.39 ft, below flood stage; 9,030 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 1957: 9.12 ft, below flood stage; 8,490 cubic feet per secondOct 22, 1957: 8.15 ft, below flood stage; 6,470 cubic feet per secondOct 22, 1959: 9.42 ft, below flood stage; 8,820 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1965: 8.31 ft, below flood stage; 6,260 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 1975: 8.02 ft, below flood stage; 5,700 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2015: 8.50 ft, below flood stage; 6,400 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 2016: 8.54 ft, below flood stage; 6,490 cubic feet per second Highest, 25.00 ft, Dec 1, 1913 19201940196019802000

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Leon River near Belton 1910s: 1 1920s: 2 1930s: 4 1940s: 5 5 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 2010s: 0 1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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, Leon River near Belton
1Dec 1, 191325.00+11.00Major60,000
2Apr 22, 194524.41+10.41Major56,500
3May 26, 194422.22+8.22Major45,500
4Sep 1, 192121.00+7.00Major41,000
5Sep 28, 193620.00+6.00Major38,000
6May 18, 193517.08+3.08Moderate30,800
7Apr 25, 194216.58+2.58Moderate29,600
8Mar 13, 194615.95+1.95Minor28,300
9Oct 6, 193015.35+1.35Minor26,900
10Oct 2, 192715.05+1.05Minor27,100
11Jul 24, 193814.65+0.65Minor25,100
12Nov 25, 194014.16+0.16Minor24,200
13Oct 22, 19599.42−4.58Below flood stage8,820
14Jun 19, 19579.12−4.88Below flood stage8,490
15Jul 3, 20168.54−5.46Below flood stage6,490
16Jun 27, 20158.50−5.50Below flood stage6,400
17May 8, 19568.39−5.61Below flood stage9,030
18Jun 5, 19658.31−5.69Below flood stage6,260
19Oct 22, 19578.15−5.85Below flood stage6,470
20Jan 9, 19758.02−5.98Below flood stage5,700

The worst floods along the Leon River

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

December 1, 1913: 25.00 ft here, major flooding

  • HamiltonTX · Dec 1, 1913 · 38.40 ft · Major

Gauges on the Leon River

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

Flood gauges on the Leon River
DeLeonTX12.019.78 ft, Jun 28, 20073
HamiltonTX26.038.40 ft, May 1, 19084
GatesvilleTX22.035.00 ft, May 1, 19083
Belton this gaugeTX14.025.00 ft, Dec 1, 19135

Other gauges in Bell County

Flood gauges in Bell County
Little River30.046.80 ft, Sep 1, 19211

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BLET2, 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.