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Onion Creek at US 183

Highest listed crest 40.15 ftFlood stage 17.0 ft22 crests since 1869

The Onion Creek at US 183 crested at major flood stage 8 times among the 22 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1869 to 2021. The highest, 40.15 ft on October 31, 2013, was major flooding, 23.15 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Onion Creek crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
40.15 ft
October 31, 2013; 135,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
17.0 ft
Major flooding from 27.0 ft
Crests at major
8
81st of 370 gauges in Texas
Most recent flood crest
October 14, 2021
17.92 ft, minor flooding
Location
Travis County
Near Austin (9.2 mi), Buda (12.1 mi), Manor (14.5 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Onion Creek at US 183
Action stage15.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)17.08Oct 14, 2021Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage23.06May 4, 2019Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage27.08Oct 30, 2015Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

22 crests from 1869 to 2021. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Onion Creek at US 183, 1869 to 2021 1020304050ft Flood stage 17.0 ftMajor 27.0 ft Jul 3, 1869: 38.00 ft, major floodingSep 9, 1921: 38.00 ft, major flooding; 138,000 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1981: 25.96 ft, moderate flooding; 26,100 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 1982: 21.28 ft, minor flooding; 13,300 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1987: 19.79 ft, minor flooding; 10,900 cubic feet per secondDec 21, 1991: 30.50 ft, major flooding; 44,200 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1997: 23.80 ft, moderate flooding; 17,500 cubic feet per secondOct 17, 1998: 32.00 ft, major flooding; 51,000 cubic feet per secondNov 16, 2001: 36.50 ft, major floodingJul 2, 2002: 23.80 ft, moderate flooding; 17,500 cubic feet per secondNov 22, 2004: 23.78 ft, moderate flooding; 17,560 cubic feet per secondJan 13, 2007: 22.97 ft, minor floodingOct 13, 2013: 28.87 ft, major flooding; 40,127 cubic feet per secondOct 31, 2013: 40.15 ft, major flooding; 135,000 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 2015: 22.93 ft, minor flooding; 15,100 cubic feet per secondOct 30, 2015: 39.22 ft, major flooding; 120,284 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 2016: 21.19 ft, minor flooding; 11,773 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 2016: 25.13 ft, moderate flooding; 20,345 cubic feet per secondAug 27, 2017: 19.16 ft, minor flooding; 8,872 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 2019: 26.99 ft, moderate flooding; 26,518 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 2019: 20.69 ft, minor flooding; 10,823 cubic feet per secondOct 14, 2021: 17.92 ft, minor flooding; 7,878 cubic feet per second Highest, 40.15 ft, Oct 31, 2013 18801900192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Onion Creek at US 183 1860s: 1 1870s: 0 1880s: 0 1890s: 0 1900s: 0 1910s: 0 1920s: 1 1930s: 0 1940s: 0 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 3 1990s: 3 2000s: 4 2010s: 9 9 2020s: 1 1860s1880s1900s1920s1940s1960s1980s2000s2020s
  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, Onion Creek at US 183
1Oct 31, 201340.15+23.15Major135,000
2Oct 30, 201539.22+22.22Major120,284
3Jul 3, 186938.00+21.00Major—
4Sep 9, 192138.00+21.00Major138,000
5Nov 16, 200136.50+19.50Major—
6Oct 17, 199832.00+15.00Major51,000
7Dec 21, 199130.50+13.50Major44,200
8Oct 13, 201328.87+11.87Major40,127
9May 4, 201926.99+9.99Moderate26,518
10Jun 11, 198125.96+8.96Moderate26,100
11May 27, 201625.13+8.13Moderate20,345
12Jun 9, 199723.80+6.80Moderate17,500
13Jul 2, 200223.80+6.80Moderate17,500
14Nov 22, 200423.78+6.78Moderate17,560
15Jan 13, 200722.97+5.97Minor—
16May 26, 201522.93+5.93Minor15,100
17May 13, 198221.28+4.28Minor13,300
18May 20, 201621.19+4.19Minor11,773
19May 9, 201920.69+3.69Minor10,823
20Jun 4, 198719.79+2.79Minor10,900
21Aug 27, 201719.16+2.16Minor8,872
22Oct 14, 202117.92+0.92Minor7,878

The worst floods along the Onion Creek

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

October 31, 2013: 40.15 ft here, major flooding

  • DriftwoodTX · Oct 31, 2013 · 21.07 ft · Major

October 30, 2015: 39.22 ft here, major flooding

  • DriftwoodTX · Oct 30, 2015 · 26.39 ft · Major · its highest
  • BudaTX · Oct 30, 2015 · 23.39 ft · Minor · its highest

Gauges on the Onion Creek

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

Flood gauges on the Onion Creek
BudaTX15.023.39 ft, Oct 30, 20150
US 183 this gaugeTX17.040.15 ft, Oct 31, 20138
DriftwoodTX5.526.39 ft, Oct 30, 201511

Other gauges in Travis County

Flood gauges in Travis County
Hwy 71 near Oak Hill12.024.83 ft, Oct 30, 20154
Loop 3608.026.00 ft, May 25, 192915
Loop 3605.018.72 ft, Nov 24, 20005
Austin33.051.00 ft, Jul 7, 18697
Lake Travis685.0710.44 ft, Dec 25, 19917
West 12th Street7.023.11 ft, May 24, 198115
FM 1826 near Austin8.011.06 ft, May 4, 20190
Manchaca Road at Austin13.016.10 ft, Oct 30, 20150
Oak Hill6.012.01 ft, Oct 13, 20134

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge ATIT2, 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.