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Pedernales River at Johnson City

Highest listed crest 42.50 ftFlood stage 14.0 ft24 crests since 1869

The Pedernales River at Johnson City crested at major flood stage 18 times among the 24 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1869 to 2026. The highest, 42.50 ft on September 11, 1952, was major flooding, 28.50 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
42.50 ft
September 11, 1952; 441,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
14.0 ft
Major flooding from 19.0 ft
Crests at major
18
18th of 370 gauges in Texas
Most recent flood crest
July 16, 2026
24.58 ft, major flooding
Location
Blanco County
Texas

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Pedernales River at Johnson City
Action stage13.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)14.02May 4, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage17.04May 8, 2019Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage19.018Jul 16, 2026Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

24 crests from 1869 to 2026. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Pedernales River at Johnson City, 1869 to 2026 1020304050ft Flood stage 14.0 ftMajor 19.0 ft Jul 3, 1869: 33.00 ft, major floodingMay 28, 1929: 22.90 ft, major floodingAug 30, 1944: 26.10 ft, major floodingSep 11, 1952: 42.50 ft, major flooding; 441,000 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 1957: 24.80 ft, major floodingOct 4, 1959: 26.10 ft, major floodingOct 31, 1974: 21.95 ft, major floodingApr 15, 1977: 22.60 ft, major floodingAug 3, 1978: 24.90 ft, major flooding; 127,000 cubic feet per secondJul 17, 1987: 17.98 ft, moderate flooding; 44,800 cubic feet per secondDec 21, 1991: 21.86 ft, major flooding; 89,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 1992: 21.87 ft, major flooding; 89,100 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1995: 21.38 ft, major floodingJun 22, 1997: 25.16 ft, major flooding; 94,900 cubic feet per secondNov 15, 2001: 22.45 ft, major floodingJul 4, 2002: 26.00 ft, major flooding; 105,000 cubic feet per secondNov 17, 2004: 17.73 ft, moderate flooding; 42,453 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2007: 20.36 ft, major floodingMay 24, 2015: 19.25 ft, major flooding; 39,116 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 2016: 16.22 ft, minor flooding; 21,786 cubic feet per secondOct 16, 2018: 17.58 ft, moderate flooding; 29,038 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 2019: 15.78 ft, minor flooding; 19,259 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 2019: 18.50 ft, moderate flooding; 34,963 cubic feet per secondJul 16, 2026: 24.58 ft, major flooding Highest, 42.50 ft, Sep 11, 1952 18801900192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Pedernales River at Johnson City 1860s: 1 1870s: 0 1880s: 0 1890s: 0 1900s: 0 1910s: 0 1920s: 1 1930s: 0 1940s: 1 1950s: 3 1960s: 0 1970s: 3 1980s: 1 1990s: 4 2000s: 4 2010s: 5 5 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, Pedernales River at Johnson City
1Sep 11, 195242.50+28.50Major441,000
2Jul 3, 186933.00+19.00Major—
3Aug 30, 194426.10+12.10Major—
4Oct 4, 195926.10+12.10Major—
5Jul 4, 200226.00+12.00Major105,000
6Jun 22, 199725.16+11.16Major94,900
7Aug 3, 197824.90+10.90Major127,000
8Apr 24, 195724.80+10.80Major—
9Jul 16, 202624.58+10.58Major—
10May 28, 192922.90+8.90Major—
11Apr 15, 197722.60+8.60Major—
12Nov 15, 200122.45+8.45Major—
13Oct 31, 197421.95+7.95Major—
14Feb 4, 199221.87+7.87Major89,100
15Dec 21, 199121.86+7.86Major89,000
16May 30, 199521.38+7.38Major—
17May 25, 200720.36+6.36Major—
18May 24, 201519.25+5.25Major39,116
19May 8, 201918.50+4.50Moderate34,963
20Jul 17, 198717.98+3.98Moderate44,800
21Nov 17, 200417.73+3.73Moderate42,453
22Oct 16, 201817.58+3.58Moderate29,038
23Jun 2, 201616.22+2.22Minor21,786
24May 4, 201915.78+1.78Minor19,259

The worst floods along the Pedernales River

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

July 4, 2002: 26.00 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Pedernales River

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

Flood gauges on the Pedernales River
FredericksburgTX22.041.60 ft, Aug 2, 19785
Johnson City this gaugeTX14.042.50 ft, Sep 11, 195218

Other gauges in Blanco County

Flood gauges in Blanco County
Blanco18.018.36 ft, May 8, 20190
Crabapple Road7.07.01 ft, May 8, 20190
FM32 near Fischer12.016.72 ft, Oct 14, 20210

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge JOCT2, 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.