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Rio Grande at Laredo

Highest listed crest 61.35 ftFlood stage 8.0 ft77 crests since 1932

The Rio Grande at Laredo crested at major flood stage 7 times among the 77 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1932 to 2026. The highest, 61.35 ft on June 30, 1954, was major flooding, 53.35 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
61.35 ft
June 30, 1954; 716,900 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
8.0 ft
Major flooding from 30.0 ft
Crests at major
7
90th of 370 gauges in Texas
Most recent flood crest
July 19, 2026
18.07 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Webb County
Near Laredo (4.1 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Rio Grande at Laredo
Action stage7.02Jul 3, 2002The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)8.024Jun 7, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage13.034Jul 19, 2026Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage30.07Jul 9, 2010Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

77 crests from 1932 to 2026. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Rio Grande at Laredo, 1932 to 2026 020406080ft Flood stage 8.0 ftMajor 30.0 ft Sep 4, 1932: 52.50 ft, major floodingJun 30, 1954: 61.35 ft, major flooding; 716,900 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 1970: 13.35 ft, moderate flooding; 21,400 cubic feet per secondJun 30, 1971: 38.98 ft, major flooding; 138,000 cubic feet per secondAug 2, 1971: 19.29 ft, moderate flooding; 38,800 cubic feet per secondSep 13, 1971: 17.91 ft, moderate flooding; 28,500 cubic feet per secondOct 6, 1971: 31.63 ft, major flooding; 74,900 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 1972: 17.19 ft, moderate flooding; 23,100 cubic feet per secondOct 7, 1973: 17.59 ft, moderate flooding; 32,800 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 1974: 27.66 ft, moderate flooding; 63,900 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 1974: 17.26 ft, moderate floodingMay 28, 1975: 16.60 ft, moderate flooding; 31,000 cubic feet per secondJul 21, 1975: 32.05 ft, major flooding; 84,400 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1976: 14.37 ft, moderate flooding; 28,500 cubic feet per secondJul 19, 1976: 20.34 ft, moderate flooding; 42,000 cubic feet per secondAug 26, 1976: 13.58 ft, moderate flooding; 23,000 cubic feet per secondSep 3, 1976: 13.52 ft, moderate flooding; 22,800 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1977: 17.39 ft, moderate flooding; 33,200 cubic feet per secondNov 6, 1978: 15.85 ft, moderate flooding; 27,100 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1979: 21.23 ft, moderate flooding; 49,800 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1980: 19.52 ft, moderate flooding; 36,700 cubic feet per secondAug 13, 1980: 19.46 ft, moderate flooding; 38,100 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1981: 14.11 ft, moderate flooding; 23,000 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1982: 13.25 ft, moderate flooding; 21,500 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 1982: 7.71 ft, action stage; 12,400 cubic feet per secondSep 20, 1983: 16.70 ft, moderate flooding; 29,600 cubic feet per secondOct 22, 1983: 15.55 ft, moderate flooding; 26,500 cubic feet per secondOct 13, 1984: 15.52 ft, moderate flooding; 26,400 cubic feet per secondOct 21, 1985: 17.39 ft, moderate flooding; 31,600 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 1986: 16.01 ft, moderate flooding; 29,900 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 1987: 13.64 ft, moderate flooding; 21,500 cubic feet per secondSep 24, 1988: 9.21 ft, minor flooding; 11,600 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1989: 6.35 ft, below flood stage; 11,800 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 1990: 14.96 ft, moderate flooding; 33,394 cubic feet per secondSep 4, 1991: 11.41 ft, minor flooding; 27,360 cubic feet per secondSep 20, 1991: 10.47 ft, minor flooding; 27,005 cubic feet per secondJul 23, 1992: 12.11 ft, minor flooding; 26,475 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 1993: 10.47 ft, minor flooding; 18,180 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1994: 11.76 ft, minor flooding; 20,933 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 1995: 11.48 ft, minor flooding; 20,792 cubic feet per secondAug 27, 1998: 35.02 ft, major floodingJul 3, 2002: 7.40 ft, action stageJul 17, 2002: 9.35 ft, minor floodingOct 13, 2003: 20.01 ft, moderate floodingApr 7, 2004: 20.18 ft, moderate floodingOct 6, 2004: 9.68 ft, minor floodingMay 10, 2007: 10.85 ft, minor floodingSep 26, 2008: 11.94 ft, minor flooding; 21,858 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2010: 17.04 ft, moderate flooding; 32,153 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 2010: 12.86 ft, minor flooding; 23,009 cubic feet per secondJul 9, 2010: 42.45 ft, major flooding; 127,266 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 2012: 12.13 ft, minor flooding; 20,042 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 2013: 8.92 ft, minor flooding; 12,991 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 2013: 21.87 ft, moderate flooding; 44,642 cubic feet per secondOct 15, 2013: 12.72 ft, minor flooding; 21,355 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 2014: 17.18 ft, moderate flooding; 32,030 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 2015: 3.24 ft, below flood stage; 3,112 cubic feet per secondOct 10, 2015: 11.08 ft, minor flooding; 17,806 cubic feet per secondAug 22, 2016: 10.46 ft, minor flooding; 16,478 cubic feet per secondSep 15, 2016: 5.49 ft, below flood stage; 6,218 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 2016: 6.53 ft, below flood stage; 8,103 cubic feet per secondNov 6, 2016: 5.61 ft, below flood stage; 5,541 cubic feet per secondDec 6, 2016: 3.33 ft, below flood stage; 1,919 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 2017: 6.85 ft, below flood stage; 7,665 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 2017: 10.95 ft, minor flooding; 16,940 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 2017: 8.10 ft, minor flooding; 11,065 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 2017: 8.14 ft, minor flooding; 11,147 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 2017: 9.26 ft, minor flooding; 13,519 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 2017: 22.70 ft, moderate flooding; 43,229 cubic feet per secondSep 10, 2018: 14.76 ft, moderate flooding; 24,510 cubic feet per secondSep 23, 2018: 9.86 ft, minor flooding; 14,512 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 2019: 8.39 ft, minor flooding; 11,778 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2019: 9.71 ft, minor flooding; 14,205 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 2021: 4.53 ft, below flood stage; 4,735 cubic feet per secondJul 6, 2021: 5.96 ft, below flood stage; 7,130 cubic feet per secondAug 6, 2021: 6.55 ft, below flood stage; 8,186 cubic feet per secondJul 19, 2026: 18.07 ft, moderate flooding; 31,723 cubic feet per second Highest, 61.35 ft, Jun 30, 1954 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Rio Grande at Laredo 1930s: 1 1940s: 0 1950s: 1 1960s: 0 1970s: 18 1980s: 11 1990s: 8 2000s: 6 2010s: 19 19 2020s: 1 1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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.
  3. 1 crest measured on an earlier gauge datum is left out: 62.48 ft on Jan 1, 1865.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 77 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Rio Grande at Laredo
1Jun 30, 195461.35+53.35Major716,900
2Sep 4, 193252.50+44.50Major—
3Jul 9, 201042.45+34.45Major127,266
4Jun 30, 197138.98+30.98Major138,000
5Aug 27, 199835.02+27.02Major—
6Jul 21, 197532.05+24.05Major84,400
7Oct 6, 197131.63+23.63Major74,900
8Sep 27, 197427.66+19.66Moderate63,900
9Sep 28, 201722.70+14.70Moderate43,229
10Jun 17, 201321.87+13.87Moderate44,642
11Jun 5, 197921.23+13.23Moderate49,800
12Jul 19, 197620.34+12.34Moderate42,000
13Apr 7, 200420.18+12.18Moderate—
14Oct 13, 200320.01+12.01Moderate—
15May 28, 198019.52+11.52Moderate36,700
16Aug 13, 198019.46+11.46Moderate38,100
17Aug 2, 197119.29+11.29Moderate38,800
18Jul 19, 202618.07+10.07Moderate31,723
19Sep 13, 197117.91+9.91Moderate28,500
20Oct 7, 197317.59+9.59Moderate32,800
21May 23, 197717.39+9.39Moderate33,200
22Oct 21, 198517.39+9.39Moderate31,600
23Oct 1, 197417.26+9.26Moderate—
24May 10, 197217.19+9.19Moderate23,100
25Jun 23, 201417.18+9.18Moderate32,030
26Apr 18, 201017.04+9.04Moderate32,153
27Sep 20, 198316.70+8.70Moderate29,600
28May 28, 197516.60+8.60Moderate31,000
29Jun 3, 198616.01+8.01Moderate29,900
30Nov 6, 197815.85+7.85Moderate27,100
31Oct 22, 198315.55+7.55Moderate26,500
32Oct 13, 198415.52+7.52Moderate26,400
33Apr 28, 199014.96+6.96Moderate33,394
34Sep 10, 201814.76+6.76Moderate24,510
35May 8, 197614.37+6.37Moderate28,500
36Jun 17, 198114.11+6.11Moderate23,000
37Jun 7, 198713.64+5.64Moderate21,500
38Aug 26, 197613.58+5.58Moderate23,000
39Sep 3, 197613.52+5.52Moderate22,800
40Sep 28, 197013.35+5.35Moderate21,400
41Apr 25, 198213.25+5.25Moderate21,500
42May 27, 201012.86+4.86Minor23,009
43Oct 15, 201312.72+4.72Minor21,355
44Oct 1, 201212.13+4.13Minor20,042
45Jul 23, 199212.11+4.11Minor26,475
46Sep 26, 200811.94+3.94Minor21,858
47May 9, 199411.76+3.76Minor20,933
48May 29, 199511.48+3.48Minor20,792
49Sep 4, 199111.41+3.41Minor27,360
50Oct 10, 201511.08+3.08Minor17,806

The worst floods along the Rio Grande

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

July 9, 2010: 42.45 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Rio Grande

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

Flood gauges on the Rio Grande
Columbia BridgeTX18.049.42 ft, Jul 8, 20102
Falcon LakeTX301.2309.31 ft, Jul 17, 20100
Laredo this gaugeTX8.061.35 ft, Jun 30, 19547
Lower BrownsvilleTX27.031.48 ft, Oct 8, 19456
Rio Grande CityTX50.065.78 ft, Sep 27, 19723
San BenitoTX55.061.06 ft, Sep 29, 19671

Other gauges in Webb County

Flood gauges in Webb County
Columbia Bridge18.049.42 ft, Jul 8, 20102

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge LDOT2, 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.