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Rio Grande near San Benito

Highest listed crest 61.06 ftFlood stage 55.0 ft27 crests since 1967

The Rio Grande near San Benito crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 27 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1967 to 2025. The highest, 61.06 ft on September 29, 1967, was major flooding, 6.06 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
61.06 ft
September 29, 1967; 24,992 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
55.0 ft
Major flooding from 58.0 ft
Crests at major
1
248th of 370 gauges in Texas
Most recent flood crest
October 4, 1988
55.98 ft, minor flooding
Location
Cameron County
Near San Benito (8.6 mi), Harlingen (11.3 mi), Mercedes (14.3 mi)
Identifiers
NWS SBNT2
No USGS station

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Rio Grande near San Benito
Action stage44.016Mar 30, 2025The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)55.02Oct 4, 1988Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage56.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage58.01Sep 29, 1967Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

27 crests from 1967 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Rio Grande near San Benito, 1967 to 2025 3040506070ft Flood stage 55.0 ftMajor 58.0 ft Sep 29, 1967: 61.06 ft, major flooding; 24,992 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1987: 41.59 ft, below flood stage; 3,020 cubic feet per secondSep 14, 1987: 47.28 ft, action stage; 5,150 cubic feet per secondOct 10, 1987: 44.58 ft, action stage; 3,800 cubic feet per secondNov 2, 1987: 40.99 ft, below flood stage; 2,740 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 1988: 41.15 ft, below flood stage; 2,750 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 1988: 55.18 ft, minor flooding; 8,480 cubic feet per secondOct 4, 1988: 55.98 ft, minor flooding; 9,760 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 1989: 43.67 ft, below flood stage; 3,690 cubic feet per secondAug 21, 1989: 41.08 ft, below flood stage; 3,070 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 1990: 40.35 ft, below flood stage; 2,700 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 1991: 47.31 ft, action stage; 5,295 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 1992: 54.85 ft, action stage; 8,366 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 1993: 45.54 ft, action stage; 4,377 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 1993: 51.94 ft, action stage; 6,531 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 1994: 39.53 ft, below flood stage; 2,400 cubic feet per secondSep 25, 1995: 43.62 ft, below flood stage; 3,346 cubic feet per secondOct 14, 2008: 50.84 ft, action stageJul 12, 2010: 52.64 ft, action stage; 7,695 cubic feet per secondJul 21, 2010: 53.63 ft, action stage; 8,110 cubic feet per secondSep 13, 2010: 54.41 ft, action stage; 8,445 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 2010: 53.06 ft, action stage; 7,869 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2015: 53.44 ft, action stage; 6,895 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 2018: 51.60 ft, action stage; 6,327 cubic feet per secondJul 30, 2020: 54.82 ft, action stage; 7,871 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 2022: 45.42 ft, action stage; 4,099 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 2025: 54.04 ft, action stage Highest, 61.06 ft, Sep 29, 1967 197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Rio Grande near San Benito 1960s: 1 1970s: 0 1980s: 2 2 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 2010s: 0 2020s: 0 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, Rio Grande near San Benito
1Sep 29, 196761.06+6.06Major24,992
2Oct 4, 198855.98+0.98Minor9,760
3Sep 28, 198855.18+0.18Minor8,480
4Jun 2, 199254.85−0.15Action8,366
5Jul 30, 202054.82−0.18Action7,871
6Sep 13, 201054.41−0.59Action8,445
7Mar 30, 202554.04−0.96Action—
8Jul 21, 201053.63−1.37Action8,110
9Jun 4, 201553.44−1.56Action6,895
10Sep 28, 201053.06−1.94Action7,869
11Jul 12, 201052.64−2.36Action7,695
12Jun 24, 199351.94−3.06Action6,531
13Jun 24, 201851.60−3.40Action6,327
14Oct 14, 200850.84−4.16Action—
15May 16, 199147.31−7.69Action5,295
16Sep 14, 198747.28−7.72Action5,150
17May 12, 199345.54−9.46Action4,377
18May 27, 202245.42−9.58Action4,099
19Oct 10, 198744.58−10.42Action3,800
20May 2, 198943.67−11.33Below flood stage3,690
21Sep 25, 199543.62−11.38Below flood stage3,346
22Jun 9, 198741.59−13.41Below flood stage3,020
23May 14, 198841.15−13.85Below flood stage2,750
24Aug 21, 198941.08−13.92Below flood stage3,070
25Nov 2, 198740.99−14.01Below flood stage2,740
26Feb 23, 199040.35−14.65Below flood stage2,700
27May 3, 199439.53−15.47Below flood stage2,400

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.

September 28, 1988: 55.18 ft here, minor flooding

  • LaredoTX · Sep 24, 1988 · 9.21 ft · Minor

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
LaredoTX8.061.35 ft, Jun 30, 19547
Lower BrownsvilleTX27.031.48 ft, Oct 8, 19456
Rio Grande CityTX50.065.78 ft, Sep 27, 19723
San Benito this gaugeTX55.061.06 ft, Sep 29, 19671

Other gauges in Cameron County

Flood gauges in Cameron County
Lower Brownsville27.031.48 ft, Oct 8, 19456

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SBNT2, 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.