Blanco River at Wimberley water level

Name: Blanco River at Wimberley water level (U.S. Geological Survey)
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
License: https://www.usgs.gov/information-policies-and-instructions/copyrights-and-credits

River gauge, Blanco River, Texas, United States

Directions

Low for mid-October

Water level

3.50ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 17, 2026, 03:00 PM CDT (18 min ago)

Flow: 6.5 cfs

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

Water level Normal range (10–90 %) Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to fall to 3.50 ft by Saturday, October 17 at 10:00 AM. Issued Saturday, October 17 at 08:21 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

Low water at Blanco River at Wimberley: the gauge reads 3.50 ft, below normal for mid-October.

That puts it 0.29 ft below the median of 3.79 ft for mid-October, based on 26 years of readings. It is 9.50 ft below the flood stage of 13.00 ft. A year ago it stood at 3.51 ft (−0.01 ft).

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 3.50 ft by Saturday, October 17 at 10:00 AM. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. The 30-day range is 3.47 ft – 3.65 ft.

Compared with 26 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 3.79 ft0.29 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 3.32 ft – 4.05 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (26 years of records)
Same day last year: 3.51 ft−0.01 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 3.47 ft – 3.65 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 3.43 ft – 5.09 ft
Highest on record: 44.90 ftMay 24, 2015
Forecast peak: 3.50 ftSaturday, October 17 at 10:00 AM

Paddling and fishing conditions

At low levels, plan for shorter paddling trips and expect to walk your boat through a few shoals.

For reference, flood stage is 13.00 ft.

What happens at each level

38.00 ft: The Highway 12 bridge becomes overtopped and is impassable. Disastrous life threatening flooding will flood hundreds of homes and businesses in and near Wimberley in the Blanco River and Cypress Creek flood plains. Many homes flood severely downstream in the lower Blanco and San Marcos River flood plains near San Marcos. This level will reach lower rural homes in the flood plain above Blanco to below San Marcos and can trap and drown hundreds of livestock. Roads near the river are extremely dangerous.
35.00 ft: Flood waters reach the base of the bridge on Highway 12.
31.00 ft: Disastrous life threatening flooding will flood over a hundred homes and businesses in and near Wimberley in the Blanco River and Cypress Creek flood plains. Many homes flood severely downstream in the lower Blanco and San Marcos River flood plains near San Marcos. This level will reach lower rural homes in the flood plain above Blanco to below San Marcos and can trap and drown hundreds of livestock. Roads near the river are extremely dangerous.
29.00 ft: Many lowest homes in the Blanco River flood plain near Wimberley flood. Lowest homes and businesses in the Cypress Creek flood plain flood by backwater from the Blanco River and any runoff down Cypress Creek. Lowland flooding downstream in the lower Blanco and San Marcos Rivers severely floods lowest homes, roads and bridges near San Marcos. Livestock in the Blanco River flood plain above Blanco to the San Marcos River confluence are cut off and potentially drowned.
26.00 ft: Major flooding impacts several lowest homes on the Blanco River near Wimberley. Homes along Cypress Creek near Wimberley also are threatened by the Blanco River backwater and any flow down Cypress Creek. Major flooding of the lower Blanco River in northeast San Marcos floods lowest homes and inundates roads and low bridges with several feet of water near the river making them extremely dangerous. Livestock are cut off and potentially drowned.
25.00 ft: Flow approaches lowest homes near Wimberley. Widespread lowland flooding can cut off low areas of the flood plain drowning livestock. Homes along Cypress Creek near Wimberley are threatened. As the Blanco River backs up Cypress Creek additional runoff down Cypress Creek can easily flood homes. Roads near the lower Blanco River in northeast San Marcos flood severely. Water approaches the lowest homes in that area. Livestock are cut off and potentially drowned.
21.00 ft: Water recreation is very dangerous above Blanco to the San Marcos River confluence, including John Knox Camp and Dudley Johnson Park at Five Mile Dam above San Marcos. Secondary roads and bridges in the flood plain are very dangerous to motorists. Hydraulic jumps behind low dams are dangerous to canoeists and kayakers as they may become trapped.
17.00 ft: Water recreation in the Blanco river is dangerous from above Blanco to the San Marcos river confluence. Secondary roads and bridges in the flood plain are flooded and dangerous. Much of Dudley Johnson park at Five Mile Dam is flooded.
13.00 ft: Minor lowland flooding reaches secondary roads. Low bridges and crossings from the headwaters to the San Marcos River confluence near San Marcos flood and are dangerous. Property in low lying areas of the Blanco and San Marcos Rivers should be moved to higher ground. Swimming and tubing are life threatening due to turbulence. Hydraulic jumps behind low water dams can trap canoeists and kayakers between the dam and the hydraulic jump and can be life threatening.
10.00 ft: A fast moving rise down the Blanco River can make swimming and canoeing dangerous above Blanco to below San Marcos. Especially in areas where steep banks make getting out of the river dangerous. Low dams create hydraulic jumps which can trap canoeists and kayakers between the dam and the jump.
7.00 ft: Overbank conditions begin to threaten swimmers and tubers in recreation areas above Blanco to the San Marcos River confluence below San Marcos.
6.00 ft: Low lying areas and crossings of secondary roads flood near and below Blanco to below Wimberley including Farm to Market 178 just above Wimberley.
3.50 ft: Right now

Impact statements from the U.S. National Weather Service.

Highest crests on record

Chance of at least minor flooding in October to December: 10 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	44.90 ft	May 24, 2015
2	33.30 ft	May 28, 1929
3	28.89 ft	November 16, 2001
4	28.50 ft	October 17, 1998
5	26.75 ft	October 31, 2013
6	26.54 ft	October 30, 2015
7	25.71 ft	July 5, 2002
8	20.79 ft	March 12, 2007
9	20.79 ft	March 12, 2007
10	20.46 ft	June 9, 1997

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

16 Fri 73° 56° – Wind 21 mph

17 Sat 65° 49° – Wind 16 mph

18 Sun 74° 45° – Wind 10 mph

19 Mon 75° 53° – Wind 15 mph

20 Tue 82° 58° – Wind 12 mph

21 Wed 84° 64° – Wind 10 mph

22 Thu 84° 59° – Wind 11 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:36 AM Sunset 07:01 PM Daylight 11 hr, 24 min First quarter 43%

Map

Other gauges on the Blanco River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Blanco River at Crabapple Rd near BlancoRiver gauge, Blanco River	1.45 ft	Very high	±0	26 mi
Blanco River at BlancoRiver gauge, Blanco River	12.39 ft	No reference yet	−0.05 ft	21 mi
Blanco River at Valley View Rd near FischerRiver gauge, Blanco River	1.91 ft	No reference yet	−0.01 ft	9 mi
Blanco River at Fischer Store Rd near FischerRiver gauge, Blanco River	21.68 ft	Flooding	+18.04 ft	7 mi
Blanco River at Halifax Rch near KyleRiver gauge, Blanco River	0.84 ft	Low	−0.03 ft	8 mi
Blanco River near KyleRiver gauge, Blanco River	26.17 ft	Very high	−0.01 ft	11 mi
Blanco River at San MarcosRiver gauge, Blanco River	7.42 ft	Below flood stage	+0.54 ft	13 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Jacobs Well Spg near WimberleyRiver gauge, Jacobs Well Spg	0.37 ft	Very low	−0.01 ft	3.6 mi
Onion Creek near DriftwoodRiver gauge, Onion Creek	1.16 ft	Normal	−0.04 ft	8 mi
Guadalupe River at SattlerRiver gauge, Guadalupe River	4.45 ft	Normal	±0	11 mi
Canyon Lake near New BraunfelsLake, Canyon Lake	907.69 ft	Normal	−0.08 ft	11 mi
San Marcos River at San MarcosRiver gauge, San Marcos River	3.66 ft	Low	−0.01 ft	12 mi
Guadalupe River at Third Crossing near SattlerRiver gauge, Guadalupe River	3.80 ft	Normal	+0.01 ft	14 mi

Questions and answers

How does the Blanco River at Wimberley compare with last year?

It is 0.01 ft lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 3.51 ft.

What is flood stage for the Blanco River at Wimberley?

The official flood stage is 13.00 ft. The level is currently 9.50 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the Blanco River at Wimberley in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 3.79 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 3.32 ft and 4.05 ft, based on 26 years of records.

Is gage height the same as water depth?

No. Gage height is measured from a fixed reference point chosen by the agency, so a reading of 10 ft does not mean the river is 10 ft deep.

What is the water level of Blanco River at Wimberley today?

On Oct 17, 2026, 03:00 PM CDT, the water level was 3.50 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Blanco River at Wimberley rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Steady over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Blanco River at Wimberley normal?

Low for mid-October. Compared with 26 years of daily readings for this time of year.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:08171000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 29.99438, -98.08893 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: NAVD88
Update interval: every 15 minutes
Licence: Public domain. Data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), provisional data subject to revision

Published series

Parameter	Last value	Time (UTC)	Quality
Water level	3.50 ft	2026-10-17 20:00	Provisional
Flow	6.5 cfs	2026-10-17 20:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Blanco River at Wimberley (usgs:08171000). Accessed October 17, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/texas/blanco-river-at-wimberley

How we check values

Each reading is stored as published. We hold back values that jump faster than physically plausible and show the measurement time with every value.

Readings are provisional, can be delayed or wrong and are not a flood warning. Read the disclaimer