Brays Bayou at Houston water level

Name: Brays Bayou at Houston 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, Brays Bayou, Texas, United States

Directions

Low for mid-October

Water level

16.68ft Down 0.08 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 11:45 PM CDT (36 min ago)

Flow: 112 cfs

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

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

What this means

At 16.68 ft, Brays Bayou at Houston is below normal for mid-October.

That puts it 0.17 ft below the median of 16.85 ft for mid-October, based on 29 years of readings. It is 24.32 ft below the flood stage of 41.00 ft. A year ago it stood at 16.65 ft (+0.03 ft).

The level is falling, down 0.08 ft over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 16.53 ft and 19.77 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, and it usually takes a few days of steady rain to change that.

Compared with 29 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 16.85 ft0.17 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 16.59 ft – 26.14 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (29 years of records)
Same day last year: 16.65 ft+0.03 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 16.53 ft – 19.77 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 16.63 ft – 23.88 ft
Highest on record: 45.67 ftAugust 27, 2017

What the stage means on the water

Low water means more dragging on shallow riffles and slower floats. Fish crowd into the deeper runs, and warm, low water stresses them, so play and release them quickly.

The National Weather Service puts flood stage for this gauge at 41.00 ft, still 24.32 ft away.

Highest crests on record

Chance of at least minor flooding in October to December: < 5 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	45.67 ft	August 27, 2017
2	42.83 ft	May 26, 2015
3	41.98 ft	April 18, 2016
4	41.75 ft	August 29, 2017
5	41.02 ft	September 13, 2008
6	40.93 ft	January 9, 2012
7	38.78 ft	April 27, 2013

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.17 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 75° 53° – Wind 7 mph

19 Mon 79° 58° – Wind 10 mph

20 Tue 83° 60° – Wind 10 mph

21 Wed 86° 70° – Wind 10 mph

22 Thu 86° 69° – Wind 8 mph

23 Fri 86° 69° – Wind 9 mph

24 Sat 84° 69° – Wind 11 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:27 AM Sunset 06:47 PM Daylight 11 hr, 20 min First quarter 65%

Map

Other gauges on Brays Bayou

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Brays Bayou at AliefRiver gauge, Brays Bayou	52.32 ft	Normal	−0.09 ft	10 mi
Brays Bayou at Gessner Dr, HoustonRiver gauge, Brays Bayou	38.63 ft	Low	−0.03 ft	7 mi
Brays Bayou at MLK Jr Blvd, HoustonTidal gauge, Brays Bayou	1.28 ft	No reference yet	−0.20 ft	4.6 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Buffalo Bayou at HoustonTidal gauge, Buffalo Bayou	1.59 ft	Low	+0.19 ft	4.4 mi
Whiteoak Bayou at HoustonRiver gauge, Whiteoak Bayou	7.69 ft	Low	+0.01 ft	5.5 mi
Whiteoak Bayou at Main St, HoustonTidal gauge, Whiteoak Bayou	1.37 ft	Low	±0	5.8 mi
Sims Bayou at Hiram Clarke St, HoustonRiver gauge, Sims Bayou	26.39 ft	Low	+0.03 ft	5.8 mi
Buffalo Bayou at Piney PointRiver gauge, Buffalo Bayou	28.26 ft	Low	−0.13 ft	8 mi
Sims Bayou at HoustonTidal gauge, Sims Bayou	1.18 ft	Very low	+0.14 ft	8 mi
Clear Creek at FM 865 near PearlandRiver gauge, Clear Creek	38.66 ft	Low	+0.01 ft	9 mi
Keegans Bayou at Roark Rd near HoustonRiver gauge, Keegans Bayou	60.20 ft	Very low	−0.07 ft	9 mi

Questions and answers

How does Brays Bayou at Houston compare with last year?

It is 0.03 ft higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 16.65 ft.

What is flood stage for Brays Bayou at Houston?

The official flood stage is 41.00 ft. The level is currently 24.32 ft below it.

What is a normal level for Brays Bayou at Houston in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 16.85 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 16.59 ft and 26.14 ft, based on 29 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 Brays Bayou at Houston today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 11:45 PM CDT, the water level was 16.68 ft. Down 0.08 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Brays Bayou at Houston rising or falling?

Down 0.08 ft over the last 24 hours. Down 0.10 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Brays Bayou at Houston normal?

Low for mid-October. Compared with 29 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:08075000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 29.69717, -95.41216 (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	16.68 ft	2026-10-20 04:45	Provisional
Flow	112 cfs	2026-10-20 04:45	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Brays Bayou at Houston (usgs:08075000). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/texas/brays-bayou-at-houston

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