Brazos River at Waco water level

Name: Brazos River at Waco 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, Brazos River, Texas, United States

Directions

Low for mid-October

Water level

1.18ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 01:45 AM CDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 53.2 cfs

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

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

What this means

The Brazos River at Waco is running below normal at 1.18 ft.

That puts it 0.83 ft below the median of 2.01 ft for mid-October, based on 29 years of readings. It is 17.82 ft below the flood stage of 19.00 ft. A year ago it stood at 2.01 ft (−0.83 ft).

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. In the last month it has stayed between 1.01 ft and 3.13 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: 2.01 ft0.83 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 1.18 ft – 5.30 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (29 years of records)
Same day last year: 2.01 ft−0.83 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 1.01 ft – 3.13 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 0.96 ft – 7.91 ft
Highest on record: 40.90 ftSeptember 27, 1936

Floating and fishing near Brazos River at Waco

Low water exposes gravel bars that make good wading access, but some boat ramps may be left high and dry.

Flood stage here is 19.00 ft, 17.82 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

29.00 ft: Major flooding continues along the river. Significant residential flooding in the Honey Lane neighborhood and nearby RV park south of Waco continues. Significant flooding is also expected at the apartment complex west of downtown Waco on MLK Jr. Blvd., and the neighborhood at Faulkner Lane and MLK Jr. Blvd. begins to flood as well. Multiple parking lots near McLane Stadium have several feet of floodwater covering them.
27.00 ft: Major flooding along the river is expected. Significant residential flooding in the Honey Lane neighborhood and nearby RV park south of Waco continues. Floodwaters will begin to impact an apartment complex west of downtown Waco along MLK Blvd. as well. Several parking lots near McLane Stadium will also flood.
25.00 ft: Moderate flooding continues along the river. Significant flooding occurs in the Honey Lane neighborhood and nearby RV park south of Waco, as well as along the riverwalk in downtown Waco.
22.00 ft: Moderate flooding along the river is expected. Flooding will begin in the Honey Lane neighborhood south of the gage. Trails along the riverwalk in downtown Waco will experience significant flooding.
19.00 ft: Minor flooding along the river is expected. Trails along the riverwalk in downtown Waco will begin to flood.
1.18 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: 6 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	40.90 ft	September 27, 1936
2	39.70 ft	December 3, 1913
3	36.70 ft	April 22, 1945
4	36.70 ft	May 25, 1908
5	36.60 ft	May 2, 1944
6	36.40 ft	November 9, 1918
7	35.90 ft	May 10, 1922
8	35.70 ft	April 25, 1942
9	34.90 ft	May 19, 1935
10	34.38 ft	June 30, 1899

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

18 Sun 72° 47° – Wind 6 mph

19 Mon 76° 47° – Wind 6 mph

20 Tue 81° 54° – Wind 9 mph

21 Wed 82° 61° – Wind 7 mph

22 Thu 85° 63° – Wind 7 mph

23 Fri 86° 65° – Wind 13 mph

24 Sat 85° 61° – Wind 12 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:35 AM Sunset 06:53 PM Daylight 11 hr, 18 min First quarter 57%

Map

Other gauges on the Brazos River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Brazos River near South BendRiver gauge, Brazos River	9.55 ft	Very high	−2.96 ft	138 mi
Brazos River near GrafordRiver gauge, Brazos River	65.06 ft	Low	±0	120 mi
Brazos River near Palo PintoRiver gauge, Brazos River	1.01 ft	Very low	−0.10 ft	116 mi
Brazos River near Glen RoseRiver gauge, Brazos River	4.01 ft	Very low	±0	62 mi
Brazos River near AquillaRiver gauge, Brazos River	7.06 ft	Normal	+0.10 ft	23 mi
Brazos River near HighbankRiver gauge, Brazos River	1.76 ft	Very low	+0.05 ft	31 mi
Brazos River at FM 485 near HearneRiver gauge, Brazos River	15.69 ft	Low	−0.05 ft	51 mi
Brazos River at SH 21 near BryanRiver gauge, Brazos River	7.19 ft	Very low	−0.01 ft	70 mi
Brazos River at WashingtonRiver gauge, Brazos River	380 cfs	Very low	−5.0 cfs	98 mi
Brazos River near HempsteadRiver gauge, Brazos River	9.41 ft	Low	−0.03 ft	110 mi
Brazos River at San FelipeRiver gauge, Brazos River	93.01 ft	Very low	−0.02 ft	133 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Waco Lake near WacoLake, Waco Lake	459.40 ft	Normal	−0.03 ft	8 mi
Hog Creek near CrawfordRiver gauge, Hog Creek	0.64 ft	Low	±0	17 mi
Middle Bosque River near McGregorRiver gauge, Middle Bosque River	2.58 ft	Normal	+0.01 ft	17 mi
N Bosque River at Valley MillsRiver gauge, N Bosque River	4.60 ft	Normal	−0.01 ft	25 mi
Aquilla Creek above AquillaRiver gauge, Aquilla Creek	5.66 ft	Normal	−0.03 ft	26 mi
Aquilla Lake above AquillaLake, Aquilla Lake	534.82 ft	Normal	−0.03 ft	26 mi
Ash Creek at Hwy 171 near MaloneRiver gauge, Ash Creek	42.63 ft	Normal	−0.01 ft	28 mi
Whitney Lake near WhitneyLake, Whitney Lake	530.76 ft	Normal	−0.03 ft	29 mi

Questions and answers

How does the Brazos River at Waco compare with last year?

It is 0.83 ft lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 2.01 ft.

What is flood stage for the Brazos River at Waco?

The official flood stage is 19.00 ft. The level is currently 17.82 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the Brazos River at Waco in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 2.01 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 1.18 ft and 5.30 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 Brazos River at Waco today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 01:45 AM CDT, the water level was 1.18 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Brazos River at Waco rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Up 0.04 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Brazos River at Waco 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:08096500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 31.53600, -97.07333 (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	1.18 ft	2026-10-19 06:45	Provisional
Flow	53.2 cfs	2026-10-19 06:45	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Brazos River at Waco (usgs:08096500). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/texas/brazos-river-at-waco

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