Brazos River near Sugar Land water level

Name: Brazos River near Sugar Land 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

Very low for mid-October

Water level

27.79ft Down 0.09 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 04:00 AM CDT (15 min ago)

Flow: 646 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 rise to 27.90 ft by Monday, October 19 at 01:00 AM. Issued Sunday, October 18 at 07:45 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

Low water at Brazos River near Sugar Land: the gauge reads 27.79 ft, far below normal for mid-October.

The median for mid-October is 28.84 ft, based on 8 years of readings, so the river stage is 1.05 ft below typical. It is 38.71 ft below the flood stage of 66.50 ft. On the same day last year the reading was 28.62 ft, a difference of −0.83 ft.

It is still going down, by 0.09 ft over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to rise to 27.90 ft by Monday, October 19 at 01:00 AM. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. The 30-day range is 27.79 ft – 30.59 ft.

Compared with 8 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 28.84 ft1.05 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 28.05 ft – 31.25 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (8 years of records)
Same day last year: 28.62 ft−0.83 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 27.79 ft – 30.59 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 27.66 ft – 55.48 ft
Highest on record: 67.69 ftMay 12, 2024
Forecast peak: 27.90 ftMonday, October 19 at 01:00 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 66.50 ft.

What happens at each level

73.50 ft: Major flooding continues with US 90A eastbound lanes inundated and impassable between Harlem Road and New Territory. Pitts Road is impassable between US 90A and Savannah Drive.
73.00 ft: Major flooding continues with FM 359 impassable between US 90A and the Pecan Grove levee near Southern Place Drive. The intersection of FM 359 and Mason Road is impassable. FM 2759 is completely inundated east of Agnes Road. Street flooding occurs along Sienna Parkway between McKeever Road adn Steep Bank Trace. Street flooding occurs along McKeever Road between Sienna Parkway and SH6. Miller Road near Arcola is inundated.
72.00 ft: Major flooding continues with homes near the intersection of Sixth Street and Avenue B in Rosenberg begin to take on water. FM 723 is inundated north of Rosenberg to FM 359 making the Kingdom Heights and Riverside Ranch subdivisions inaccessible. FM 359 between US 90A and Pecan Grove begins taking on water. Thompson Ferry Road souther of LJ Parkway is inundated outside of the leveed area.
71.50 ft: Major flooding continues with homes flooding along Cumings and Baker Roads in Rio Brazos north of Rosenberg. The underpass at the intersection of SH36/90A west of Rosenberg is inundated and impassable. Low-lying streets on the west side of Quail Valley take on water. Feeder roads along SH6 near the intersection of FM 521 and McKeever Road are inundated. Low-lying areas along Knights Court take on water.
70.50 ft: Major flooding begins as homes in Richmond begin flooding and many homes in Thompsons have water in them. Homes along Carroll and McKeever Roads in southeast Ft Bend County are close to taking water. Sugar Land Memorial Park and Festival Site begin to flood. Strange Drive, Greenwood Drive, and Second Street in Richmond; Sixth Street, Avenue B, and River Road in Rosenberg; and Pittman Road in Thompsons are inundated with over one foot of water.
69.50 ft: Moderate flooding continues. Widespread inundation of the floodplain occurs with homes in Thompsons flooded. The portion of Hagerson Rd outside of LID15 begins to be inundated. Six inches to one foot of water covers Strange Dr, Greenwood Dr, and Second St in Richmond; Sixth St & Avenue B in Rosenberg; and Pittman Rd in Thompsons are inundated. Homes along Carroll Rd near FM 2759 (west bank) and McKeever Rd (east bank) in southeast Ft Bend County are threatened. Flooding occurs in Camp Sienna.
68.50 ft: Moderate flooding begins in the vicinity of the gage. Homes are threatened downstream in Thompsons. Strange Drive, Greenwood Drive, and Second Street in Richmond; Sixth Street & Avenue B in Rosenberg; and Jones River Road in Thompsons are inundated. The low water crossing on Newton Drive in Richmond begins taking on water.
67.50 ft: Minor flooding continues as Baudet Road has close to one foot of water over the road.
66.50 ft: Minor flooding continues with water over Baudet Road southeast of Richmond. Significant portions of the floodplain near Thompsons are inundated requiring relocation of cattle from low-lying areas.
65.50 ft: Minor lowland flooding begins as water escapes the main channel below the gauge. Baudet Road southeast of Richmond is threatened. Livestock operations near Thompsons are affected and precautions should be taken to protect cattle including potential relocation in low-lying areas.
62.00 ft: Bankfull conditions begin.
40.00 ft: Action stage begins as the first levee district internal drainage outfall is impacted.
27.79 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	67.69 ft	May 12, 2024
2	67.59 ft	May 22, 2024
3	65.50 ft	June 6, 2021
4	48.90 ft	March 30, 2020

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

18 Sun 76° 52° – Wind 11 mph

19 Mon 82° 57° – Wind 12 mph

20 Tue 80° 63° – Wind 11 mph

21 Wed 84° 66° – Wind 9 mph

22 Thu 85° 63° – Wind 6 mph

23 Fri 87° 63° – Wind 10 mph

24 Sat 86° 65° – Wind 14 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:27 AM Sunset 06:49 PM Daylight 11 hr, 22 min First quarter 57%

Map

Other gauges on the Brazos River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Brazos River near HighbankRiver gauge, Brazos River	1.67 ft	Very low	−0.13 ft	128 mi
Brazos River at FM 485 near HearneRiver gauge, Brazos River	15.69 ft	Low	−0.05 ft	109 mi
Brazos River at SH 21 near BryanRiver gauge, Brazos River	7.20 ft	Very low	+0.01 ft	90 mi
Brazos River at WashingtonRiver gauge, Brazos River	383 cfs	Very low	−2.0 cfs	62 mi
Brazos River near HempsteadRiver gauge, Brazos River	9.41 ft	Low	−0.03 ft	50 mi
Brazos River at San FelipeRiver gauge, Brazos River	93.01 ft	Very low	−0.02 ft	31 mi
Brazos River at RichmondRiver gauge, Brazos River	8.44 ft	Very low	−0.07 ft	5.5 mi
Brazos River near RosharonRiver gauge, Brazos River	5.02 ft	Low	−0.03 ft	16 mi
Brazos River near West ColumbiaTidal gauge, Brazos River	3.24 ft	Below flood stage	+0.41 ft	29 mi
Brazos River at GIWW Flood Gates near FreeportTidal gauge, Brazos River	718 cfs	No reference yet	−1,482.0 cfs	49 mi
Brazos River at COE Flood Gates near FreeportTidal gauge, Brazos River	2.61 ft	No reference yet	+2.70 ft	49 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Oyster Creek at FM 1464 near Sugar LandRiver gauge, Oyster Creek	70.83 ft	Low	−0.18 ft	3.7 mi
Dry Creek near RosenbergRiver gauge, Dry Creek	66.69 ft	Normal	+0.03 ft	6.1 mi
Keegans Bayou at Roark Rd near HoustonRiver gauge, Keegans Bayou	60.26 ft	Low	+0.04 ft	9 mi
Big Creek near NeedvilleRiver gauge, Big Creek	1.95 ft	Very low	−0.06 ft	10 mi
Brays Bayou at AliefRiver gauge, Brays Bayou	52.34 ft	Normal	+0.01 ft	11 mi
Brays Bayou at Gessner Dr, HoustonRiver gauge, Brays Bayou	38.64 ft	Low	+0.04 ft	11 mi
Clodine Ditch at Noble Rd near AddicksRiver gauge, Clodine Ditch	68.35 ft	Normal	±0	13 mi
Sims Bayou at Hiram Clarke St, HoustonRiver gauge, Sims Bayou	26.36 ft	Low	−0.02 ft	14 mi

Questions and answers

Is the Brazos River near Sugar Land higher than last year?

No, it is 0.83 ft lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 28.62 ft.

What is flood stage for the Brazos River near Sugar Land?

The official flood stage is 66.50 ft. The level is currently 38.71 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the Brazos River near Sugar Land in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 28.84 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 28.05 ft and 31.25 ft, based on 8 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 near Sugar Land today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 04:00 AM CDT, the water level was 27.79 ft. Down 0.09 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Brazos River near Sugar Land rising or falling?

Down 0.09 ft over the last 24 hours. Down 1.19 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Brazos River near Sugar Land normal?

Very low for mid-October. Compared with 8 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:08114100 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 29.56769, -95.66814 (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	27.79 ft	2026-10-19 09:00	Provisional
Flow	646 cfs	2026-10-19 09:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Brazos River near Sugar Land (usgs:08114100). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/texas/brazos-river-near-sugar-land

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