Comal River at New Braunfels water level

Name: Comal River at New Braunfels 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, Comal River, Texas, United States

Directions

Very low for mid-October

Water level

3.64ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 02:45 PM CDT (44 min ago)

Flow: 151 cfs

History

7 days

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

The forecast expects the river to fall to 3.60 ft by Sunday, October 18 at 10:00 AM. Issued Sunday, October 18 at 08:36 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

The Comal River at New Braunfels is running far below normal at 3.64 ft.

That puts it 0.59 ft below the median of 4.23 ft for mid-October, based on 23 years of readings. It is 7.36 ft below the flood stage of 11.00 ft.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 3.60 ft by Sunday, October 18 at 10:00 AM. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. In the last month it has stayed between 3.59 ft and 3.72 ft.

Compared with 23 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 4.23 ft0.59 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 3.91 ft – 4.49 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (23 years of records)
Highest on record: 39.28 ftOctober 17, 1998
Forecast peak: 3.60 ftSunday, October 18 at 10:00 AM

Floating and fishing near Comal River at New Braunfels

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

Flood stage here is 11.00 ft, 7.36 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

36.00 ft: Life threatening flooding. Tens of homes destroyed, hundreds severely damaged in New Braunfels to below Seguin. Turbulent flow is hundreds of yards wide, trapping residents in homes and autos. Roads, streets and bridges flood rapidly to severe levels.
33.00 ft: Disastrous flooding is life threatening. Flow is well into residential areas and can trap people in their homes. Roads and streets are severely flooded and extremely dangerous.
30.00 ft: Flooding is life threatening. Several homes are flooded in the Comal River flood plain. Lowest businesses flood near San Antonio Street. Many people are cut off as numerous streets and roads flood and are extremely dangerous.
26.00 ft: Major flooding reaches lowest residences in New Braunfels. Numerous streets and bridges are flooded and very dangerous. Businesses near San Antonio Street flood.
23.00 ft: Major flooding impacts the tube chute at Prince Solms Park and floods the lower deck of a restuarant downstream. Residences are threatened downstream and upstream. Numerous roads, streets and bridges are very dangerous.
19.00 ft: Moderate flooding threatens lowest businesses in the vicinity of San Antonio Street. Numerous secondary roads and streets in the Comal River flood plain are flooded in New Braunfels.
15.00 ft: Moderate lowland flooding closes many secondary roads and streets making them and low bridges dangerous to motorists. The tube chute at Prince Solms Park is flooded to the walkway across the low dam.
11.00 ft: Minor lowland flooding extends into low areas near the tube chute at Prince Solms Park above San Antonio Street and low areas of the flood plain.
3.64 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: 11 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	39.28 ft	October 17, 1998
2	37.65 ft	October 17, 1870
3	36.91 ft	July 8, 1869
4	36.55 ft	May 11, 1972
5	36.14 ft	September 11, 1952
6	35.59 ft	June 8, 1872
7	35.45 ft	May 12, 1972
8	35.40 ft	December 13, 1913
9	30.71 ft	June 15, 1935
10	29.51 ft	July 3, 1932

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

18 Sun 73° 48° – Wind 7 mph

19 Mon 76° 55° – Wind 6 mph

20 Tue 81° 58° – Wind 11 mph

21 Wed 83° 61° – Wind 8 mph

22 Thu 84° 63° – Wind 9 mph

23 Fri 84° 60° – Wind 11 mph

24 Sat 86° 62° – Wind 15 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:37 AM Sunset 07:00 PM Daylight 11 hr, 23 min First quarter 52%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Comal River (oc) near Landa Lake, New BraunfelsRiver gauge, Comal River (oc)	1.96 ft	Normal	±0	0.6 mi
Comal River (nc) near Landa Lake, New BraunfelsRiver gauge, Comal River (nc)	0.52 ft	Normal	+0.05 ft	0.7 mi
Guadalupe River above Comal River at New BraunfelsRiver gauge, Guadalupe River	2.04 ft	Normal	+0.02 ft	0.9 mi
Guadalupe River at New BraunfelsRiver gauge, Guadalupe River	9.51 ft	Normal	+0.01 ft	1.1 mi
Dry Comal Creek at Loop 337 near New BraunfelsRiver gauge, Dry Comal Creek	4.83 ft	Low	−0.05 ft	2.3 mi
Hueco Spgs near New BraunfelsRiver gauge, Hueco Spgs	7.12 ft	Normal	−0.02 ft	3.8 mi
Guadalupe River at Third Crossing near SattlerRiver gauge, Guadalupe River	3.81 ft	Normal	+0.01 ft	7 mi
WFk Dry Comal Creek at Schuetz Dam, New BraunfelsRiver gauge, WFk Dry Comal Creek	9.47 ft	Normal	±0	8 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Comal River at New Braunfels?

The official flood stage is 11.00 ft. The level is currently 7.36 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the Comal River at New Braunfels in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 4.23 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 3.91 ft and 4.49 ft, based on 23 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 Comal River at New Braunfels today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 02:45 PM CDT, the water level was 3.64 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Comal River at New Braunfels rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Comal River at New Braunfels normal?

Very low for mid-October. Compared with 23 years of daily readings for this time of year.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Comal River at New Braunfels?

The highest level on record is 39.28 ft on October 17, 1998.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:08169000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 29.70641, -98.12221 (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	3.64 ft	2026-10-18 19:45	Provisional
Flow	151 cfs	2026-10-18 19:45	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Comal River at New Braunfels (usgs:08169000). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/texas/comal-river-at-new-braunfels

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