Onion Creek at US Hwy 183, Austin water level

Name: Onion Creek at US Hwy 183, Austin 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, Onion Creek, Texas, United States

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

4.43ft Up 0.05 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 03:00 AM CDT (21 min ago)

Flow: 0.1 cfs

History

7 days 30 days 1 year

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

What this means

Onion Creek at US Hwy 183, Austin is at 4.43 ft, in the normal range for mid-October.

The median for mid-October is 4.81 ft, based on 25 years of readings, so the river stage is 0.38 ft below typical. It is 12.57 ft below the flood stage of 17.00 ft.

It has risen 0.05 ft over the past 24 hours. There is still 12.57 ft of room before flood stage. In the last month it has stayed between 4.35 ft and 5.92 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, until steadier rain returns.

Compared with 25 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 4.81 ft0.38 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 3.89 ft – 6.36 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (25 years of records)
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 4.35 ft – 5.92 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 3.66 ft – 9.01 ft
Highest on record: 40.15 ftOctober 31, 2013

Floating and fishing near Onion Creek at US Hwy 183, Austin

Normal flows mean predictable rapids and good access at most put-ins.

Flood stage here is 17.00 ft, 12.57 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

54.00 ft: Height of instruments inside gauge house.
47.00 ft: Catastrophic flooding in neighborhoods of Onion Creek, with depths of 8 to 10 feet in Timber Creek, 10 to 15 feet in Onion Creek Forest, 10 to 12 feet in Yarrabee Bend, 2 feet in Onion Creek Plantations, 10 feet on the southeast side of Silverstone, 6 to 10 feet in Perkins Valley, and 5 to 10 feet in Onion Creek Club. The US Highway 183 bridge over Onion Creek and McKinney Falls Parkway are flooded. Major flooding of the south side of ABIA, including portions of FM 973. USGS 500 year storm floodplain.
41.00 ft: Major flooding in Onion Creek neighborhoods, with depths up to 6 feet in Onion Creek Plantations, 6 to 9 feet in Onion Creek Forest, 6 to 8 feet in Yarrabee Bend, 7 feet on the east side of Silverstone, and 4 to 11 feet in Timber Creek near Pearce Lane. Onion Creek Club, Perkins Valley neighborhood, Pleasant Valley Road, Pearce Lane, FM 973, Burleson Road, and Emma Browning Avenue are flooded. The south access to ABIA is flooded as is the South Austin WWTP. Flood of record is 40.15 on October 31, 2013.
38.00 ft: Major flooding in Onion Creek neighborhoods with depths up to 5 feet in Onion Creek Forest, 3 to 10 feet in Timber Creek near Pearce Lane, 4 feet in Onion Creek Plantations, 1 to 2 feet in Perkins Valley, and 2 to 3 feet in Yarrabee Bend. Access to the Onion Creek neighborhoods is now limited. Flooding of the South Austin WWTP is imminent. Much of FM 973 and parts of Burleson Road are flooded. The 6100 block of East William Cannon Drive and Pleasant Valley Road are flooded.
35.00 ft: Major flooding. Water enters homes in portions of several Onion Creek neighborhoods with 2 to 5 feet of water in parts of Onion Creek Plantations, Onion Creek Forest, Yarrabee Bend, Silverstone, and Perkins Valley. Up to 8 feet of water impacts homes in Timber Creek near Pearce Lane. FM 973, Burleson Road, William Cannon Drive, and Pleasant Valley Road are flooded, and the south Access to ABIA is blocked.
32.00 ft: Major flooding begins to flood the homes lower portions of Timber Creek, and the homes along Pinhurst Drive and Champions Lane. Vehicle access becomes limited to portions of Onion Creek Plantations, and street flooding begins to impact the Perkins Valley subdivision. Major portions of Brandt Road, Bluff Springs Road, and William Cannon Drive are flooded. Richard Moya Park is severely flooded, and water is spilling onto Burleson Road.
29.00 ft: Major flooding impacts several neighborhoods along Onion Creek. Homes on Pinehurst Drive and Champions Lane are threatened by flood waters. Portions of Timber Creek, Onion Creek Forest, Onion Creek Plantations, and Yarrabee Bend South subdivisions are flooded. Major portions of Bluff Springs Road, East William Cannon Drive and Brandt Road near Onion Creek are flooded, and Burleson Road begins to flood near Richard Moya Park.
28.00 ft: Major flooding impacts several neighborhoods along Onion Creek. Homes on Dixie Drive near Foyt Ct. are close to flooding. Homes on Pinehurst Drive and Champions Lane are surrounded by flood waters, but structures are not expected to be flooded at this level. Low portions of Timber Creek, Onion Creek Forest, Onion Creek Plantations, and Yarrabee Bend South subdivisions are flooded. Portions of Bluff Springs Road, East William Cannon Drive and Brandt Road near Onion Creek are flooded and impassable.
27.00 ft: Major flooding impacts several neighborhoods along Onion Creek. The Timber Creek neighborhood is starting to flood, and lowland areas in the Onion Creek Forest, Onion Creek Plantations, and Yarrabee Bend South subdivisions begin to flood. The 6100 block of East William Cannon Drive, and the 3100 block of Brandt Road may be flooded and impassable. Bluff Springs Road near the bridge at Onion Creek may also begin to flood. Much of Richard Moya Park is flooded.
23.00 ft: Moderate lowland flooding is well into the flood plain. Richard Moya Park on Burleson Road is flooded. Water is out of banks near Champions Lane, but no residential structures in neighborhoods along Onion Creek are impacted at this level.
20.00 ft: Minor lowland flooding threatens secondary roads, but neighborhoods along Onion Creek are not affected. Upstream, the 12000 block of Old San Antonio Road is likely flooded and impassable.
17.00 ft: The 12000 block of Old San Antonio Road upstream may be flooded. Neighborhoods along Onion Creek are not affected.
4.43 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: 16 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	40.15 ft	October 31, 2013
2	39.22 ft	October 30, 2015
3	38.00 ft	September 9, 1921
4	38.00 ft	July 3, 1869
5	36.50 ft	November 16, 2001
6	32.00 ft	October 17, 1998
7	30.50 ft	December 21, 1991
8	28.87 ft	October 13, 2013
9	26.99 ft	May 4, 2019
10	25.96 ft	June 11, 1981

Weather at the gauge

The forecast is not available right now.

Sunrise 07:37 AM Sunset 06:56 PM Daylight 11 hr, 19 min First quarter 66%

Map

Other gauges on Onion Creek

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Onion Creek near DriftwoodRiver gauge, Onion Creek	1.10 ft	Normal	−0.02 ft	20 mi
Onion Creek at Twin Creeks Rd near ManchacaRiver gauge, Onion Creek	6.58 ft	Very high	+2.90 ft	9 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Williamson Creek at Jimmy Clay Rd, AustinRiver gauge, Williamson Creek	0.0 cfs	Low	±0	2.7 mi
Colorado River at AustinRiver gauge, Colorado River	14.14 ft	Normal	−0.07 ft	4.7 mi
Maha Creek at Von Quintus Rd near Del ValleRiver gauge, Maha Creek	0.0 cfs	Normal	±0	6.0 mi
Boggy Creek at Webberville Rd, AustinRiver gauge, Boggy Creek	0.0 cfs	Low	±0	6.0 mi
Eastern Tributary to Dry Creek near Del ValleRiver gauge, Eastern Tributary to Dry Creek	10.21 ft	Very low	±0	6.1 mi
Waller Creek at E 1st St, AustinRiver gauge, Waller Creek	4.48 ft	Very high	−0.03 ft	7 mi
W Bouldin Creek at Oltorf Rd, AustinRiver gauge, W Bouldin Creek	0.2 cfs	Normal	+0.1 cfs	7 mi
Williamson Creek at Manchaca Rd, AustinRiver gauge, Williamson Creek	1.89 ft	Very low	±0	7 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for Onion Creek at US Hwy 183, Austin?

The official flood stage is 17.00 ft. The level is currently 12.57 ft below it.

What is a normal level for Onion Creek at US Hwy 183, Austin in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 4.81 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 3.89 ft and 6.36 ft, based on 25 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 Onion Creek at US Hwy 183, Austin today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 03:00 AM CDT, the water level was 4.43 ft. Up 0.05 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Onion Creek at US Hwy 183, Austin rising or falling?

Up 0.05 ft over the last 24 hours. Up 0.06 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Onion Creek at US Hwy 183, Austin normal?

Normal for mid-October. Compared with 25 years of daily readings for this time of year.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Onion Creek at US Hwy 183, Austin?

The highest level on record is 40.15 ft on October 31, 2013.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:08159000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 30.17799, -97.68861 (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	4.43 ft	2026-10-20 08:00	Provisional
Flow	0.1 cfs	2026-10-20 08:00	Provisional

Download

Embed this gauge

Add a live card for this gauge to your website. It updates on its own and links back here.

<iframe src="https://nivelmap.com/embed/10195?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Onion Creek at US Hwy 183, Austin water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Onion Creek at US Hwy 183, Austin (usgs:08159000). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/texas/onion-creek-at-us-hwy-183-austin

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