Tres Palacios River near Midfield water level

Name: Tres Palacios River near Midfield 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, Tres Palacios River, Texas, United States

Directions

Low for mid-October

Water level

3.11ft Down 0.12 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 02:30 AM CDT (42 min ago)

Flow: 8.7 cfs

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

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

What this means

Low water at Tres Palacios River near Midfield: the gauge reads 3.11 ft, below normal for mid-October.

The median for mid-October is 3.46 ft, based on 28 years of readings, so the river stage is 0.35 ft below typical. It is 20.89 ft below the flood stage of 24.00 ft. On the same day last year the reading was 3.14 ft, a difference of −0.03 ft.

It is still going down, by 0.12 ft over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. The 30-day range is 3.04 ft – 7.61 ft.

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

Compared with 28 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 3.46 ft0.35 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 3.00 ft – 7.85 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (28 years of records)
Same day last year: 3.14 ft−0.03 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 3.04 ft – 7.61 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 2.92 ft – 27.92 ft
Highest on record: 37.00 ftJune 1, 1960

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 24.00 ft.

What happens at each level

32.00 ft: Water will be into the house on the right upstream side of the river. The bridge at FM 456 is cut off and water is over the road on FM 1468 near Clemville, FM 2431 east of Midfield, and FM 2853 southeast of Blessing. Many homes in the El Dorado Country subdivision upstream and Oak Grove and Tres Palacios Oaks subdivisions are flooded. The river will be almost one half mile wide in the vicinity of the gage.
29.00 ft: Major lowland flooding begins as both approaches to the FM 456 bridge are cut off and water is over the road on FM 1468 near Clemville, FM 2431 east of Midfield, and FM 2853 southeast of Blessing with several homes in the El Dorado Country subdivision upstream and Oak Grove and Tres Palacios Oaks downstream flooded.
28.00 ft: Water is over the road on FM 1468 near Clemville, FM 2431 east of Midfield, and FM 2853 southeast of Blessing all in Matagorda County. Homes in the subdivisions of El Dorado Country upstream and Oak Grove and Tres Palacios Oaks downstream are threatened.
26.00 ft: Moderate lowland flooding begins with water well into the floodplain on the right upstream bank and within inches of spilling over the east approach to the bridge at FM 456. The river will be almost one quarter mile wide in the vicinity of the gage.
24.00 ft: Minor lowland flooding begins as water spills into the floodplain on the right upstream bank and covers the meander point at the meander curve.
3.11 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: 21 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	37.00 ft	June 1, 1960
2	35.00 ft	August 1, 1945
3	32.43 ft	October 17, 1983
4	31.80 ft	June 6, 2019
5	31.73 ft	September 20, 1979
6	31.36 ft	October 19, 1994
7	31.11 ft	September 11, 1973
8	30.75 ft	September 11, 1998
9	30.56 ft	May 7, 1982
10	30.38 ft	October 12, 1970

Weather at the gauge

The forecast is not available right now.

Sunrise 07:29 AM Sunset 06:52 PM Daylight 11 hr, 23 min First quarter 57%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Juanita Creek at SH 71 near MidfieldRiver gauge, Juanita Creek	32.66 ft	Low	−0.02 ft	3.9 mi
Colorado River near Bay CityRiver gauge, Colorado River	3.03 ft	Low	±0	10 mi
E Mustang Creek near LouiseRiver gauge, E Mustang Creek	2.95 ft	Low	+0.03 ft	18 mi
Caney Creek at SH 35 near Van VleckRiver gauge, Caney Creek	0.9 cfs	Normal	±0	20 mi
W Mustang Creek near GanadoRiver gauge, W Mustang Creek	4.18 ft	Very low	−0.05 ft	21 mi
Lake Texana near EdnaLake, Lake Texana	41.92 ft	Normal	−0.01 ft	25 mi
Colorado River at WhartonRiver gauge, Colorado River	8.05 ft	Low	−0.04 ft	27 mi
Sandy Creek near GanadoRiver gauge, Sandy Creek	5.46 ft	Low	−0.02 ft	28 mi

Questions and answers

Is the Tres Palacios River near Midfield higher than last year?

No, it is 0.03 ft lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 3.14 ft.

What is flood stage for the Tres Palacios River near Midfield?

The official flood stage is 24.00 ft. The level is currently 20.89 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the Tres Palacios River near Midfield in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 3.46 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 3.00 ft and 7.85 ft, based on 28 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 Tres Palacios River near Midfield today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 02:30 AM CDT, the water level was 3.11 ft. Down 0.12 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Tres Palacios River near Midfield rising or falling?

Down 0.12 ft over the last 24 hours. Steady over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Tres Palacios River near Midfield normal?

Low for mid-October. Compared with 28 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:08162600 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 28.92804, -96.17107 (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	3.11 ft	2026-10-19 07:30	Provisional
Flow	8.7 cfs	2026-10-19 07:30	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Tres Palacios River near Midfield (usgs:08162600). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/texas/tres-palacios-river-near-midfield

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