Rivers in Texas

Buffalo Bayou at Shepherd Drive

Harris County, TexasNWS BBST2USGS 08074000Dickinson office

Below flood stage
2.13ftStage

Observed Mon, Sep 21, 4:15 AM CDT

Flood stage
28.00 ft
Record crest
41.90 ft2017

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood32.00 ft
Moderate flood29.50 ft
Minor flood28.00 ft
Action17.00 ft
  1. 32.00 ftAt levels above 32.0 feet, major flooding begins as portions of Allen Parkway and Memorial Drive are under 1 to 2 feet of water and homes upstream of the gage begin flooding.
  2. 29.50 ftAt levels above 29.5 feet, moderate lowland flooding begins Memorial Drive between Sandman Streeet and Waugh Drive becomes inundated.
  3. 28.70 ftAt levels above 28.7 feet, Allen Parkway east of Montrose Boulevard and Memorial Drive east of Waugh Drive flood.
  4. 28.00 ftAt levels above 28.0 feet, minor lowland flooding begins as water spills out of main channel and floods the lowest levels of apartments near the gage.
  5. 17.00 ftAt levels above 17.0 feet, hike and bike trails within the channel become inundated.

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor floodingUnder 5%
Moderate floodingUnder 5%
Major floodingUnder 5%

The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued August 28, 2026.

Crest history

27 crests on NOAA’s list since 1945.

#DateStage
1August 28, 201741.90 ft
2June 9, 200136.58 ft
3September 11, 199836.33 ft
4March 4, 199234.63 ft
5May 26, 201533.64 ft
6September 13, 200831.97 ft
7April 18, 201631.70 ft
8September 19, 201931.27 ft
9September 19, 201931.06 ft
10August 30, 194530.15 ft
11May 18, 198930.00 ft
12November 17, 200329.08 ft
13April 28, 200927.99 ft
14October 16, 200627.47 ft
15March 28, 200127.03 ft
16October 18, 199426.85 ft
17August 31, 198126.40 ft
18August 18, 198325.67 ft
19March 12, 199725.14 ft
20November 18, 200324.32 ft
21October 29, 200223.80 ft
22March 1, 199323.07 ft
23October 25, 198523.00 ft
24November 16, 199321.19 ft
25November 24, 198520.81 ft

Most recent crests

  • September 19, 2019: 31.27 ft
  • September 19, 2019: 31.06 ft
  • August 28, 2017: 41.90 ft
  • April 18, 2016: 31.70 ft
  • May 26, 2015: 33.64 ft
  • April 28, 2009: 27.99 ft
  • September 13, 2008: 31.97 ft
  • October 16, 2006: 27.47 ft
  • November 18, 2003: 24.32 ft
  • November 17, 2003: 29.08 ft

Nearby

Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.

What this means

Forecasts by the West Gulf River Forecast Center. Forecasts are issued as needed during times of high water, but are not routinely available. River forecasts for this location take into account past precipitation and the precipitation amounts expected approximately 24 hours into the future from the forecast issuance time.

Sources

Stage, flood stages, impacts and crest history from NOAA’s National Water Prediction Service. Streamflow and the daily record from the U.S. Geological Survey.