Rivers in Texas

Sabine River near Bon Wier

Newton County, TexasNWS BWRT2USGS 08028500Lake Charles office

Below flood stage
13.02ftStage

Observed Tue, Sep 22, 8:15 AM CDT

Flood stage
30.00 ft
Forecast crest
14.60 ftWed, Sep 23, 1:00 AM CDT
Record crest
44.30 ft2016

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood36.00 ft
Moderate flood33.00 ft
Minor flood30.00 ft
Action30.00 ft
  1. 44.20 ftThe river is at its highest gauge reading set in March 2016. Widespread catastrophic flooding will occur with approximately 316 residential buildings affected or destroyed along with 30 businesses. Approximately 118 roads will be impassable including U.S. Highway 190 between Merryville and Bon Wier.
  2. 40.00 ftWater begins to cover Highway 190 and inundates some sections of the town of Merryville.
  3. 36.00 ftMajor lowland flooding will occur. Sabine Sands Road has about one to three feet of water covering the road.
  4. 35.00 ftExpect several secondary roads in the Merryville and Bon Wier areas near the river to be closed.
  5. 33.00 ftModerate lowland flooding will occur. Low-lying roads and a few homes have some flooding between Bon Wier and Merryville. Camp houses along the river in Southwest Vernon Parish begin to flood.
  6. 32.00 ftRoads in the Sabine Sands area near Bon Wier become flooded.
  7. 30.00 ftMinor lowland flooding will occur along the river between Merryville and Bon Wier. A few roads in Southwest Vernon Parish have water over them.
  8. 28.00 ftThe river is at its bankfull stage.

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor flooding13%
Moderate flooding7%
Major floodingUnder 5%

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

Crest history

107 crests on NOAA’s list since 1884.

#DateStage
1March 13, 201644.30 ft
2April 23, 191343.50 ft
3May 1, 188439.00 ft
4September 3, 201738.93 ft
5May 19, 195338.70 ft
6July 4, 198937.90 ft
7May 23, 198937.73 ft
8February 3, 199937.58 ft
9December 29, 198236.86 ft
10March 7, 200136.74 ft
11January 29, 197436.53 ft
12May 22, 193536.40 ft
13November 4, 200936.28 ft
14April 22, 199136.20 ft
15January 7, 201936.20 ft
16April 2, 201836.16 ft
17April 11, 192236.10 ft
18April 17, 194536.10 ft
19August 2, 193336.04 ft
20January 28, 192035.90 ft
21February 13, 196635.81 ft
22February 29, 193235.73 ft
23December 13, 194035.48 ft
24May 26, 201535.38 ft
25June 6, 195035.35 ft

Most recent crests

  • May 25, 2021: 34.97 ft
  • April 27, 2020: 34.37 ft
  • January 7, 2019: 36.20 ft
  • April 2, 2018: 36.16 ft
  • September 3, 2017: 38.93 ft
  • March 13, 2016: 44.30 ft
  • January 6, 2016: 34.15 ft
  • November 1, 2015: 31.97 ft
  • May 26, 2015: 35.38 ft
  • November 29, 2013: 25.66 ft

Nearby

Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.

What this means

Forecasts by the West Gulf River Forecast Center. Forecasts are issued routinely year-round. River forecasts for this location take into account past precipitation and the precipitation amounts expected approximately 48 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.