Colorado River (TX) at Columbus, TX
River level and flood forecast · Colorado County
The river is 24.6 ft below flood stage (34 ft).
Forecast to rise to 9.9 ft Fri 11 AM, below the 34 ft flood stage.
Flow: 502 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 8:06 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 43 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 39 ft |
| Flood stage | 34 ft |
| Action stage | 30 ft |
| Record crest (July 26, 1938) | 48.4 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 48 ftAt levels above 48.0 feet, flow escapes into the right floodplain near Columbus with widespread flooding of crop and pasture land downstream near Eagle Lake. In past floods, U.S. Highway 90 in Columbus and FM 950 downstream of the gage were inundated and closed with many homes in the vicinity of the gage flooded.
- 47 ftAt levels above 47.0 feet, routed flow may overtop levees 110 miles downstream near Bay City. Significant flows will escape the channel near Garwood into the left floodplain with large volume loss as a large over bank storage area forms. In past floods, U.S. Highway 90 in Columbus and FM 950 below the gage are inundated and closed with many homes near the gage flooded.
- 45 ftAt levels above 45.0 feet, major flooding of crop and pasture land downstream near Eagle Lake occurs. In past floods, U.S. Highway 90 near Columbus was closed with many homes flooded, and FM 950 below the gage is closed.
- 43 ftAt levels above 43.0 feet, major lowland flooding occurs as U.S. Highway 90 floods. In past floods, many homes in the area flooded. FM 950 downstream from the gage is flooded.
- 41.3 ftAt levels above 41.3 feet, widespread flooding of the left floodplain occurs. In past floods, some homes near U.S. Highway 90 had up to 2 feet of water in them, and FM 950 downstream from the gage was inundated and closed.
- 39 ftAt levels above 39.0 feet, moderate lowland flooding begins as water from Columbus routes to near 18.0 feet downstream near Eagle Lake and Garwood closing FM 950 with significant lowland flooding.
- 34 ftAt levels above 34.0 feet, minor lowland flooding begins as the floodplain in the vicinity of the gage is inundated.
Highest crests on record
- 48.4 ft — July 26, 1938
- 48.17 ft — August 29, 2017
- 46.2 ft — July 1, 1940
- 45.67 ft — April 19, 2016
- 45.4 ft — November 24, 1940
Recent crests: 48.17 ft (August 29, 2017) · 43.07 ft (May 29, 2016) · 45.67 ft (April 19, 2016) · 40.21 ft (May 28, 2015) · 32.64 ft (November 3, 2013)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- UpstreamColorado River (TX) above La Grange, TX
- DownstreamColorado River (TX) at Wharton, TX
- Redgate Creek at Frelsburg, TX
- San Bernard River near Chesterville, TX
- Little Bernard Creek at I-10 near Sealy, TX
- Mill Creek near Bellville, TX
- Navidad River at Sublime, TX
- Brazos River above San Felipe, TX
- Navidad River near Speaks, TX
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (CBST2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.