Web Portal Changes: The Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service (AHPS) hosted at https://water.weather.gov will be replaced by the National Water Prediction Service (NWPS), with a target of Spring 2024. Existing AHPS content and features will be preserved and expanded within NWPS. The NWS is now accepting feedback on NWPS. Please visit https://www.weather.gov/owp/operations for more information.

Experimental National Water Center Products: Flood Inundation Mapping services are now available for 10% of the U.S. population. Please visit https://www.weather.gov/owp/operations for more information. The National Hydrologic Discussion, Area Hydrologic Discussion, Flood Hazard Outlook, and real-time geospatial services depicting River Forecast Center and National Water Model forecasts, continue to be accessible via the URL above, as described in the StoryMap here.

Weather Forecast Office Brownsville, TX

West Gulf River Forecast Center

Hydrograph

River at a Glance

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Printable Image About this graph Tabular Data (UTC) Tabular Data (CST) Datum: Not Available Metadata

NOTE: 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. NOTE: Forecasts for the Rio Grande near San Benito are issued as needed during times of high water, but are not routinely available.

Default Hydrograph Scale to Flood Categories   Return to Area Map

Downstream Gauge

Flood Categories (in feet) Major Flood Stage: 58 Moderate Flood Stage: 56 Flood Stage: 55 Action Stage: 44 Low Stage (in feet): 0 Historic Crests (1) 61.06 ft on 09/29/1967 (2) 55.98 ft on 10/04/1988 (3) 55.18 ft on 09/28/1988 (4) 54.85 ft on 06/02/1992 (5) 54.82 ft on 07/30/2020 Show More Historic Crests (P): Preliminary values subject to further review. Recent Crests (1) 45.42 ft on 05/27/2022 (P) (2) 54.82 ft on 07/30/2020 (3) 51.60 ft on 06/24/2018 (4) 53.44 ft on 06/04/2015 (5) 53.06 ft on 09/28/2010 Show More Recent Crests (P): Preliminary values subject to further review. Low Water Records Currently none available.

Zoom Level:16 Legend FEMA Layer Gauge Location Disclaimer Latitude/Longitude Disclaimer: The gauge location shown in the above map is the approximate location based on the latitude/longitude coordinates provided to the NWS by the gauge owner.

Flood Impacts & Photos

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70	The river exceeds the levees - flooding is widespread, disastrous, and life threatening -
65	The river is approaching the top of the levees - residents should be prepared to evacaute rapidly to several tens of miles from the lower Rio Grande channel as emergency officials direct - persons in the flood plain should monitor the latest stage and forecast levels of the river continuously.
58	Major flooding covers the flood plain inside the levees-threatens lowest residences in Brownsville and Matamoros - persons vulnerable to lowland flooding should move equipment to higher ground and monitor the level of the river especially if heavy rain conditions develop.
56	Moderate lowland flooding inside the levees reaches lowest secondary roads and low bridges
55	Minor lowland flooding reaches into the lowest sections of the flood plain inside the levees with no significant damage
44	The river will exceed the lowest banks of the lowest sections inside the levees

About This Location

Latitude: 26.030556° N, Longitude: 97.727778° W, Horizontal Datum: NAD83/WGS84 River Stage Reference Frame Gauge Height Flood Stage Uses NWS stage 0 ft 55 ft Interpreting hydrographs and NWS watch, warnings, and forecasts, and inundation maps Vertical Datum Elevation (gauge height = 0) Elevation (gauge height = flood stage) Elevation information source NAVD88 Not Available Not Available Survey grade GPS equipment, FEMA flood plain maps, newer USGS topographic maps NGVD 29 0 ft 55 ft Older USGS topographic maps, NGVD29 benchmarks MSL Not Available Not Available Older USGS topographic maps, MSL benchmarks Other Not Available Not Available

Additional Information

Flood stage for the Rio Grande river near San Benito has changed from 70.0 feet to 55.0 feet as of June 1, 2004.

Resources

Hydrologic Resources Text Products Past Precipitation Forecast Precipitation River Forecast Centers River Stage Summary Inundation Mapping Locations

Additional Resources Area Hydrographs NWS Precipitation and River Forecasting AHPS Iframes for Developers Mobile iNWS for emergency management West Gulf River Forecast Center International Boundary and Water Commission Hydrometeorological Design Studies Center U.S. Drought Monitor U.S. Drought Portal

Collaborative Agencies The National Weather Service prepares its forecasts and other services in collaboration with agencies like the US Geological Survey, US Bureau of Reclamation, US Army Corps of Engineers, Natural Resource Conservation Service, National Park Service, ALERT Users Group, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and many state and local emergency managers across the country. For details, please click here. NWS Information National Weather Service Brownsville Weather Forecast Office 20 South Vermillion Road Brownsville, TX 78521 (956) 504-1432 Ask Questions/Webmaster Page last modified: 2-Nov-2020 7:29 PM Disclaimer Credits Glossary Privacy Policy About Us Career Opportunities