Neches River level at Town Bluff
Texas · Flood watch
Measured at USGS 08040600 — Neches Rv nr Town Bluff, TX · NWS forecast point TBFT2
Reading taken · as of 1 hour ago
Below normal for the date
At 1,550 CFS, this gauge is running 87% of normal for mid-September — close to the 1,790 CFS median USGS has recorded for this date across 65 years of record (1951–2026).
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Flood stages at Town Bluff
National Weather Service categories for gauge TBFT2, WFO LCH. Impact wording is the NWS's own, verbatim.
-
Major flood 82.5 ft
- 86.8 ft The river is at flood of record. Widespread major to catastrophic flooding will occur.
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Moderate flood 72.0 ft
- 73.0 ft Flooding expected in the Mont Neches, Barlow Lake and Sheffields Ferry communities.
- 75.0 ft Considerable flooding of several county and private roads below the dam.
- 76.0 ft Some of the lowest homes in Sheffield's ferry become threatened.
- 78.7 ft Moderate flooding will occur with flood waters reaching the floor of the instrument shelter.
- 81.5 ft Major flooding occurring with water reaching the instrument shelf.
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Minor flood 68.0 ft
- 70.0 ft Flooding can be expected around Barlow Lake and Brushy Lake with some roads being cutoff and some of the lowest properties near the river begin to flood.
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Action 64.0 ft
- 64.0 ft Minor flooding will occur.
- 65.0 ft Areas around Barlow Lake and Brushy Lake begin to flood.
- Right now 48.61 ft
Flow history at Town Bluff
Daily values from USGS 08040600, updated every 15 to 60 minutes; NWS forecast for TBFT2 reissued through the day. Provisional.
Highest crests on record at Town Bluff
12 on record
| Stage | Flow | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 86.80 ft | 120,000 CFS | May 1, 1884 |
| 84.98 ft | — | May 6, 1944 |
| 82.85 ft | 90,900 CFS | May 21, 1953 |
| 82.56 ft | — | May 22, 1935 |
| 80.70 ft | 91,000 CFS | Aug 31, 2017 |
| 78.49 ft | 49,200 CFS | Jul 2, 1989 |
| 77.91 ft | — | May 18, 2021 |
| 76.17 ft | — | May 17, 2024 |
| 76.17 ft | 35,400 CFS | Oct 23, 1994 |
| 76.12 ft | 32,805 CFS | Mar 11, 2016 |
Crests published by the National Weather Service.
About Neches River at Town Bluff
In Texas, below Sam Rayburn Reservoir. Releases can change the flow by hundreds of CFS in an hour with no rain in the basin — check it the morning you go, not the night before.
Reservoir feeding this stretch
Flow here is set by releases from Sam Rayburn Reservoir. A full pool usually means more water on its way down.
Neches River at Town Bluff — common questions
3 questions
What is flood stage at Town Bluff?
The National Weather Service sets minor flood stage at this gauge at 68.0 ft, moderate at 72.0 ft, and major at 82.5 ft. Action stage — the level at which agencies begin preparing — is 64.0 ft. The ladder on this page shows each threshold against the current reading, with the NWS's own impact statements at each level. Note that this reach is also dam-controlled, below Sam Rayburn Reservoir, so a release can move the stage with no rain involved.
Is Neches River at Town Bluff high or low for this time of year?
The USGS median flow for mid-September here is 1,790 CFS, from 65 years of record (1951–2026). Today is 87% of it. The comparison is what makes the raw number mean anything: the same reading is a drought on one river and a flood on another.
How often does this reading update?
USGS transmits from gauge 08040600 every 15 to 60 minutes, and the National Weather Service reissues the flood forecast for TBFT2 a few times a day — more often when the river is rising. This page refreshes from both when you open it. The timestamp is in the gauge's local time.