Fort Bend River Levels, Rainfall & Releases
The purpose of the Fort Bend River Levels, Rainfall & Releases web pages is to consolidate available rainfall, stream elevation, and storm water runoff information into a user-friendly format for the residents of Fort Bend County. The information provided is gathered and distributed by a variety of sources including the United States Geological Survey (USGS), National Weather Service, various state and local governmental entities, and residents within Fort Bend County.
River Level Gauges (River Level Gauges interactive Map)
The “River Level Gauges” page contains links to 25 gauge stations that have been installed to monitor water levels within rivers and streams potentially impacting Fort Bend County. 12 of the 25 gauges currently shown are located within Fort Bend County. The remaining 13 gauges are located within the Brazos River watershed, upstream of Fort Bend County, providing critical information to estimate future river conditions within the County.
The links provided present the information in a variety of formats depending on the data source. Each link includes, at a minimum, the most recent water level reading at the gauge location. A number of the links provide additional information about the gauge site including: flow rate data, estimated rainfall totals, historical high water elevations from past events, and estimated 5 day forecasts of future river conditions.
Please note that if a “Datum of Gauge” is listed for a site then this elevation must be added to the current water level reading to calculate the “above mean sea level” elevation at the site.
Estimated Rainfall
The “Estimated Rainfall” page contains links to 3 sources of estimated rainfall totals within Fort Bend County:
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National Weather Service - River Forecast Center Precipitation Analysis
This website presents estimated rainfall totals throughout the United States in a map-based format. Users can sort rainfall estimates by various time intervals (last 3 hours to last 90 days) and search archives for historical rainfall totals. -
National Weather Service Monthly-Daily Climate Data at Sugar Land
This website displays daily climatological data gathered at the National Weather Service station located at Sugar Land Municipal Airport. Published information includes daily precipitation totals, maximum and minimum temperature readings, and wind data. The site includes links to the last 60 months of data previously collected. -
Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network (“CoCoRaHS”)
CoCoRaHS (an acronym for the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network) is a grassroots volunteer network of backyard weather observers that measure and map daily precipitation totals within their local communities. The website proudly notes that CoCoRaHS “is the largest provider of daily precipitation observations in the United States”.
Should you have interest in becoming a CoCoRaHS observer please visit their website at, http://www.cocorahs.org/application.aspx.
Upstream Reservoir Levels & Releases
The "Upstream Reservoir Levels & Releases" displays the Status of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Other Lakes in the Ft Worth District. The page lists the 12 reservoirs in the upstream Brazos River watershed and their current elevation, available flood control capacity, and the current release rate.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is a worldwide organization that provides engineering services, environmental restoration, and construction support for a wide variety of civil and military projects. The Corps' primary civil mission is developing and managing the nation's water resources.