Flood warning system expands in Harris County

New rainfall and flood-stage gauges added

HOUSTON – New rainfall and flood-stage gauges have been added in and around Harris County, in response to the flooding last summer from Hurricane Harvey.

The Harris County Flood Control District made the additions to the county’s Flood Warning System.

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The new gauges will bring people even more information when it comes to rainfall and flooding.

Seven new gauges make a total of 163 stations placed along bayous and tributaries, providing information that is used by the Flood Control District and by the Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. These details are used to inform the public of estimated flooding impacts across the area, said a news release from the Flood Control District.

Five of the new gauges have been installed in the San Jacinto watershed, including the West Fork of the San Jacinto River, Peach Creek, Caney Creek, the East Fork of the San Jacinto River and the FM 1960 bridge over Lake Houston.

Of the seven new gauges, three are in Montgomery County and one is in Liberty County.

Officials said the system already includes gauge locations just outside Harris County in Waller County, Fort Bend County, Brazoria County and Chambers County.

According to the release, the new gauge locations include:

  • Gauge 765: West Fork of the San Jacinto River at State Highway 99 in Montgomery County – Rainfall equipment added to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) water level device that was already in place.
  • Gauge 785: Peach Creek at FM 2090 in Montgomery County – Rainfall equipment added to the USGS water level device already in place.
  • Gauge 780: Caney Creek at FM 2090 in Montgomery County – Rainfall equipment added to the USGS water level device already in place.
  • Gauge 795: East Fork of the San Jacinto River at FM 2090 in Liberty County – New rainfall and stage gauge added.
  • Gauge 740: Lake Houston at FM 1960 – Full weather station installed, providing rainfall, Lake Houston water level, wind direction and speed, temperature, humidity and barometric pressure.
  • Gauge 2265: Buffalo Bayou at Piney Point – Rainfall equipment added to the USGS water level device already in place.
  • Gauge 2115: Langham Creek at Clay Road – Rainfall equipment added to the USGS water level device already in place.

Also, Gauge 755 on the West Fork of the San Jacinto River has been relocated to the West Lake Houston Parkway bridge. A meteorologist with the Flood Control District said that at its old location, the Kingwood Country Club, this gauge was flooded several times in the past few years -- and it wasn’t working when it was needed the most.

These gauges are all live on the Harris County FWS website.

Since the Tax Day Flood of April 2016, the Flood Warning System has added a total of 21 gauges, including several that are outside Harris County. Those new gauges are within the watersheds of Cedar Bayou, Spring Creek, Cypress Creek, Langham Creek, Upper Buffalo Bayou and the San Jacinto River.

For anyone who isn’t sure how to use the Flood Warning System, officials posted an instructional video on the district’s YouTube page. See below.