All three gauges on one page!
The NOAA’s gauges/graphs Simonton residents watch in the rare case of a high-water event. Simonton does not have its own gauge.
( The NOAA updates these gauges roughly every 30 minutes or so. The gauge shows its latest date and time at the bottom of the graph. You may need to Refresh or Reload your page to see the latest available information. )
The San Felipe Gauge: https://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?gage=bawt2&wfo=hgx (The San Felipe gauge is shown in actual feet above sea level.) – If this graph shows a projected height in the 120’s it’s worth paying attention to. If it gets close to the mid-120s – that could possibly mean some flooding in VL.
Historic Crests
(1) 129.00 ft on 08/29/2017 (Harvey)
(2) 128.85 ft on 05/28/2016 (“Memorial Day Flood”)
(3) 123.41 ft on 04/19/2016
(4) 122.29 ft on 06/01/2015
(5) 119.79 ft on 01/08/2019
(6) 117.78 ft on 06/21/2015
(7) 116.58 ft on 06/05/2021
(8) 116.12 ft on 03/16/2016
(9) 114.83 ft on 05/20/2015
(10) 109.64 ft on 11/04/2013
The Richmond Gauge: https://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?gage=rmot2&wfo=hgx (The Richmond gauge is an older gauge that uses a local landmark for height reference to remain consistent. The levels that are shown are 27.02′ below actual feet above sea level.)
Historic Crests
(1) 55.19 ft on 09/01/2017 (Harvey)
(2) 54.74 ft on 06/02/2016 (“Memorial Day Flood”)
(3) 51.40 ft on 11/28/1940
(4) 50.30 ft on 10/21/1994
(5) 50.13 ft on 05/05/1957
(6) 50.01 ft on 06/03/2015
(7) 49.68 ft on 01/01/1992
(8) 49.67 ft on 04/21/2016
(9) 47.72 ft on 05/25/1965
(10) 47.70 ft on 05/08/1944
We had a resident ask if I could include the Hempstead Gauge here also. You bet, here you go:
The Hempstead Gauge: https://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=hgx&gage=hpdt2&prob_type=stage This river gauge is considerably further upstream but may help to give us a preview of water headed our way. (It is also an older gauge, displaying a height that is 107.9′ below actual sea level)
Which gauge should you watch?
Well, you may want to watch all of them, but the San Felipe is much closer in distance and depth to Valley Lodge.
The San Felipe gauge is about 14 river miles north of the upper sections of Valley Lodge, and about 21.5 miles north of the FM 1093 bridge where it crosses the river by Section 1 at the south end of the neighborhood.
The Richmond gauge is about 36 miles south of the FM1093 bridge. And about 43 miles from the north end of Valley Lodge.
When water is at its low point, there is about 58′ of total drop (as the river runs downhill to the gulf) from San Felipe to Richmond. If the river is high there is about 47′ of drop between the two. The difference is due to water volume, speed, and spread as it gets higher.
When the water is high there is only about 14.5′ difference between San Felipe and north Valley Lodge. And about 32′ of difference between Richmond and Valley Lodge.
If the San Felipe graph shows a projected height in the 120’s it’s worth paying attention to. If it gets into the mid 120’s – that could possibly mean some flooding in VL.
For instance, the Harvey Hurricane Flood in 2017 registered 129′ at San Felipe and hit about 114.5 at the north end of Valley Lodge, and about 113′ at the far south end. Most of our neighborhood roads are roughly 112′ above sea level.
Another gauge you can check out is the gauge where 1489 crosses the Brazos River about 3 miles south of Simonton (8 river miles south of Valley Lodge), there is not a projection graph available for this location, but it does show the actual current level. See that one here: https://www.harriscountyfws.org/GageDetail/Index/8030?From=5/17/2023%203:08%20PM&span=24%20Hours&r=1&v=surfaceBox&selIdx=0