Bayou Watch
The water, the money, and who keeps flooding
Every bayou and creek gauge the National Weather Service and USGS run around Houston, read every 15 minutes. Plus where the $2.5 billion flood bond is going, the homes FEMA has bought out or raised, the flood insurance claims paid in every ZIP, and new building permits inside the 100-year floodplain.
77521: 1,851 flood insurance claims paid out $112.4M since FEMA's records begin; no FEMA buyout or elevation projects on file.
The bayous right now
No river gauge around Houston is at flood stage.
| Gauge | Level | Flood stage |
|---|---|---|
| Tide Station (HGX) at Manchester Normal · 10:06 am · week high 2.9 |
2.1 ft | 3.7 major 5.0 |
| Tide Station (HGX) at Morgan's Point Normal · 10:06 am · week high 2.7 |
1.9 ft | 3.7 major 5.0 |
| Hickory Slough at FM 865 near Pearland Normal · 10:00 am · week high 45.0 |
44.7 ft | 51.0 major 53.0 |
| West Fork San Jacinto River near Humble Normal · 9:15 am · week high 42.6 |
42.5 ft | 49.3 major 52.3 |
| San Jacinto River near Sheldon Normal · 11:05 pm · week high 3.0 |
3.0 ft | 10.0 major 15.0 |
| Clear Creek at Friendswood Normal · 9:15 am · week high 2.8 |
2.5 ft | 12.0 major 21.0 |
| Goose Creek near McNair Normal · 10:00 am · week high 15.4 |
15.3 ft | 26.0 major 28.0 |
| Cedar Bayou at I-10 near Mont Belvieu Normal · 10:05 am · week high 2.9 |
2.1 ft | 13.0 major 20.5 |
| Cypress Creek near Hockley Normal · 9:45 am · week high 145.7 |
145.5 ft | 157.3 major 160.6 |
| East Fork San Jacinto River near New Caney Normal · 10:00 am · week high 46.0 |
46.0 ft | 58.0 major 69.0 |
| Clear Creek above Telephone Road Normal · 10:00 am · week high 31.2 |
31.2 ft | 43.5 |
| Langham Creek near Addicks Normal · 9:30 am · week high 96.7 |
96.6 ft | 109.0 major 111.0 |
| Bear Creek at Barker Normal · 10:30 am · week high 97.4 |
96.7 ft | 111.0 major 113.5 |
| Luce Bayou near Huffman Normal · 9:15 am · week high 54.6 |
54.6 ft | 70.5 |
| Greens Bayou at Houston Normal · 9:30 am · week high 39.1 |
39.0 ft | 55.0 major 59.5 |
| Spring Creek at Tomball Normal · 10:00 am · week high 139.0 |
138.9 ft | 155.0 major 159.0 |
| Cedar Bayou near Crosby Normal · 9:30 am · week high 36.5 |
36.5 ft | 53.4 |
| Willow Creek near Tomball Normal · 9:45 am · week high 111.4 |
111.3 ft | 129.4 major 133.5 |
| Brays Bayou at Gessner Drive Normal · 10:15 am · week high 38.7 |
38.6 ft | 57.0 major 59.0 |
| Spring Creek near Spring Normal · 9:45 am · week high 73.2 |
73.1 ft | 91.5 major 100.0 |
| Greens Bayou near Houston Normal · 9:45 am · week high 65.7 |
65.7 ft | 84.8 major 87.7 |
| Cypress Creek near Cypress Normal · 9:45 am · week high 102.4 |
102.3 ft | 122.0 major 125.0 |
| Cypress Creek near Westfield Normal · 10:00 am · week high 64.1 |
64.0 ft | 85.5 major 90.0 |
| Sims Bayou at Houston Normal · 9:30 am · week high 3.0 |
2.4 ft | 26.2 major 28.2 |
| Buffalo Bayou at Barker Reservoir Normal · 10:30 am · week high 70.5 |
69.3 ft | 93.2 |
| Buffalo Bayou at Piney Point Village Normal · 10:15 am · week high 28.2 |
27.9 ft | 52.0 major 60.0 |
| White Oak Bayou at Houston Normal · 9:45 am · week high 7.8 |
7.8 ft | 32.0 major 36.0 |
| Brays Bayou at Houston Normal · 9:45 am · week high 16.8 |
16.6 ft | 41.0 major 43.0 |
| West Fork San Jacinto River near Porter Normal · 9:45 am · week high 56.6 |
56.5 ft | 81.0 major 92.0 |
| Buffalo Bayou at Shepherd Drive Normal · 10:15 am · week high 3.2 |
2.6 ft | 28.0 major 32.0 |
| Buffalo Bayou at West Belt Drive Normal · 9:30 am · week high 35.3 |
34.9 ft | 62.2 major 65.3 |
| Greens Bayou near Houston Normal · 9:45 am · week high 3.1 |
2.5 ft | 30.0 major 33.0 |
| Langham Creek at Addicks Reservoir Normal · 10:15 am · week high 71.4 |
68.0 ft | 96.0 |
| Brazos River at Richmond Normal · 9:15 am · week high 8.5 |
8.4 ft | 45.0 major 50.0 |
| Brazos River at US 59 Normal · 10:00 am · week high 27.8 |
27.7 ft | 66.5 major 70.5 |
| San Jacinto River at Lake Houston not_defined · 9:30 am · week high 42.2 |
42.1 ft | — |
Levels are in feet at each gauge (its own datum, not depth). Flood stage is the level the Weather Service says flooding begins.
USGS stream gauges in Harris County (53)
| Bear Ck nr Barker, TX | 96.66 ft | Oct 27 10:30am |
| Berry Bayou at Nevada St, Houston, TX | 15.49 ft | Oct 27 10:15am |
| Brays Bayou at Alief, TX | 52.24 ft | Oct 27 10:00am |
| Brays Bayou at Gessner Dr, Houston, TX | 38.57 ft | Oct 27 10:15am |
| Brays Bayou at Houston, TX | 16.77 ft | Oct 27 10:45am |
| Brays Bayou at MLK Jr Blvd, Houston, TX | 2.15 ft | Oct 27 10:45am |
| Brickhouse Gully at Costa Rica St, Houston, TX | 47.44 ft | Oct 27 10:45am |
| Buffalo Bayou at Houston, TX | 2.59 ft | Oct 27 10:15am |
| Buffalo Bayou at Piney Point, TX | 27.93 ft | Oct 27 10:45am |
| Buffalo Bayou at State Hwy 6 nr Addicks, TX | 56.51 ft | Oct 27 10:00am |
| Buffalo Bayou at Turning Basin, Houston, TX | 2.21 ft | Oct 27 10:30am |
| Buffalo Bayou at W Belt Dr, Houston, TX | 34.99 ft | Oct 27 10:30am |
| Buffalo Bayou nr Addicks, TX | 46.08 ft | Oct 27 10:15am |
| Cedar Bayou at I-10 nr Mont Belvieu, TX | 2.04 ft | Oct 27 10:20am |
| Clear Ck at FM 865 nr Pearland, TX | 38.77 ft | Oct 27 10:30am |
| Clear Ck at Mykawa St nr Pearland, TX | 31.19 ft | Oct 27 10:00am |
| Clodine Ditch at Noble Rd nr Addicks, TX | 68.33 ft | Oct 27 10:15am |
| Cole Ck at Deihl Rd, Houston, TX | 61.62 ft | Oct 27 10:30am |
| Cypress Ck at Grant Rd nr Cypress, TX | 102.28 ft | Oct 27 10:45am |
| Cypress Ck at House-Hahl Rd nr Cypress, TX | 129.35 ft | Oct 27 10:15am |
| Cypress Ck at Katy-Hockley Rd nr Hockley, TX | 145.47 ft | Oct 27 9:45am |
| Cypress Ck at Sharp Rd nr Hockley, TX | 154.13 ft | Oct 27 10:15am |
| Cypress Ck at Stuebner-Airline Rd nr Westfield, TX | 79.93 ft | Oct 27 10:45am |
| Cypress Ck nr Westfield, TX | 64.00 ft | Oct 27 10:00am |
| Garners Bayou nr Humble, TX | 33.67 ft | Oct 27 10:15am |
| Goose Ck at Baytown, TX | 4.98 ft | Oct 27 10:30am |
| Goose Ck nr McNair, TX | 15.25 ft | Oct 27 10:30am |
| Greens Bayou at Cutten Rd nr Houston, TX | 101.07 ft | Oct 27 10:00am |
| Greens Bayou at Ley Rd, Houston, TX | 2.28 ft | Oct 27 10:45am |
| Greens Bayou nr Houston, TX | 39.00 ft | Oct 27 10:30am |
| Greens Bayou nr US Hwy 75 nr Houston, TX | 65.69 ft | Oct 27 10:45am |
| Halls Bayou at Houston, TX | 39.54 ft | Oct 27 10:15am |
| Hunting Bayou at Hoffman St, Houston, TX | 25.48 ft | Oct 27 10:00am |
| Hunting Bayou at IH 610, Houston, TX | 17.22 ft | Oct 27 10:15am |
| Keegans Bayou at Roark Rd nr Houston, TX | 60.27 ft | Oct 27 10:15am |
| Langham Ck at Addicks Res Outflow nr Addicks, TX | 55.98 ft | Oct 27 9:45am |
| Langham Ck at W Little York Rd nr Addicks, TX | 96.60 ft | Oct 27 10:30am |
| Langham Ck nr Addicks, TX | 88.72 ft | Oct 27 10:30am |
| Little Cypress Ck nr Cypress, TX | 143.41 ft | Oct 27 10:00am |
| Little Whiteoak Bayou at Trimble St, Houston, TX | 19.61 ft | Oct 27 10:00am |
| Lk Houston nr Sheldon, TX | 42.15 ft | Oct 27 10:30am |
| Mason Ck at Prince Ck Court nr Houston, TX | 93.50 ft | Oct 27 10:45am |
| S Mayde Ck at Heathergold Dr nr Addicks, TX | 97.32 ft | Oct 27 10:30am |
| San Jacinto Rv at Lynchburg Ferry nr Highlands, TX | 4.31 ft | Oct 27 9:45am |
| San Jacinto Rv nr Sheldon, TX | 2.51 ft | Oct 27 10:15am |
| Sims Bayou at Hiram Clarke St, Houston, TX | 26.40 ft | Oct 27 10:15am |
| Sims Bayou at Houston, TX | 2.18 ft | Oct 27 10:30am |
| Vince Bayou at Pasadena, TX | 4.85 ft | Oct 27 10:15am |
| W Fk San Jacinto Rv nr Humble, TX | 42.49 ft | Oct 27 10:15am |
| Whiteoak Bayou at Alabonson Rd, Houston, TX | 59.96 ft | Oct 27 9:45am |
| Whiteoak Bayou at Houston, TX | 7.79 ft | Oct 27 9:45am |
| Whiteoak Bayou at Main St, Houston, TX | 2.40 ft | Oct 27 10:00am |
| Willow Ck nr Tomball, TX | 111.28 ft | Oct 27 9:45am |
Flood bond money by watershed
The 2018 flood bond's projects, from the quarterly project table (data as of Q1 2026). Every project is listed in Bond watch.
| Watershed | Projects | Budget / spent |
|---|---|---|
| White Oak Bayou | 13 | $327.6M $149.6M spent |
| Halls Bayou | 18 | $324.8M $46.8M spent |
| Brays Bayou | 21 | $300.9M $67.6M spent |
| Cypress Creek | 23 | $233M $91.3M spent |
| Greens Bayou | 18 | $215.1M $110.8M spent |
| Sims Bayou | 9 | $211.4M $17.7M spent |
| Addicks Reservoir | 16 | $154.7M $34.4M spent |
| Willow Creek | 5 | $149.7M $20.3M spent |
| Clear Creek | 17 | $147.8M $21.8M spent |
| San Jacinto River | 7 | $144.6M $19M spent |
| Armand Bayou | 15 | $116.1M $30M spent |
| Little Cy- press Creek | 7 | $93M $40.6M spent |
| Carpenters Bayou | 2 | $78M $12.8M spent |
| Cedar Bayou | 5 | $64.9M $4.5M spent |
| Hunting Bayou | 6 | $48.9M $43.7M spent |
| Luce Bayou | 2 | $19.3M $6.4M spent |
| Galveston Bay | 4 | $18.6M $909.3K spent |
| Jackson Bayou | 4 | $13.6M $1.7M spent |
| Buffalo Bayou | 2 | $13.6M $13.6M spent |
| Goose Creek | 4 | $11.5M $3.6M spent |
| County-Wide Projects | 4 | $2.1M $1.6M spent |
| Vince Bayou | 1 | $550K $545.7K spent |
Buyouts and raised homes
Every Harris County site in a FEMA hazard mitigation project: homes bought out and torn down (acquisitions), raised (elevations) or otherwise protected. Prices are FEMA's estimated purchase prices.
1,696 other retrofit ($43.3M) · 513 elevation ($183.9M) · 385 acquisition ($56M) · 62 floodproofing ($7.3M) · 17 generator ($6.7M)
| ZIP | Sites | Buyouts / raised |
|---|---|---|
| 77040 Jersey Village | 1,843 125 repeat-loss | 17 / 134 |
| 77096 Houtson | 93 17 repeat-loss | 0 / 93 |
| 77339 Kingwood | 92 | 92 / 0 |
| 77020 Houston | 61 | 0 / 0 |
| 77586 Taylor Lake Village | 54 24 repeat-loss | 0 / 54 |
| 77058 Nassau Bay/houston | 48 34 repeat-loss | 1 / 47 |
| 77429 Cypress | 32 24 repeat-loss | 32 / 0 |
| 77088 Houston | 29 15 repeat-loss | 11 / 18 |
| 77505 Pasadena | 24 | 24 / 0 |
| 77022 Houston | 24 8 repeat-loss | 5 / 19 |
| 77090 Spring | 22 13 repeat-loss | 21 / 0 |
| 77049 Houston | 22 6 repeat-loss | 21 / 1 |
| 77338 Humble | 21 4 repeat-loss | 20 / 0 |
| 77089 Houston | 21 12 repeat-loss | 11 / 10 |
| 77074 Houston | 21 2 repeat-loss | 0 / 21 |
| 77070 Houston | 21 15 repeat-loss | 21 / 0 |
| 77080 Houston | 18 10 repeat-loss | 13 / 5 |
| 77025 Houston | 18 7 repeat-loss | 0 / 18 |
| 77055 Houston | 15 | 15 / 0 |
| 77536 Deer Park | 13 | 0 / 0 |
| 77562 Highlands | 10 | 10 / 0 |
| 77035 Houston | 10 1 repeat-loss | 0 / 10 |
| 77037 Houston | 9 5 repeat-loss | 4 / 5 |
| 77008 Houston | 9 6 repeat-loss | 2 / 7 |
| 77026 Houston | 8 1 repeat-loss | 0 / 8 |
Flood insurance claims by ZIP
Every National Flood Insurance Program claim in Harris County in FEMA's records, added up by ZIP: building, contents and code-compliance payments. 170,415 of 170,854 Harris County flood insurance claims added up by ZIP.
2026: 81 claims, $1.6M · 2025: 63 claims, $866.6K · 2024: 1,745 claims, $54.1M · 2023: 187 claims, $2.7M · 2022: 187 claims, $2.6M · 2021: 573 claims, $3.7M · 2020: 348 claims, $6.5M · 2019: 4,773 claims, $223M · 2018: 259 claims, $3.1M · 2017: 49,788 claims, $5.4B · 2016: 8,157 claims, $446M · 2015: 7,002 claims, $396.9M
| ZIP | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| 77096 | 6,482 latest 2026 | $694.7M |
| 77079 | 3,382 latest 2025 | $430.1M |
| 77339 | 3,149 latest 2026 | $323.8M |
| 77084 | 3,058 latest 2026 | $272.4M |
| 77025 | 3,058 latest 2026 | $260.9M |
| 77401 | 3,302 latest 2026 | $255.2M |
| 77089 | 6,742 latest 2026 | $249.9M |
| 77429 | 2,749 latest 2026 | $219.5M |
| 77024 | 3,142 latest 2026 | $201.8M |
| 77070 | 1,833 latest 2026 | $198.2M |
| 77074 | 2,825 latest 2024 | $176.7M |
| 77088 | 4,660 latest 2026 | $174.9M |
| 77571 | 4,797 latest 2024 | $170.4M |
| 77345 | 849 latest 2025 | $166.7M |
| 77040 | 4,157 latest 2024 | $160.9M |
| 77586 | 4,783 latest 2026 | $160.9M |
| 77037 | 4,197 latest 2026 | $149.8M |
| 77090 | 1,862 latest 2024 | $148.4M |
| 77379 | 1,391 latest 2024 | $147.2M |
| 77060 | 1,842 latest 2024 | $141.7M |
| 77546 | 1,834 latest 2025 | $141.4M |
| 77035 | 1,783 latest 2026 | $125.8M |
| 77034 | 3,524 latest 2025 | $117.8M |
| 77521 | 1,851 latest 2025 | $112.4M |
| 77039 | 2,643 latest 2026 | $109.5M |
| 77042 | 1,357 latest 2026 | $108.6M |
| 77077 | 1,760 latest 2026 | $103.1M |
| 77338 | 1,510 latest 2026 | $97.7M |
| 77346 | 746 latest 2025 | $90.7M |
| 77015 | 2,058 latest 2026 | $90.6M |
Building in the floodplain
New-construction permits from the City of Houston's weekly permit report, each checked against FEMA's flood zone map at its address. These are the ones inside the 100-year floodplain (FEMA's special flood hazard area). Building there is legal with the city's floodplain rules; these are the permits that need them.
| Address | Zone | Issued |
|---|---|---|
| 10780 BELLAIRE BLVD 77072 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-24 |
| 11322 GAYMOOR DR 77035 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-23 |
| 10806 HUGHES RD 77089 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-23 |
| 4026 TURNBERRY CIR 77025 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-22 |
| 2340 BLUE BONNET BLVD 77030 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-22 |
| 7810 VALLEY VIEW LN 77074 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-22 |
| 7909 SOUTH SAM HOUSTON EAST PKY BLD 1 77075 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-22 |
| 4009 BROOKWOODS DR 77092 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-22 |
| 3214 GLEN HAVEN BLVD 77025 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-21 |
| 1226 HOPPER RD 77037 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-21 |
| 5623 CANTERWAY DR 77048 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-21 |
| 7298 KINGS GATE CIR BLD 3 77074 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-21 |
| 7298 KINGS GATE CIR BLD 5 77074 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-21 |
| 7298 KINGS GATE CIR BLD6F 77074 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-21 |
| 7298 KINGS GATE CIR BLD 8 77074 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-21 |
| 7298 KINGS GATE CIR BLD 9 77074 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-21 |
| 10522 GOLDEN TEE CT 77099 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-21 |
| 5201 MEMORIAL DR 638 77007 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-20 |
| 5201 MEMORIAL DR 626 77007 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-20 |
| 5201 MEMORIAL DR 614 77007 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-20 |
| 5201 MEMORIAL DR 510 77007 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-20 |
| 5201 MEMORIAL DR 243 77007 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-20 |
| 5201 MEMORIAL DR 241 77007 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-20 |
| 5201 MEMORIAL DR 232 77007 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-20 |
| 15318 PARK ESTATES LN 77062 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-20 |
| 11100 BRAESRIDGE DR BLD18 77071 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-20 |
| 11100 BRAESRIDGE DR BLD16 77071 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-20 |
| 7300 BISSONNET ST BLD 1 77074 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-20 |
| 7300 BISSONNET ST BLD 3 77074 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-20 |
| 7300 BISSONNET ST BLD 4 77074 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-20 |
| 7300 BISSONNET ST BLD 5 77074 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-20 |
| 7300 BISSONNET ST BLD 6 77074 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-20 |
| 7300 BISSONNET ST BLD 7 77074 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-20 |
| 7300 BISSONNET ST BLD 8 77074 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-20 |
| 7300 BISSONNET ST BLD 9 77074 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-20 |
| 7300 BISSONNET ST BLD10 77074 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-20 |
| 7300 BISSONNET ST BLD12 77074 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-20 |
| 9702 CARMALEE ST 77075 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-20 |
| 5327 QUEENSLOCH DR 77096 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-20 |
| 3828 WAYNE ST 77026 · Building Pmt | AE | 2026-10-19 |
Sources
- National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service gauges
- U.S. Geological Survey stream gauges
- Harris County Flood Warning System
- FEMA, Hazard Mitigation project site inventories (OpenFEMA)
- FEMA, National Flood Insurance Program claims (OpenFEMA)
- 2018 Bond Program project table (Bond watch)
- City of Houston weekly building permit report; Harris County Flood Control District FEMA flood zone map