EARTH · RIVERS & FLOODS · UNITED STATES
Rio Grande Level & Flow
The latest reading on the Rio Grande at Big Bend, TX — from the USGS streamgage, reporting gage height (feet) and streamflow (cubic feet per second). The river that draws much of the US–Mexico border; its flow through Big Bend is a fraction of its former volume after upstream withdrawals.The figure below is live, shown with the time it was taken, and framed as a measurement of flow — never a flood verdict.
What this reading means
Gage height is how high the water stands at the gage, in feet; streamflow is how much water is moving past, in cubic feet per second. Both rise and fall with rain, snowmelt and upstream dams. A high number here means the Rio Grande is running full — but whether that is flooding depends on this river’s own banks and its official flood stage, which this page does not assert. It shows the measurement and its context, not a safe/unsafe verdict.
About this reading
This reading comes from a US Geological Survey streamgage on the Rio Grande at Big Bend, TX. USGS gages report instantaneous values every 15–60 minutes; the newest figure above is the most recent the gage has transmitted. US federal data, public domain.
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The closest rivers to the Rio Grande— compare how much water each is moving.