Hurricane Katrina (2005): peak water levels
19 river and stream gauges and 4 tide gauges · New Orleans and the Northshore, Mississippi Gulf Coast, Mobile Bay · August 27, 2005 to September 3, 2005
Against today's NWS flood stages, 9 of the 19 river and stream gauges here peaked at or above a flood stage (5 at major, 1 at moderate, 3 at minor). For 4 of them it is the highest peak in their comparable USGS record: Jourdan River near Bay St Louis, Bayou Liberty near Slidell, Old Fort Bayou at Ocean Springs, Northeast Bay Gardene near Point-A-LA-Hache. The highest tide gauge reading was 5.16 ft above MHHW at Dauphin Island (Aug 29, 2005 at 12:00 PM CDT).
Tide gauges
| Tide gauge | Peak | Time | Against today's flood thresholds | Station record (NOAA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Isle | +4.14 ft | Aug 29, 2005 at 7:42 AM CDT | at or above NOAA major HTF | +4.61 ft (August 29, 2021) |
| Dauphin Island | +5.16 ft | Aug 29, 2005 at 12:00 PM CDT | at or above NWS moderate | +5.93 ft (September 16, 2004) |
| West Bank 1, Bayou Gauche | 1.59 ft | Aug 29, 2005 at 10:36 AM CDT | — | — |
| Pilots Station East, S.W. Pass | -0.31 ft | Sep 1, 2005 at 6:12 AM CDT | 2.0 ft below NOAA minor HTF | this storm |
Highest six-minute water level in the window, relative to mean higher high water (an ordinary high tide) on today's tidal datum.
River and stream gauges
New Orleans and the Northshore
| Gauge | Peak | Time | Against today's NWS flood stages | In its record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bayou Liberty near Slidell | 11.54 ft | August 29, 2005 | at or above major flood stage | highest in 39 years of record |
| Bogue Falaya River at Boston St. at Covington | 11.83 ft | August 30, 2005 | at or above moderate flood stage | highest since water year 2024 |
| Bogue Falaya River near Camp Covington | 48.42 ft | August 30, 2005 | at or above minor flood stage | highest since water year 2026 |
| Tchefuncte River near Covington | 21.56 ft | August 30, 2005 | at or above minor flood stage | highest since water year 2026 |
| Northeast Bay Gardene near Point-A-LA-Hache | 14.14 ft | August 29, 2005 | — | highest in 27 years of record |
| Abita River north of Abita Springs | 24.18 ft | August 30, 2005 | — | highest since water year 2024 |
| East Pearl River at I-59 near Nicholson | 21.19 ft | September 1, 2005 | measured on an earlier datum: not compared | — |
| Bogue Falaya at Covington | 17.86 ft | August 30, 2005 | — | highest since water year 2026 |
| Tchefuncte River at Madisonville | 10.32 ft | August 29, 2005 | measured on an earlier datum: not compared | — |
| Crooked Bayou northwest of Lake Cuatro Caballo near Delacroix | 9.57 ft | August 29, 2005 | — | highest since water year 2021 |
| Reggio Canal near Wills Point | 6.30 ft | August 29, 2005 | — | highest since water year 2021 |
| Rigolets at Highway 90 near Slidell | 4.56 ft | August 29, 2005 | — | highest since water year 2024 |
Mississippi Gulf Coast
| Gauge | Peak | Time | Against today's NWS flood stages | In its record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jourdan River near Bay St Louis | 19.97 ft | August 29, 2005 | at or above major flood stage | highest in 26 years of record |
| Biloxi River at Wortham | 25.61 ft | August 30, 2005 | at or above major flood stage | highest since water year 2026 |
| West Hobolochitto Creek near Mcneill | 20.95 ft | August 30, 2005 | at or above major flood stage | highest since water year 2019 |
| East Hobolochitto Creek near Caesar | 20.08 ft | August 30, 2005 | at or above major flood stage | highest since water year 2012 |
| Escatawpa River at I-10 near Orange Grove | 10.25 ft | August 29, 2005 | at or above minor flood stage | highest since water year 2012 |
| Wolf River near Landon | 26.33 ft | August 29, 2005 | at or above action stage | highest since water year 2026 |
| Old Fort Bayou at Ocean Springs | 20.56 ft | August 29, 2005 | — | highest in 16 years of record |
Highest gage height in the window: from USGS's 15-minute record where it exists, otherwise the gauge's USGS annual peak when that fell in the window (a date only). Flood stages are the National Weather Service's current ones, which can differ from those in use at the time. Peaks USGS records on an earlier datum are listed but not compared.
How this page is built
Each gauge's highest reading between August 27, 2005 and September 3, 2005 (the window runs past the rain because large rivers crest days later), from USGS and NOAA records, for the gauges this site carries today in New Orleans and the Northshore, Mississippi Gulf Coast, Mobile Bay. Gauges installed since are not listed; a gauge out of service at the time has no row. Harris County's own gauges are not included: this site has their readings only from September 2026. Readings only: this page says nothing about damage or what happened at any street or property.
Every historic flood on this site · Storms since September 2026