Storm of October 26–28, 2026: Rio Grande Valley
Peak water levels at 10 USGS gauges · 1 National Weather Service alert · Rio Grande Valley gauges now
This event is still open: peaks are collected until Oct 30, 2026 at 4:00 AM CDT, and the figures below update every 15 minutes until then.
The National Weather Service issued 1 alert naming one or more of Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy counties between Oct 26, 2026 at 9:10 PM CDT and Oct 28, 2026 at 4:00 AM CDT. The largest rise was 2.1 ft at Brazos Santiago Pass at South Padre Island.
Tide gauges
3 of 5 NOAA tide gauges reached a coastal flood threshold in this storm: Port Isabel, South Padre Island CG Station, SPI Brazos Santiago.
| Tide gauge | Peak | Peak time | Against flood thresholds | Highest observed (NOAA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port Isabel | +1.60 ft | Oct 26, 2026 at 7:30 PM CDT | at or above NWS minor | +5.67 ft (August 9, 1980) |
| South Padre Island CG Station | +1.56 ft | Oct 26, 2026 at 7:48 PM CDT | at or above NWS minor | +2.64 ft (June 20, 2024) |
| SPI Brazos Santiago | +1.47 ft | Oct 26, 2026 at 8:00 PM CDT | at or above NWS minor | +2.48 ft (September 22, 2020) |
| Port Mansfield | 1.41 ft | Oct 26, 2026 at 10:24 PM CDT | — | — |
| Realitos Peninsula | +1.46 ft | Oct 26, 2026 at 11:06 PM CDT | — | +3.01 ft (June 20, 2024) |
Water level relative to MHHW (an ordinary high tide), the highest six-minute reading in the storm window. Storm windows follow the region's NWS flood alerts; coastal flood alerts alone do not open one.
National Weather Service alerts
| Alert | Issued | Until |
|---|---|---|
| Coastal Flood Advisory | Oct 26, 2026 at 9:10 PM CDT | Oct 28, 2026 at 4:00 AM CDT |
Alerts as issued by the National Weather Service, each naming at least one of the region's counties. They describe an area, not any one gauge.
USGS gauges: flood stages and records
None of 3 USGS gauges reached an NWS flood stage in this storm. For each gauge below, the storm peak is set against the NWS flood stages and against the highest annual peak in its comparable USGS record.
| USGS gauge | Storm peak | Against NWS flood stages | Against its USGS record | Rank in its record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N Main Drain at Boca Chica Hwy, Brownsville | 16.62 ft | — | 7.1 ft below the 2024 record of 23.77 ft | lower than every annual peak since 2022 (5 years) |
| Old Main Drain No 2 at SH 4, Brownsville | 1.84 ft | — | 7.4 ft below the 2024 record of 9.27 ft | lower than every annual peak since 2022 (5 years) |
| Cameron County Ditch 1 at FM 802, Brownsville | 1.59 ft | — | 9.7 ft below the 2024 record of 11.33 ft | lower than every annual peak since 2022 (5 years) |
Records are USGS annual peaks (each water year's highest gage height) from the years comparable with today's datum; they can differ from the crests the NWS lists. Gauges without NWS flood stages or at least five comparable years are on their own pages.
Every gauge
Peak is each gauge's highest gage height in the window; rise is from its last reading before the window opened. Peak times along one river reflect where and when rain fell as well as flow downstream, so their order is not a travel time.
| Gauge | County | Peak | Peak time | Rise | Against NWS flood stages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donna ID Canal at E Levee Rd near Donna | Hidalgo County | 85.11 ft | Oct 26, 2026 at 10:30 AM CDT | 0.0 ft | — |
| N Main Drain at Boca Chica Hwy, Brownsville | Cameron County | 16.62 ft | Oct 26, 2026 at 9:45 AM CDT | 0.0 ft | — |
| Town Resaca at E 6th St, Brownsville | Cameron County | 20.62 ft | Oct 26, 2026 at 9:45 AM CDT | 0.0 ft | — |
| N Main Drain at Manzano St, Brownsville | Cameron County | 13.41 ft | Oct 26, 2026 at 8:15 PM CDT | 0.0 ft | — |
| Cameron County Ditch 1 at FM 802, Brownsville | Cameron County | 1.59 ft | Oct 26, 2026 at 10:15 PM CDT | 0.3 ft | — |
| Resaca del Rancho Viejo, Brownsville | Cameron County | 16.97 ft | Oct 26, 2026 at 12:00 PM CDT | 0.0 ft | — |
| Cameron County Ditch 2 at FM 1847 near Los Fresnos | Cameron County | 1.57 ft | Oct 26, 2026 at 2:30 PM CDT | 0.0 ft | — |
| Old Main Drain No 2 at SH 4, Brownsville | Cameron County | 1.84 ft | Oct 26, 2026 at 10:30 PM CDT | 0.4 ft | — |
| North Main Drain at Ostos Rd, Brownsville | Cameron County | 1.98 ft | Oct 26, 2026 at 9:00 PM CDT | 1.9 ft | — |
| Brazos Santiago Pass at South Padre Island | Cameron County | 1.92 ft | Oct 26, 2026 at 8:05 PM CDT | 2.1 ft | — |
How this event is defined
By the National Weather Service, not by this site. Every flood alert naming any of Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy counties counts, and since October 24, 2026 so does every coastal flood, storm surge, tropical storm or hurricane watch, warning or advisory; alerts that start within 24 hours of the previous one ending are one event. Each gauge's peak is its highest reading from 12 hours before the first alert to 48 hours after the last one ended: Oct 26, 2026 at 9:10 AM CDT to Oct 30, 2026 at 4:00 AM CDT. Large rivers crest a day or more after the rain, which is why the window runs past the alerts.
2026-10-26.csv (CSV): the table above, one row per gauge, with times in UTC and local time.