Big Cypress Bayou level at Jefferson
Texas · Fishing & wading
Measured at USGS 07346000 — Big Cypress Bayou nr Jefferson, TX · NWS forecast point JFET2
Reading taken · as of 58 min ago
Below normal — good wading, low and clear
At 24 CFS, this gauge is in the lowest quarter of the 43 years USGS has recorded for this date (1958–2026), at 50% of the 47 CFS median.
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Flood stages at Jefferson
National Weather Service categories for gauge JFET2, WFO SHV. Impact wording is the NWS's own, verbatim.
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Major flood 22.0 ft
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Moderate flood 21.0 ft
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Minor flood 20.0 ft
- 20.0 ft Expect minor lowland flooding of trails and secondary roadways next to the bayou.
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Action 20.0 ft · 3,972 CFS
- 20.0 ft Expect minor lowland flooding of trails and secondary roadways next to the bayou.
- Right now 3.65 ft
NWS forecast: 3.70 ft by .
Flow history at Jefferson
Daily values from USGS 07346000, updated every 15 to 60 minutes; NWS forecast for JFET2 reissued through the day. Provisional.
Highest crests on record at Jefferson
4 on record
| Stage | Flow | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 28.78 ft | 57,100 CFS | Apr 1, 1945 |
| 19.98 ft | — | Mar 12, 2001 |
| 19.97 ft | 3,220 CFS | Dec 29, 1991 |
| 19.71 ft | 2,980 CFS | Jan 26, 1995 |
Crests published by the National Weather Service.
About Big Cypress Bayou at Jefferson
In Texas, below Lake O' the Pines. Releases can change the flow by hundreds of CFS in an hour with no rain in the basin — check it the morning you go, not the night before.
Reservoir feeding this stretch
Flow here is set by releases from Lake O' the Pines. A full pool usually means more water on its way down.
Big Cypress Bayou at Jefferson — common questions
3 questions
How do releases from Lake O' the Pines affect this stretch?
Directly and fast. When the dam generates, flow here can climb by an order of magnitude within the hour, with no rain anywhere in the basin. That sudden release is the real hazard on a tailwater. The pool level is on lakelvl.com, linked below.
Is Big Cypress Bayou at Jefferson high or low for this time of year?
The USGS median flow for late September here is 47 CFS, from 43 years of record (1958–2026). Today sits in the lowest quarter of those years, at 50% of the median. The comparison is what makes the raw number mean anything: the same reading is a drought on one river and a flood on another.
How often does this reading update?
USGS transmits from gauge 07346000 every 15 to 60 minutes, and the National Weather Service reissues the flood forecast for JFET2 a few times a day — more often when the river is rising. This page refreshes from both when you open it. The timestamp is in the gauge's local time.