Technical appendix
Data sources
Every feed BayouWatch reads, how often, and what it is used for. All water and weather data is public.
USGS Water Services
Live stage (ft) at every gauge, plus 24-hour and 30-day history.
waterservices.usgs.gov/nwis/iv
Every 5 minutes
NWS Water Prediction Service
Official action, flood, moderate and major flood stages for each gauge.
api.water.noaa.gov/nwps/v1/gauges
Built in
National Weather Service forecasts
Seven-day forecast and forecast rainfall totals for central Houston.
api.weather.gov/gridpoints/HGX/63,95
Every 30 minutes
National Weather Service observations
Current temperature, humidity, wind and recent rain at Hobby Airport.
api.weather.gov/stations/KHOU
Every 10 minutes
National Weather Service alerts
Active warnings, watches and advisories for Harris County.
api.weather.gov/alerts/active?zone=TXC201
Every 2 minutes
USGS historical record
Hourly stage at all eight gauges during Hurricane Harvey, Aug 25 to Sep 1, 2017.
nwis.waterservices.usgs.gov/nwis/iv
Fixed
Google Maps Platform
Turns an address into coordinates and draws the maps.
maps.googleapis.com
On request
Gauges and flood stages
Stages in feet. Level readouts run from the empty-channel stage (0%) to flood stage (100%). SIM street sensors are modeled from the nearest gauge in this table.
| USGS site | Gauge | NWS id | Empty | Action | Flood | Major |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08073600 | Buffalo Bayou at West Belt Dr | WSBT2 | 25 | 59.2 | 62.2 | 65.3 |
| 08073700 | Buffalo Bayou at Piney Point | PPTT2 | 20 | 49 | 52 | 60 |
| 08074250 | Brickhouse Gully at Costa Rica St | None, estimated | 40 | 51 | 54 | 58 |
| 08074500 | White Oak Bayou at Houston | HGTT2 | 0 | 29 | 32 | 36 |
| 08075000 | Brays Bayou at Main St | HBMT2 | 10 | 38 | 41 | 43 |
| 08075500 | Sims Bayou at Houston | HSIT2 | 0 | 23.2 | 26.2 | 28.2 |
| 08076000 | Greens Bayou near Houston | GBHT2 | 30 | 52 | 55 | 59.5 |
| 08076700 | Greens Bayou at Ley Rd | GBLT2 | 0 | 27 | 30 | 33 |