Flooding Along the Rio Grande in Webb County

The Rio Grande can come up under a clear blue sky in Laredo. A storm a hundred miles upstream is enough to push the river higher even when it hasn't rained a drop in town. At the downtown gauge, flood stage begins at 8 feet; once the river crosses that mark, the low ground near the bank starts to take water. The National Weather Service tracks the level in real time at that Laredo gauge.

If you're buying or renting near the river, run the address through FEMA's Flood Map Service Center first. It tells you whether the parcel sits in a Special Flood Hazard Area, which is the line that decides whether a lender will require flood insurance. The Webb County FEMA page carries the local floodplain rules on top of that.

And if your plan is to build or add anything in a flood zone, even a slab, an addition, or a big shed, talk to the Webb County floodplain administrator before you pour. That conversation is far cheaper than tearing out work that was put in too low.