The system
From a rising bayou to your phone.
The full pipeline, end to end.
01
Sensors read the water
47 sensors at bayous, ditches and storm drains, anchored by USGS stream gauges, report stage height every 15 minutes.
02
Readings stream in
BayouWatch pulls every gauge from the USGS Water Services API every five minutes and keeps the last 24 hours of each.
03
Checked against official stages
Each reading is compared to that gauge’s own National Weather Service action, flood and major flood stages, the lines forecasters use.
04
Rain and trend forecasting
NWS rainfall forecasts and each gauge’s rate of rise project which streets are likely to flood in the next 30 to 60 minutes.
05
A threshold is crossed
When a sensor reaches action stage or flood stage, BayouWatch finds every registered address near that gauge.
06
Alerts go out
Texts go out in each resident’s language, typically under 60 seconds from reading to delivery. That head start is time to move a car or leave a low street.