Tubers float and relax along the San Marcos River on April 14, 2026, in San Marcos, Texas.
Nicholas Hernandez/MySA
Memorial Day weekend is shaping up as the unofficial kickoff to summer across the Texas Hill Country, with thousands expected to head to the region’s most popular rivers and reservoirs.
But as of Thursday, May 21, on-and-off showers across the Hill Country are keeping conditions in flux. While rainfall has offered brief relief in some areas, United States Geological Survey (USGS) water data for Texas shows river levels remain mixed across the Comal, Guadalupe and San Marcos systems and Canyon Lake, with flows generally holding steady but below peak seasonal norms in some stretches.
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Here’s a look at how things stand just days before the holiday weekend.
Tubers floating the Comal River in New Braunfels.
Emma Weidmann for MySA
Comal River water conditions in New Braunfels
The Comal River saw a brief spike in flow on Wednesday, May 20, when storm activity across the Texas Hill Country pushed discharge up to around 210 cubic feet per second, according to USGS data. However, as conditions settled through the day, levels quickly began to fall, returning closer to the week’s average and dropping back below 160 cubic feet per second (cfs) by Thursday morning, May 21.
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As of Thursday, May 21, at 10:45 a.m., the river is measuring 164 cfs with a stage height of 3.74 feet. That places it within the City of New Braunfels’ recreational range, where 100 to 500 cfs is considered open for all activities, 500 to 600 cfs requires extreme caution, and anything above 600 cfs results in a temporary closure. While conditions remain suitable for tubing and other recreation, the return to lower flows means slower currents and some shallow stretches are likely in parts of the river, especially heading into the Memorial Day weekend period.
A riverboarder navigates the San Marcos River on April 14, 2026, in San Marcos, Texas.
Nicholas Hernandez/MySA
San Marcos River water conditions in San Marcos
The San Marcos River saw a brief bump in flow following May 20 showers, when discharge peaked at nearly 91 cubic feet per second, according to USGS data. However, levels quickly tapered back down as conditions settled, returning to the week’s typical range in the mid-80 cfs area heading into Thursday.
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As of Thursday, May 21, at 10:45 a.m., the river is registering 84.7 cfs with a stage height of 3.86 feet. The short-lived increase reflects localized rainfall impacts, but overall conditions have remained relatively stable as the spring-fed system continues to moderate sharp fluctuations compared to other regional waterways.
The green woods line along the Guadalupe River. A new county park is on the way to Kendall County.
Wirestock/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Guadalupe River conditions in the Hill Country
The Guadalupe River has seen relatively low but fluctuating flow conditions heading into Memorial Day weekend, according to USGS data. On May 15, the river reached a weekly high of 56 cubic feet per second before beginning a gradual decline through the middle of the week.
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Conditions began to shift again on May 20 and 21, when scattered showers across the Hill Country brought a modest rebound in flow. As of Thursday, May 21, at 11:00 a.m., the river is measuring 52.8 cfs with a stage height of 2.19 feet, marking a return to the mid-50 cfs range after earlier dips.
Overall, the pattern reflects short-lived rainfall impacts followed by a return to generally low spring flows, resulting in slower-moving sections and reduced current through many popular tubing areas.
Canyon Lake waters are shown on May 19, 2026, with reservoir levels holding steady ahead of the Memorial Day weekend.
Nicholas Hernandez/MySA
Canyon Lake levels ahead of Memorial Day Weekend
Canyon Lake is at 58.7% capacity as of Thursday, May 21, 2026, according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers data. The lake’s elevation stands at 886.61 feet, with approximately 222,550 acre-feet of storage.
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Inflow is measured at 216 cfs and outflow at 57 cfs, reflecting a relatively balanced system following recent rainfall totaling just under an inch over the past 24 hours. Overall reservoir conditions remain steady based on current inputs and releases.
A boatgoer launches at Canyon Lake’s Ramp 18 on May 19, 2026, as Memorial Day weekend approaches and three public ramp access remains open in the area.
Nicholas Hernandez/MySA
With Memorial Day weekend approaching, three public boat ramps remained open as of May 19, according to the Water Oriented Recreation District of Comal County. The open ramps at Canyon Lake include:
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Ramp 14: Jacob’s Creek, operated by Joint Base San Antonio
Ramp 18: Canyon Park, operated by WORD
Ramp 19: Canyon Lake Marina, operated by Canyon Lake Marina