River Levels
Montana river levels
Live streamflow for 162 gauged Montana reaches, highest first. Where a gauge has a long enough record, the reading is placed against its own history for today's date.
53% of gauged Montana rivers are running in their normal range for the date, as of October 25, 2026.
Of 49 gauged reaches with a long enough USGS record, 15 are below normal (7 of them much below), 26 are in the normal range, and 8 are above normal (3 of them much above). Normal means the middle half of that gauge's own history for this calendar date.
To cite: Boating Hubs analysis of USGS streamflow, boatinghubs.com/flows/montana.
| River | Flow | Usually today | Vs normal | NWS flood status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clark ForkClark Fork near Plains MT | 10,300 cfs4.60 ft | 10,200 cfs | Normal51st percentile · 116 yr record | Below flood stageNWS forecast: 4.74 ft by Tue 12 AM, below flood stage. |
| Flathead RiverFlathead River at Perma MT | 7,580 cfs8.53 ft | 7,510 cfs | Normal51st percentile · 42 yr record | No NWS flood stage |
| Missouri RiverMissouri River near Culbertson MT | 7,380 cfs3.34 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Missouri RiverMissouri River near Wolf Point MT | 7,260 cfs10.82 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | Below flood stageNWS issues forecasts here only during high water. |
| Flathead RiverFlathead River near Polson MT | 7,230 cfs5.46 ft | 7,270 cfs | Normal50th percentile · 88 yr record | Below flood stageNWS forecast: 5.46 ft by Sun 12 PM, below flood stage. |
| Clark ForkClark Fork River below Cabinet Gorge Dam ID | 5,830 cfs7.54 ft | 9,770 cfs | Much below normal10th percentile · 31 yr record | No NWS flood stage |
| Missouri RiverMissouri River near Landusky MT | 5,390 cfs13.44 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Yellowstone RiverYellowstone River at Forsyth MT | 5,360 cfs1.70 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Yellowstone RiverYellowstone River at Glendive, MT | 5,330 cfs42.86 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Yellowstone RiverYellowstone River at Miles City, MT | 5,280 cfs3.07 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Missouri RiverMissouri River at Virgelle MT | 5,220 cfs3.09 ft | 5,940 cfs | Normal34th percentile · 91 yr record | Below flood stageFlood stage 17 ft. NWS reads 3.11 ft here. |
| Kootenai RiverKootenai River Bel Moyie River near Bonners Ferry ID | 5,090 cfs71.53 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Missouri RiverMissouri River at Fort Benton MT | 4,660 cfs2.04 ft | 5,220 cfs | Normal35th percentile · 136 yr record | Below flood stageFlood stage 13.5 ft. NWS reads 2.04 ft here. |
| Kootenai RiverKootenai River bl Libby Dam nr Libby MT | 4,220 cfs17.86 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Missouri RiverMissouri River near Great Falls MT | 4,190 cfs3.02 ft | 5,330 cfs | Below normal14th percentile · 70 yr record | No NWS flood stage |
| Missouri RiverMissouri River near Ulm MT | 3,910 cfs3.27 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Missouri RiverMissouri River at Toston MT | 3,870 cfs4.41 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Flathead RiverFlathead River at Columbia Falls MT | 3,600 cfs3.80 ft | 3,940 cfs | Below normal25th percentile · 74 yr record | Below flood stageNWS forecast: 3.81 ft by Thu 6 AM, below flood stage. |
| Yellowstone RiverYellowstone River at Billings MT | 3,130 cfs2.92 ft | 3,940 cfs | Below normal23rd percentile · 97 yr record | Below flood stageFlood stage 13.5 ft. NWS reads 2.92 ft here. |
| Clark ForkClark Fork at St. Regis MT | 3,080 cfs5.55 ft | 3,280 cfs | Normal42nd percentile · 97 yr record | Below flood stageNWS forecast: 5.97 ft by Mon 12 PM, below flood stage. |
| Missouri RiverMissouri River bl Holter Dam nr Wolf Cr MT | 3,060 cfs3.10 ft | 4,170 cfs | Much below normal9th percentile · 81 yr record | No NWS flood stage |
| Bighorn RiverBighorn River at Two Leggins Bridge, near Hardin | 1,890 cfs9.34 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Yellowstone RiverYellowstone River near Livingston, MT | 1,680 cfs0.01 ft | 1,880 cfs | Normal31st percentile · 129 yr record | Below flood stageFlood stage 10 ft. NWS reads -0.01 ft here. |
| Jefferson RiverJefferson River near Three Forks MT | 1,580 cfs3.75 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Jefferson RiverJefferson River near Twin Bridges, MT | 1,470 cfs4.11 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | Below flood stageNWS issues forecasts here only during high water. |
| Madison RiverMadison River bl Ennis Lake nr McAllister MT | 1,410 cfs3.98 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Yellowstone RiverYellowstone River at Corwin Springs MT | 1,210 cfs1.31 ft | 1,360 cfs | Normal34th percentile · 137 yr record | Below flood stageNWS issues forecasts here only during high water. |
| Clark ForkClark Fork at Turah Bridge nr Bonner MT | 1,170 cfs2.35 ft | 875 cfs | Above normal86th percentile · 41 yr record | No NWS flood stage |
| Madison RiverMadison River at Ennis, MT | 974 cfs4.51 ft | 949 cfs | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Bitterroot RiverBitterroot River near Missoula MT | 942 cfs3.40 ft | 907 cfs | Normal53rd percentile · 128 yr record | Below flood stageNWS forecast: 3.55 ft by Sun 6 PM, below flood stage. |
| West Fork Madison RiverMadison River at Kirby Ranch nr Cameron MT | 799 cfs1.74 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Clark ForkClark Fork near Drummond MT | 763 cfs3.55 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| North Fork Flathead RiverN F Flathead River nr Columbia Falls MT | 716 cfs1.78 ft | 932 cfs | Below normal24th percentile · 87 yr record | Below flood stageNWS forecast: 1.77 ft by Sun 12 PM, below flood stage. |
| Big Hole RiverBig Hole River at Maiden Rock nr Divide MT | 672 cfs3.42 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Yellowstone RiverYellowstone River at Yellowstone Lk Outlet YNP | 602 cfs2.88 ft | 691 cfs | Normal30th percentile · 100 yr record | Below flood stageNWS issues forecasts here only during high water. |
| Sun RiverSun River near Vaughn MT | 590 cfs2.52 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | Below flood stageFlood stage 6 ft. NWS reads 2.5 ft here. |
| Big Hole RiverBig Hole R bl Hamilton Ditch nr Twin Bridges, MT | 570 cfs1.87 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Big CreekBitterroot River at Bell Crossing nr Victor MT | 568 cfs4.86 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Marias RiverMarias River near Loma MT | 510 cfs1.20 ft | 499 cfs | Normal51st percentile · 67 yr record | No NWS flood stage |
| Middle Fork Flathead RiverM F Flathead River near West Glacier MT | 502 cfs1.73 ft | 769 cfs | Normal25th percentile · 87 yr record | Below flood stageNWS forecast: 1.72 ft by Mon 12 AM, below flood stage. |
| South Fork Flathead RiverS F Flathead R ab Twin C nr Hungry Horse MT | 477 cfs4.93 ft | 427 cfs | Normal57th percentile · 62 yr record | NWS issues forecasts here only during high water. |
| Clarks Fork Yellowstone RiverClarks Fork Yellowstone River at Edgar MT | 458 cfs1.89 ft | 542 cfs | Normal31st percentile · 105 yr record | Below flood stageNWS issues forecasts here only during high water. |
| Big Hole RiverBig Hole River bl Mudd Cr nr Wisdom MT | 457 cfs3.29 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Swan RiverSwan River near Bigfork, MT | 457 cfs2.28 ft | 505 cfs | Normal39th percentile · 103 yr record | Below flood stageNWS forecast: 2.59 ft by Sun 12 PM, below flood stage. |
| Stillwater RiverStillwater River near Absarokee, MT | 430 cfs1.60 ft | 495 cfs | Normal32nd percentile · 91 yr record | Below flood stageNWS issues forecasts here only during high water. |
| Rock CreekRock Creek near Clinton MT | 409 cfs5.55 ft | 240 cfs | Much above normal95th percentile · 54 yr record | Below flood stageNWS forecast: 5.7 ft by Sun 12 PM, below flood stage. |
| Judith RiverJudith River nr mouth, nr Winifred MT | 390 cfs5.22 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Gallatin RiverGallatin River near Gallatin Gateway, MT | 386 cfs1.44 ft | 429 cfs | Normal32nd percentile · 137 yr record | Below flood stageFlood stage 6 ft. NWS reads 1.42 ft here. |
| Madison RiverMadison River near West Yellowstone, MT | 329 cfs1.68 ft | 419 cfs | Much below normal10th percentile · 113 yr record | No NWS flood stage |
| Sun RiverSun River at Simms MT | 326 cfs2.88 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Marias RiverMarias River near Shelby MT | 305 cfs2.90 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Birch CreekBirch Cr bl Heart Butte Road, nr Heart Butte, MT | 292 cfs2.40 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Clark ForkClark Fork at Deer Lodge MT | 266 cfs2.93 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Beaverhead RiverBeaverhead River near Twin Bridges MT | 266 cfs3.60 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| East Fork Bitterroot RiverBitterroot River near Darby MT | 265 cfs1.81 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Gallatin RiverGallatin River above Deer Creek, near Big Sky, MT | 264 cfs4.86 ft | 299 cfs | No historical record | NWS issues forecasts here only during high water. |
| Clark ForkClark Fork ab Little Blackfoot R nr Garrison MT | 261 cfs3.47 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Blackfoot RiverBlackfoot R ab Nevada Cr nr Helmville MT | 217 cfs3.94 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Ruby RiverRuby River near Twin Bridges MT | 199 cfs3.04 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Sun River Slope CanalSun River bl Willow Cr nr Augusta MT | 197 cfs2.18 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
Streamflow from the U.S. Geological Survey, updated hourly. "Usually today" is the median for this calendar date over the gauge's full record. A gauge tells you how much water is moving, not whether a stretch is safe to run: check the channel, the hazards and a current local notice before you launch. Flood stages and forecasts: NOAA National Weather Service; "Vs normal" is our comparison with the USGS record, not a National Weather Service product.
By state
Other states
Alabama
104 gauges
Alaska
20 gauges
Arizona
107 gauges
Arkansas
83 gauges
California
292 gauges
Colorado
175 gauges
Connecticut
41 gauges
Florida
119 gauges
Georgia
168 gauges
Hawaii
12 gauges
Idaho
128 gauges
Illinois
115 gauges
Indiana
131 gauges
Iowa
99 gauges
Kansas
130 gauges
Kentucky
112 gauges
Louisiana
55 gauges
Maine
49 gauges
Maryland
66 gauges
Massachusetts
60 gauges
Michigan
137 gauges
Minnesota
96 gauges
Mississippi
70 gauges
Missouri
156 gauges
Nebraska
96 gauges
Nevada
64 gauges
New Hampshire
37 gauges
New Jersey
74 gauges
New Mexico
84 gauges
New York
190 gauges
North Carolina
157 gauges
North Dakota
78 gauges
Ohio
127 gauges
Oklahoma
108 gauges
Oregon
151 gauges
Pennsylvania
179 gauges
Rhode Island
14 gauges
South Carolina
82 gauges
South Dakota
79 gauges
Tennessee
91 gauges
Texas
369 gauges
Utah
116 gauges
Vermont
44 gauges
Virginia
142 gauges
Washington
165 gauges
West Virginia
78 gauges
Wisconsin
103 gauges
Wyoming
89 gauges
