Beaverhead River at Dillon MT water level

Name: Beaverhead River at Dillon MT water level (U.S. Geological Survey)
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
License: https://www.usgs.gov/information-policies-and-instructions/copyrights-and-credits

River gauge, Beaverhead River, Montana, United States

Directions

Very low for mid-October

Water level

3.36ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 05:15 AM MDT (56 min ago)

Flow: 82.4 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

Low water at Beaverhead River at Dillon MT: the gauge reads 3.36 ft, far below normal for mid-October.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. The 30-day range is 3.36 ft – 3.53 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, and it usually takes a few days of steady rain to change that.

Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 6.63 ftJune 21, 1964

Paddling and fishing conditions

At low levels, plan for shorter paddling trips and expect to walk your boat through a few shoals.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	6.63 ft	June 21, 1964
2	6.24 ft	June 28, 1952
3	6.22 ft	April 1, 1969
4	5.50 ft	June 18, 1965
5	5.47 ft	June 29, 1971
6	5.27 ft	May 31, 1970
7	5.03 ft	October 5, 2011
8	4.97 ft	August 16, 2011
9	4.89 ft	June 10, 2011
10	4.86 ft	October 7, 2009

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

18 Sun 64° 40° – Wind 12 mph

19 Mon 68° 45° – Wind 15 mph

20 Tue 63° 42° – Wind 6 mph

21 Wed 65° 41° – Wind 9 mph

22 Thu 68° 42° – Wind 15 mph

23 Fri 59° 39° 0.02 in, 70% Wind 12 mph

24 Sat 51° 31° – Wind 7 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:52 AM Sunset 06:40 PM Daylight 10 hr, 48 min First quarter 59%

Map

Other gauges on the Beaverhead River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Beaverhead River at Barretts MTRiver gauge, Beaverhead River	92.6 cfs	Very low	−2.0 cfs	8 mi
Beaverhead River near Twin Bridges MTRiver gauge, Beaverhead River	4.15 ft	Below flood stage	−0.06 ft	15 mi
Beaverhead River at Twin BridgesRiver gauge, Beaverhead River	2.92 ft	No reference yet	−0.02 ft	27 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Big Hole River near Glen MTRiver gauge, Big Hole River	479 cfs	Normal	−16.0 cfs	16 mi
Clark Canyon ReservoirReservoir	5,516.88 ft	Normal		18 mi
Big Hole River near Melrose MTRiver gauge, Big Hole River	1.84 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	21 mi
Ruby River above reservoir near AlderRiver gauge, Ruby River	103 cfs	Low	±0	25 mi
Ruby River near Twin Bridges MTRiver gauge, Ruby River	160 cfs	Low	±0	25 mi
Ruby River below reservoir near AlderRiver gauge, Ruby River	52.2 cfs	Low	±0	27 mi
Big Hole R below Hamilton Ditch near Twin BridgesRiver gauge, Big Hole R	395 cfs	Normal	±0	27 mi
Jefferson River near Twin BridgesRiver gauge, Jefferson River	3.61 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	32 mi

Questions and answers

Is gage height the same as water depth?

No. Gage height is measured from a fixed reference point chosen by the agency, so a reading of 10 ft does not mean the river is 10 ft deep.

What is the water level of Beaverhead River at Dillon MT today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 05:15 AM MDT, the water level was 3.36 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Beaverhead River at Dillon MT rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Beaverhead River at Dillon MT normal?

Very low for mid-October. Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Beaverhead River at Dillon MT?

The highest level on record is 6.63 ft on June 21, 1964.

How often is this data updated?

The U.S. Geological Survey publishes a new reading every 15 minutes. This page refreshes within minutes of each update.

Where does this data come from?

The values come directly from the U.S. Geological Survey, the official operator of this gauge, and are in the public domain. We do not estimate or model live values.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:06017000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 45.21838, -112.65533 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: NAVD88
Update interval: every 15 minutes
Licence: Public domain. Data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), provisional data subject to revision

Published series

Parameter	Last value	Time (UTC)	Quality
Water level	3.36 ft	2026-10-19 11:15	Provisional
Flow	82.4 cfs	2026-10-19 11:15	Provisional

Download

Embed this gauge

Add a live card for this gauge to your website. It updates on its own and links back here.

<iframe src="https://nivelmap.com/embed/9012?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Beaverhead River at Dillon MT water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Beaverhead River at Dillon MT (usgs:06017000). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/montana/beaverhead-river-at-dillon-mt

How we check values

Each reading is stored as published. We hold back values that jump faster than physically plausible and show the measurement time with every value.

Readings are provisional, can be delayed or wrong and are not a flood warning. Read the disclaimer