Bighorn R below Yellowtail Afterbay Dam near St. Xavier water level

Name: Bighorn R below Yellowtail Afterbay Dam near St. Xavier 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, Bighorn R, Montana, United States

Directions

Low for late October

Water level

60.93ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 21, 2026, 02:15 AM MDT (39 min ago)

Flow: 1,620 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

At 60.93 ft, the Bighorn R below Yellowtail Afterbay Dam near St. Xavier is below normal for late October.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 60.87 ft and 60.93 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: 65.60 ftJune 20, 2011

What the stage means on the water

Low water means more dragging on shallow riffles and slower floats. Fish crowd into the deeper runs, and warm, low water stresses them, so play and release them quickly.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	65.60 ft	June 20, 2011
2	65.60 ft	June 25, 2023
3	65.15 ft	June 22, 2018
4	65.12 ft	May 26, 2017
5	65.04 ft	June 10, 2015
6	64.78 ft	June 23, 2009
7	64.04 ft	June 22, 2019
8	63.93 ft	June 18, 2010
9	63.63 ft	July 15, 1975
10	63.60 ft	June 18, 2008

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 69° 44° – Wind 10 mph

21 Wed 71° 40° – Wind 4 mph

22 Thu 74° 49° – Wind 7 mph

23 Fri 76° 46° – Wind 31 mph

24 Sat 55° 41° 0.04 in, 85% Wind 15 mph

25 Sun 50° 34° – Wind 9 mph

26 Mon 44° 32° 0.01 in Wind 6 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:36 AM Sunset 06:18 PM Daylight 10 hr, 41 min Waxing gibbous 76%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Bighorn River and BIA Canal near St. XavierReservoir	3,186.63 ft	Normal		0.0 mi
Bighorn Lake YellowtailReservoir	3,626.40 ft	Normal		2.0 mi
Bighorn River at bridge, at St. XavierRiver gauge, Bighorn River	1,650 cfs	Very low	−50.0 cfs	13 mi
Bighorn River at Two Leggins Bridge, near HardinRiver gauge, Bighorn River	1,740 cfs	Very low	±0	26 mi
Little Bighorn River at State Line near Wyola MTRiver gauge, Little Bighorn River	69.5 cfs	Low	−1.7 cfs	26 mi
Little Bighorn River near Crow Agency MTRiver gauge, Little Bighorn River	113 cfs	Low	−2.0 cfs	29 mi
Agency Canal Tailwaste near Hardin MTCanal gauge, Agency Canal Tailwaste	2.8 cfs	Normal	−0.8 cfs	33 mi
Little Bighorn River near Hardin MTRiver gauge, Little Bighorn River	2.65 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	34 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 Bighorn R below Yellowtail Afterbay Dam near St. Xavier today?

On Oct 21, 2026, 02:15 AM MDT, the water level was 60.93 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Bighorn R below Yellowtail Afterbay Dam near St. Xavier rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Bighorn R below Yellowtail Afterbay Dam near St. Xavier normal?

Low for late October. Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Bighorn R below Yellowtail Afterbay Dam near St. Xavier?

The highest level on record is 65.60 ft on June 20, 2011.

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:06287000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 45.31690, -107.91889 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: NGVD29
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	60.93 ft	2026-10-21 08:15	Provisional
Flow	1,620 cfs	2026-10-21 08:15	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Bighorn R below Yellowtail Afterbay Dam near St. Xavier (usgs:06287000). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/montana/bighorn-r-below-yellowtail-afterbay-dam-near-st-xavier

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