Boulder River near Boulder water level

Name: Boulder River near Boulder 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, Boulder River, Montana, United States

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

5.16ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 01:15 PM MDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 35.9 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

The gauge at Boulder River near Boulder reads 5.16 ft, a normal level for mid-October.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 5.10 ft and 5.16 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, until steadier rain returns.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 12.30 ftMay 22, 1981

What the stage means on the water

A normal level is usually prime time for floating and wade fishing, as long as the weather holds upstream.

What happens at each level

10.00 ft: Water starting to impact rural roads south of Boulder
9.00 ft: Water into fields and pastures.
8.00 ft: At 8.0 Feet...runoff from the Boulder River into the Jefferson River starts to add to the impacts on how fast the river guage on the Jefferson River near Three Forks goes up/down. (June 2017)
5.16 ft: Right now

Impact statements from the U.S. National Weather Service.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	12.30 ft	May 22, 1981
2	10.90 ft	June 9, 1964
3	10.90 ft	June 19, 1975
4	10.37 ft	May 22, 1948
5	10.24 ft	May 28, 1938
6	10.15 ft	June 7, 2011
7	10.05 ft	June 25, 1965
8	10.03 ft	May 31, 1967
9	9.98 ft	May 26, 1942
10	9.91 ft	June 3, 1953

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

18 Sun 64° 36° – Wind 7 mph

19 Mon 69° 42° – Wind 13 mph

20 Tue 66° 42° – Wind 9 mph

21 Wed 66° 44° 0.00 in Wind 9 mph

22 Thu 70° 46° – Wind 11 mph

23 Fri 55° 36° 0.35 in, 70% Wind 18 mph

24 Sat 49° 31° – Wind 9 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:52 AM Sunset 06:36 PM Daylight 10 hr, 45 min First quarter 62%

Map

Other gauges on the Boulder River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Boulder River at Big Timber MTRiver gauge, Boulder River	1.16 ft	Below flood stage	±0	107 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Prickly Pear Creek near Clancy MTRiver gauge, Prickly Pear Creek	23.2 cfs	Low	−2.1 cfs	22 mi
Tenmile Creek near Rimini MTRiver gauge, Tenmile Creek	3.7 cfs	Normal	−0.4 cfs	23 mi
Blacktail Creek above Grove Gulch, at ButteRiver gauge, Blacktail Creek	4.76 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	26 mi
Silver Bow Creek at Montana Street, at ButteRiver gauge, Silver Bow Creek	6.1 cfs	Very low	±0	26 mi
Tenmile Creek near Helena MTRiver gauge, Tenmile Creek	2.48 ft	Below flood stage	+0.03 ft	27 mi
Silver Bow Cr below Blacktail Cr, at ButteRiver gauge, Silver Bow Cr	21.6 cfs	Normal	−0.8 cfs	27 mi
Helena Valley ReservoirReservoir	3,817.70 ft	Very high		31 mi
Jefferson River near Three Forks MTRiver gauge, Jefferson River	3.34 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 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 Boulder River near Boulder today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 01:15 PM MDT, the water level was 5.16 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Boulder River near Boulder rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Boulder River near Boulder normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Boulder River near Boulder?

The highest level on record is 12.30 ft on May 22, 1981.

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:06033000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 46.21103, -112.09165 (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	5.16 ft	2026-10-19 19:15	Provisional
Flow	35.9 cfs	2026-10-19 19:15	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Boulder River near Boulder (usgs:06033000). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/montana/boulder-river-near-boulder

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