Madison River above powerplant near McAllister MT water level

Name: Madison River above powerplant near McAllister 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, Madison River, Montana, United States

Directions

Low for late October

Water level

3.10ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 21, 2026, 12:30 AM MDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 103 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

Low water at Madison River above powerplant near McAllister MT: the gauge reads 3.10 ft, below normal for late 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 3.09 ft – 3.13 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: 10.80 ftJune 24, 2011

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	10.80 ft	June 24, 2011
2	9.63 ft	June 23, 2008
3	9.53 ft	June 12, 2010
4	9.47 ft	June 5, 2006
5	9.42 ft	June 2, 2002
6	9.05 ft	May 31, 2003
7	8.80 ft	June 5, 2012
8	8.57 ft	June 23, 2005
9	7.98 ft	May 29, 2009
10	7.79 ft	June 10, 2004

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 66° 41° – Wind 9 mph

21 Wed 65° 46° – Wind 17 mph

22 Thu 69° 48° 0.04 in Wind 15 mph

23 Fri 52° 36° 0.87 in, 98% Wind 15 mph

24 Sat 49° 30° 0.00 in, 88% Wind 10 mph

25 Sun 39° 29° – Wind 9 mph

26 Mon 43° 28° – Wind 6 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:51 AM Sunset 06:32 PM Daylight 10 hr, 41 min Waxing gibbous 75%

Map

Other gauges on the Madison River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Madison River near West YellowstoneRiver gauge, Madison River	303 cfs	Very low	±0	64 mi
Madison River below Hebgen Lake near Grayling MTRiver gauge, Madison River	707 cfs	Very low	±0	45 mi
Madison River at Kirby Ranch near Cameron MTRiver gauge, Madison River	788 cfs	Low	+9.0 cfs	41 mi
Madison River near Cameron MTRiver gauge, Madison River	938 cfs	Low	+12.0 cfs	18 mi
Madison River at EnnisRiver gauge, Madison River	4.49 ft	No reference yet	±0	11 mi
Madison River below Ennis Lake near McAllister MTRiver gauge, Madison River	1,210 cfs	Low	±0	0.3 mi
Madison River near Norris MTRiver gauge, Madison River	4.04 ft	No reference yet	±0	9 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Willow Creek near Harrison MTRiver gauge, Willow Creek	14.5 cfs	Low	−1.3 cfs	17 mi
Gallatin River near Gallatin GatewayRiver gauge, Gallatin River	1.37 ft	Below flood stage	±0	18 mi
Gallatin River above Deer Creek, near Big SkyRiver gauge, Gallatin River	232 cfs	Very low	−5.0 cfs	24 mi
Hyalite C at Hyalite R S near Bozeman MTRiver gauge, Hyalite C	25.7 cfs	Low	±0	28 mi
Jefferson River near Three Forks MTRiver gauge, Jefferson River	3.30 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	28 mi
Ruby River below reservoir near AlderRiver gauge, Ruby River	52.2 cfs	Low	±0	29 mi
Gallatin River at Logan MTRiver gauge, Gallatin River	4.92 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	29 mi
Ruby River above reservoir near AlderRiver gauge, Ruby River	101 cfs	Low	−2.0 cfs	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 Madison River above powerplant near McAllister MT today?

On Oct 21, 2026, 12:30 AM MDT, the water level was 3.10 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Madison River above powerplant near McAllister MT rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Madison River above powerplant near McAllister MT 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 Madison River above powerplant near McAllister MT?

The highest level on record is 10.80 ft on June 24, 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:06040800 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 45.48659, -111.63386 (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	3.10 ft	2026-10-21 06:30	Provisional
Flow	103 cfs	2026-10-21 06:30	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Madison River above powerplant near McAllister MT (usgs:06040800). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/montana/madison-river-above-powerplant-near-mcallister-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