Madison River at Kirby Ranch near Cameron MT water level

Name: Madison River at Kirby Ranch near Cameron 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

1.73ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 21, 2026, 03:30 AM MDT (42 min ago)

Flow: 788 cfs
Water temperature: 47 °F

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

The Madison River at Kirby Ranch near Cameron MT is running below normal at 1.73 ft.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. In the last month it has stayed between 1.72 ft and 1.74 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, and it usually takes a few days of steady rain to change that. The sensor also reports a water temperature of 47 °F.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 3.97 ftJune 7, 1996

Floating and fishing near Madison River at Kirby Ranch near Cameron MT

Low water exposes gravel bars that make good wading access, but some boat ramps may be left high and dry.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	3.97 ft	June 7, 1996
2	3.68 ft	June 24, 2011
3	3.54 ft	October 23, 1959
4	3.50 ft	June 14, 1995
5	3.49 ft	September 2, 2008
6	3.41 ft	June 10, 2010
7	3.40 ft	June 26, 1998
8	3.38 ft	May 26, 2006
9	3.32 ft	June 16, 1999
10	3.15 ft	May 31, 1993

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 64° 37° – Wind 8 mph

21 Wed 63° 42° 0.02 in Wind 12 mph

22 Thu 65° 45° 0.04 in, 43% Wind 11 mph

23 Fri 51° 38° 1.18 in, 99% Wind 9 mph

24 Sat 49° 32° 0.01 in, 79% Wind 7 mph

25 Sun 47° 29° – Wind 8 mph

26 Mon 38° 24° – Wind 8 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:50 AM Sunset 06:33 PM Daylight 10 hr, 43 min Waxing gibbous 76%

Map

Other gauges on the Madison River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Madison River near West YellowstoneRiver gauge, Madison River	296 cfs	Very low	±0	30 mi
Madison River below Hebgen Lake near Grayling MTRiver gauge, Madison River	707 cfs	Very low	±0	12 mi
Madison River near Cameron MTRiver gauge, Madison River	938 cfs	Low	+12.0 cfs	25 mi
Madison River at EnnisRiver gauge, Madison River	4.50 ft	No reference yet	±0	32 mi
Madison River above powerplant near McAllister MTRiver gauge, Madison River	103 cfs	Low	±0	41 mi
Madison River below Ennis Lake near McAllister MTRiver gauge, Madison River	1,200 cfs	Low	±0	42 mi
Madison River near Norris MTRiver gauge, Madison River	4.04 ft	No reference yet	±0	50 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Henrys Lake and Henrys LakeLake	12.89 ft	Low		23 mi
Henrys Fork near LakeRiver gauge, Henrys Fork	0.3 cfs	Very low	±0	23 mi
Gallatin River above Deer Creek, near Big SkyRiver gauge, Gallatin River	232 cfs	Very low	±0	33 mi
Island Park ReservoirReservoir	6,281.94 ft	Low		34 mi
Henrys Fork near Island ParkRiver gauge, Henrys Fork	89.9 cfs	Very low	±0	34 mi
Ruby River above reservoir near AlderRiver gauge, Ruby River	101 cfs	Low	−2.0 cfs	35 mi
Ruby River below reservoir near AlderRiver gauge, Ruby River	52.2 cfs	Low	±0	36 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 at Kirby Ranch near Cameron MT today?

On Oct 21, 2026, 03:30 AM MDT, the water level was 1.73 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Madison River at Kirby Ranch near Cameron MT rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Madison River at Kirby Ranch near Cameron 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 at Kirby Ranch near Cameron MT?

The highest level on record is 3.97 ft on June 7, 1996.

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:06038800 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 44.88866, -111.58089 (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	1.73 ft	2026-10-21 09:30	Provisional
Flow	788 cfs	2026-10-21 09:30	Provisional
Water temperature	47 °F	2026-10-21 09:30	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Madison River at Kirby Ranch near Cameron MT (usgs:06038800). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/montana/madison-river-at-kirby-ranch-near-cameron-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