Madison River below Ennis Lake near McAllister MT water level

Name: Madison River below Ennis Lake 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

3.61ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 21, 2026, 03:00 AM MDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 1,200 cfs
Water temperature: 47 °F

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

At 3.61 ft, the Madison River below Ennis Lake near McAllister MT 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 3.60 ft and 3.78 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: 8.01 ftJune 12, 1970

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	8.01 ft	June 12, 1970
2	7.92 ft	June 28, 1971
3	7.70 ft	June 2, 1943
4	7.60 ft	June 10, 1996
5	7.42 ft	June 6, 1997
6	7.37 ft	June 7, 1952
7	7.23 ft	May 29, 1993
8	7.11 ft	June 16, 1995
9	7.11 ft	June 6, 1986
10	7.04 ft	June 17, 1974

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

21 Wed 66° 44° – Wind 17 mph

22 Thu 67° 47° – Wind 17 mph

23 Fri 53° 36° 0.48 in, 98% Wind 20 mph

24 Sat 48° 28° 0.10 in, 92% Wind 9 mph

25 Sun 38° 31° – Wind 8 mph

26 Mon 46° 26° 0.13 in Wind 6 mph

27 Tue 36° 27° 0.15 in Wind 6 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:51 AM Sunset 06:32 PM Daylight 10 hr, 41 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	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	42 mi
Madison River near Cameron MTRiver gauge, Madison River	938 cfs	Low	+12.0 cfs	19 mi
Madison River at EnnisRiver gauge, Madison River	4.50 ft	No reference yet	±0	11 mi
Madison River above powerplant near McAllister MTRiver gauge, Madison River	103 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	−0.9 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	±0	24 mi
Hyalite C at Hyalite R S near Bozeman MTRiver gauge, Hyalite C	24.7 cfs	Low	−1.0 cfs	28 mi
Jefferson River near Three Forks MTRiver gauge, Jefferson River	3.30 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 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
E Gallatin R above Water Reclamation Fa near Bozeman MTRiver gauge, E Gallatin R	95.0 cfs	High	−3.8 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 below Ennis Lake near McAllister MT today?

On Oct 21, 2026, 03:00 AM MDT, the water level was 3.61 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Madison River below Ennis Lake near McAllister MT rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Madison River below Ennis Lake 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 below Ennis Lake near McAllister MT?

The highest level on record is 8.01 ft on June 12, 1970.

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:06041000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 45.49023, -111.63451 (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	3.61 ft	2026-10-21 09:00	Provisional
Flow	1,200 cfs	2026-10-21 09:00	Provisional
Water temperature	47 °F	2026-10-21 09:00	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Madison River below Ennis Lake near McAllister MT (usgs:06041000). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/montana/madison-river-below-ennis-lake-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