Ruby River below reservoir near Alder water level

Name: Ruby River below reservoir near Alder 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, Ruby River, Montana, United States

Directions

Low for mid-October

Water level

2.42ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 02:45 AM MDT (23 min ago)

Flow: 52.2 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

The Ruby River below reservoir near Alder is running below normal at 2.42 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. In the last month it has stayed between 2.42 ft and 2.43 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: 8.52 ftMay 16, 1984

Floating and fishing near Ruby River below reservoir near Alder

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	8.52 ft	May 16, 1984
2	6.85 ft	June 7, 1995
3	6.31 ft	June 9, 2011
4	6.11 ft	June 27, 1998
5	5.94 ft	June 3, 1997
6	5.90 ft	June 6, 1991
7	5.85 ft	May 23, 1993
8	5.79 ft	June 10, 1996
9	5.72 ft	May 31, 1986
10	5.46 ft	May 31, 2003

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

18 Sun 64° 37° – Wind 14 mph

19 Mon 67° 44° – Wind 20 mph

20 Tue 65° 46° – Wind 10 mph

21 Wed 66° 46° 0.00 in Wind 19 mph

22 Thu 68° 47° – Wind 20 mph

23 Fri 54° 35° 1.09 in, 88% Wind 9 mph

24 Sat 50° 32° – Wind 11 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:52 AM Sunset 06:36 PM Daylight 10 hr, 45 min First quarter 67%

Map

Other gauges on the Ruby River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Ruby River above reservoir near AlderRiver gauge, Ruby River	103 cfs	Low	±0	3.8 mi
Ruby River near Twin Bridges MTRiver gauge, Ruby River	160 cfs	Low	+2.0 cfs	21 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Madison River near Cameron MTRiver gauge, Madison River	926 cfs	Low	±0	18 mi
Beaverhead River near Twin Bridges MTRiver gauge, Beaverhead River	4.11 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	19 mi
Big Hole R below Hamilton Ditch near Twin BridgesRiver gauge, Big Hole R	386 cfs	Normal	−9.0 cfs	24 mi
Big Hole River near Glen MTRiver gauge, Big Hole River	470 cfs	Normal	−17.0 cfs	26 mi
Beaverhead River at Dillon MTRiver gauge, Beaverhead River	82.4 cfs	Very low	−5.1 cfs	27 mi
Jefferson River near Twin BridgesRiver gauge, Jefferson River	3.60 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	28 mi
Madison River above powerplant near McAllister MTRiver gauge, Madison River	103 cfs	Low	+2.0 cfs	29 mi
Madison River below Ennis Lake near McAllister MTRiver gauge, Madison River	1,200 cfs	Low	±0	29 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 Ruby River below reservoir near Alder today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 02:45 AM MDT, the water level was 2.42 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Ruby River below reservoir near Alder rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Ruby River below reservoir near Alder normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Ruby River below reservoir near Alder?

The highest level on record is 8.52 ft on May 16, 1984.

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:06020600 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 45.24187, -112.11124 (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	2.42 ft	2026-10-20 08:45	Provisional
Flow	52.2 cfs	2026-10-20 08:45	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Ruby River below reservoir near Alder (usgs:06020600). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/montana/ruby-river-below-reservoir-near-alder

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