Madison River near West Yellowstone water level

Name: Madison River near West Yellowstone 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

Very low for mid-October

Water level

1.64ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 07:30 PM MDT (45 min ago)

Flow: 303 cfs
Water temperature: 53 °F

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

The Madison River near West Yellowstone is running far below normal at 1.64 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 1.63 ft and 1.64 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, and it usually takes a few days of steady rain to change that. The water temperature at the gauge is 53 °F.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 10.01 ftJanuary 8, 1937

Floating and fishing near Madison River near West Yellowstone

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	10.01 ft	January 8, 1937
2	7.20 ft	December 30, 1990
3	5.26 ft	December 24, 1983
4	4.36 ft	February 3, 1951
5	3.78 ft	May 18, 1996
6	3.58 ft	May 18, 1997
7	3.56 ft	May 31, 1986
8	3.51 ft	June 8, 2011
9	3.46 ft	May 30, 1967
10	3.44 ft	May 24, 1956

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

17 Sat 58° 18° – Wind 14 mph

18 Sun 60° 29° – Wind 11 mph

19 Mon 60° 31° – Wind 11 mph

20 Tue 60° 41° 0.04 in Wind 13 mph

21 Wed 61° 39° – Wind 12 mph

22 Thu 61° 37° 0.19 in, 40% Wind 9 mph

23 Fri 46° 30° 1.50 in, 79% Wind 7 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:47 AM Sunset 06:33 PM Daylight 10 hr, 46 min First quarter 64%

Map

Other gauges on the Madison River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Madison River below Hebgen Lake near Grayling MTRiver gauge, Madison River	707 cfs	Very low	±0	20 mi
Madison River at Kirby Ranch near Cameron MTRiver gauge, Madison River	779 cfs	Low	−9.0 cfs	30 mi
Madison River near Cameron MTRiver gauge, Madison River	926 cfs	Low	−12.0 cfs	52 mi
Madison River at EnnisRiver gauge, Madison River	4.46 ft	No reference yet	−0.02 ft	57 mi
Madison River above powerplant near McAllister MTRiver gauge, Madison River	103 cfs	Low	+2.0 cfs	64 mi
Madison River below Ennis Lake near McAllister MTRiver gauge, Madison River	1,210 cfs	Low	+10.0 cfs	64 mi
Madison River near Norris MTRiver gauge, Madison River	4.04 ft	No reference yet	±0	70 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Gibbon River at Madison Jct, YNPRiver gauge, Gibbon River	70.0 cfs	Very low	−1.6 cfs	10 mi
Firehole River near West Yellowstone MTRiver gauge, Firehole River	198 cfs	Very low	±0	10 mi
Henrys Fork near LakeRiver gauge, Henrys Fork	0.6 cfs	Very low	+0.1 cfs	15 mi
Henrys Lake and Henrys LakeLake	12.89 ft	Low		15 mi
Tantalus Creek at Norris Junction, YNPRiver gauge, Tantalus Creek	4.2 cfs	Normal	−0.1 cfs	18 mi
Firehole River at Old Faithful, YNPRiver gauge, Firehole River	38.7 cfs	Very low	±0	18 mi
Henrys Fork near Island ParkRiver gauge, Henrys Fork	91.9 cfs	Very low	±0	23 mi
Island Park ReservoirReservoir	6,281.72 ft	Low		23 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 near West Yellowstone today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 07:30 PM MDT, the water level was 1.64 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Madison River near West Yellowstone rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Madison River near West Yellowstone normal?

Very 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 Madison River near West Yellowstone?

The highest level on record is 10.01 ft on January 8, 1937.

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:06037500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 44.65707, -111.06796 (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	1.64 ft	2026-10-20 01:30	Provisional
Flow	303 cfs	2026-10-20 01:30	Provisional
Water temperature	53 °F	2026-10-20 01:30	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Madison River near West Yellowstone (usgs:06037500). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/montana/madison-river-near-west-yellowstone

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