Milk River near Harlem MT water level

Name: Milk River near Harlem 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, Milk River, Montana, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

2.16ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 02:30 PM MDT (54 min ago)

Flow: 80.5 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Milk River near Harlem MT, where the gauge shows 2.16 ft.

It is 18.84 ft below the flood stage of 21.00 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 2.11 ft – 2.26 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, until steadier rain returns.

Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 25.73 ftSeptember 29, 1986

Paddling and fishing conditions

Most paddlers and anglers will find the river in good shape at this stage.

For reference, flood stage is 21.00 ft.

What happens at each level

25.50 ft: Flooding of homes in Harlem and Chinook.
24.00 ft: Possible flooding of homes and streets in harlem and chinook.Notes: In April 2018, the Chinook water plant was surrounded by water. The water was stopped on the south/west side of the city of Chinook by the roads. Harlem was near 24 feet at the time. Fort Belknap had flooding eventually. Roads/homes were impacted. Harlem had all the flooding from 30 Mile Creek.
23.00 ft: Escape routes for livestock may be cut off.
22.50 ft: Flooding of approximately 4,000 acres of irrigation land.
22.00 ft: Flooding of culverts and some county bridges. 2,000 acres of irrigated land flooded.
21.00 ft: At 21 Feet...the Milk River near Harlem is bankfull. Some minor problems can occur near/along the river from Chinook to east of Harlem. Impacts start to go up quickly as the stage goes above 21 feet. (March 2017)Notes: In April 2018, river at Harlem was 24 feet, and the flooding came from 30 Mile Creek.
2.16 ft: Right now

Impact statements from the U.S. National Weather Service.

Highest crests on record

Chance of at least minor flooding in October to December: < 5 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	25.73 ft	September 29, 1986
2	25.61 ft	March 11, 1987
3	24.46 ft	April 22, 2018
4	24.08 ft	March 28, 1978
5	23.88 ft	March 18, 1996
6	23.85 ft	March 25, 1997
7	23.80 ft	April 12, 2023
8	23.50 ft	April 9, 1952
9	23.46 ft	June 11, 2011
10	22.82 ft	March 15, 1994

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

18 Sun 59° 38° – Wind 10 mph

19 Mon 64° 35° – Wind 12 mph

20 Tue 63° 47° – Wind 10 mph

21 Wed 66° 43° – Wind 13 mph

22 Thu 70° 51° – Wind 7 mph

23 Fri 60° 43° 0.40 in, 35% Wind 20 mph

24 Sat 46° 37° – Wind 18 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:42 AM Sunset 06:20 PM Daylight 10 hr, 38 min First quarter 62%

Map

Other gauges on the Milk River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Milk River at Eastern Crossing of Int BndryRiver gauge, Milk River	2.28 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	83 mi
Milk River at Havre MTRiver gauge, Milk River	0.28 ft	Below flood stage	+0.03 ft	43 mi
Milk River at Merrill Rd, near HarlemRiver gauge, Milk River	6.93 ft	No reference yet	+0.07 ft	5.0 mi
Milk River near Dodson MTRiver gauge, Milk River	4.20 ft	Below flood stage	−0.06 ft	22 mi
Milk River at Malta MTRiver gauge, Milk River	1.82 ft	Below flood stage	+0.04 ft	41 mi
Milk River at Juneberg Bridge near Saco MTRiver gauge, Milk River	3.02 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	71 mi
Milk River at Tampico MTRiver gauge, Milk River	2.57 ft	Below flood stage	−0.10 ft	90 mi
Milk River at Nashua MTRiver gauge, Milk River	1.93 ft	Below flood stage	±0	113 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Peoples Creek near ClevelandRiver gauge, Peoples Creek	3.78 ft	No reference yet	±0	16 mi
Peoples Creek near Hays MTRiver gauge, Peoples Creek	0.1 cfs	Low	±0	18 mi
Battle Creek near Chinook MTRiver gauge, Battle Creek	1.27 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	24 mi
Clear Creek near Chinook MTRiver gauge, Clear Creek	3.25 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	30 mi
Little Peoples Creek near HaysRiver gauge, Little Peoples Creek	1.8 cfs	Normal	+0.1 cfs	37 mi
Lyons Creek at International BoundaryRiver gauge, Lyons Creek	9.90 m	High	±0	67 km
Battle Creek at International BoundaryRiver gauge, Battle Creek	1.16 m	Normal	±0	75 km

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Milk River near Harlem MT?

The official flood stage is 21.00 ft. The level is currently 18.84 ft below it.

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 Milk River near Harlem MT today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 02:30 PM MDT, the water level was 2.16 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Milk River near Harlem MT rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Milk River near Harlem MT normal?

Below flood stage. Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Milk River near Harlem MT?

The highest level on record is 25.73 ft on September 29, 1986.

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.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:06154100 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 48.48964, -108.75895 (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	2.16 ft	2026-10-19 20:30	Provisional
Flow	80.5 cfs	2026-10-19 20:30	Provisional

Download

Embed this gauge

Add a live card for this gauge to your website. It updates on its own and links back here.

<iframe src="https://nivelmap.com/embed/6502?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Milk River near Harlem MT water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Milk River near Harlem MT (usgs:06154100). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/montana/milk-river-near-harlem-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