Missouri River below Hauser Dam near Helena MT water level

Name: Missouri River below Hauser Dam near Helena 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, Missouri River, Montana, United States

Directions

Low for mid-October

Water level

3.41ft Down 0.13 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 03:00 PM MDT (28 min ago)

Flow: 2,790 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

Low water at Missouri River below Hauser Dam near Helena MT: the gauge reads 3.41 ft, below normal for mid-October.

It is still going down, by 0.13 ft over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. The 30-day range is 3.41 ft – 3.57 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: 11.75 ftJune 10, 1942

Paddling and fishing conditions

At low levels, plan for shorter paddling trips and expect to walk your boat through a few shoals.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	11.75 ft	June 10, 1942
2	11.62 ft	June 18, 1997
3	11.09 ft	July 1, 2011
4	11.09 ft	July 3, 2011
5	10.76 ft	June 12, 1996
6	10.12 ft	July 3, 1998
7	9.82 ft	June 17, 2010
8	8.97 ft	June 19, 1995
9	8.62 ft	June 7, 2008
10	8.60 ft	June 4, 2008

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

17 Sat 74° 42° – Wind 13 mph

18 Sun 64° 42° – Wind 8 mph

19 Mon 67° 43° – Wind 8 mph

20 Tue 63° 44° – Wind 7 mph

21 Wed 68° 39° – Wind 7 mph

22 Thu 67° 42° 0.04 in Wind 9 mph

23 Fri 52° 35° 0.25 in, 49% Wind 12 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:53 AM Sunset 06:33 PM Daylight 10 hr, 40 min Waxing gibbous 71%

Map

Other gauges on the Missouri River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Missouri River at Toston MTRiver gauge, Missouri River	4.06 ft	Below flood stage	±0	48 mi
Missouri River below Holter Dam near Wolf Cr MTRiver gauge, Missouri River	2,920 cfs	Very low	−100.0 cfs	17 mi
Missouri River at Cascade MTRiver gauge, Missouri River	3,390 cfs	Normal	+70.0 cfs	36 mi
Missouri River near Ulm MTRiver gauge, Missouri River	3.00 ft	Below flood stage	+0.02 ft	52 mi
Missouri River near Great Falls MTRiver gauge, Missouri River	4,190 cfs	Low	+70.0 cfs	69 mi
Missouri River at Fort Benton MTRiver gauge, Missouri River	2.02 ft	Below flood stage	+0.04 ft	92 mi
Missouri River at Virgelle MTRiver gauge, Missouri River	2.98 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	115 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Helena Valley ReservoirReservoir	3,817.67 ft	Very high		9 mi
Canyon Ferry Lake Dam Powerplant and Helena Valley Pumping PlantReservoir	3,784.55 ft	Normal		11 mi
Tenmile Creek near Helena MTRiver gauge, Tenmile Creek	2.49 ft	Below flood stage	±0	15 mi
Prickly Pear Creek near Clancy MTRiver gauge, Prickly Pear Creek	22.8 cfs	Low	±0	17 mi
Little Prickly Pear Cr at Wolf Cr MTRiver gauge, Little Prickly Pear Cr	50.4 cfs	Normal	±0	19 mi
Tenmile Creek near Rimini MTRiver gauge, Tenmile Creek	3.6 cfs	Normal	±0	24 mi
Dearborn River near Craig MTRiver gauge, Dearborn River	3.45 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	31 mi
Smith River below Eagle Cr near Fort Logan MTRiver gauge, Smith River	180 cfs	High	−11.0 cfs	33 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 Missouri River below Hauser Dam near Helena MT today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 03:00 PM MDT, the water level was 3.41 ft. Down 0.13 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Missouri River below Hauser Dam near Helena MT rising or falling?

Down 0.13 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Missouri River below Hauser Dam near Helena MT 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 Missouri River below Hauser Dam near Helena MT?

The highest level on record is 11.75 ft on June 10, 1942.

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:06065500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 46.76619, -111.88879 (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	3.41 ft	2026-10-20 21:00	Provisional
Flow	2,790 cfs	2026-10-20 21:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Missouri River below Hauser Dam near Helena MT (usgs:06065500). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/montana/missouri-river-below-hauser-dam-near-helena-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