Tongue River at Ashland water level

Name: Tongue River at Ashland 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, Tongue River, Montana, United States

Directions

Very low for mid-October

Water level

9.80ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 03:00 AM MDT (60 min ago)

Flow: 97.8 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

At 9.80 ft, the Tongue River at Ashland is far below normal for mid-October.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 9.75 ft and 9.81 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: 17.25 ftJune 14, 2023

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	17.25 ft	June 14, 2023
2	15.30 ft	June 13, 2024

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

19 Mon 74° 42° – Wind 13 mph

20 Tue 73° 44° – Wind 13 mph

21 Wed 73° 46° – Wind 11 mph

22 Thu 79° 54° – Wind 11 mph

23 Fri 66° 47° 0.02 in, 59% Wind 26 mph

24 Sat 51° 41° – Wind 24 mph

25 Sun 67° 37° – Wind 9 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:29 AM Sunset 06:12 PM Daylight 10 hr, 44 min First quarter 67%

Map

Other gauges on the Tongue River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Tongue River at State Line near Decker MTRiver gauge, Tongue River	118 cfs	Very low	+3.0 cfs	49 mi
Tongue River at Tongue R Dam near Decker MTRiver gauge, Tongue River	98.3 cfs	Very low	±0	40 mi
Tongue River at Miles CityRiver gauge, Tongue River	1.68 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	58 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Tongue R at Birney Day School Br near Birney MTRiver gauge, Tongue R	0.91 ft	Below flood stage	±0	16 mi
Tongue R below Brandenberg bridge near Ashland MTRiver gauge, Tongue R	131 cfs	Low	+3.0 cfs	17 mi
Rosebud C Bel Lame Deer C near Lame Deer MTRiver gauge, Rosebud C Bel Lame Deer C	15.5 cfs	Normal	−0.8 cfs	21 mi
Rosebud C at Reservation Bndry near Kirby MTRiver gauge, Rosebud C	4.5 cfs	Normal	+0.3 cfs	38 mi
Powder River at Moorhead MTRiver gauge, Powder River	53.8 cfs	Very low	+3.0 cfs	42 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 Tongue River at Ashland today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 03:00 AM MDT, the water level was 9.80 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Tongue River at Ashland rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Tongue River at Ashland 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 Tongue River at Ashland?

The highest level on record is 17.25 ft on June 14, 2023.

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:06307662 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 45.59775, -106.27494 (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	9.80 ft	2026-10-20 09:00	Provisional
Flow	97.8 cfs	2026-10-20 09:00	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Tongue River at Ashland (usgs:06307662). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/montana/tongue-river-at-ashland

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