Missouri River near Great Falls MT water level

Name: Missouri River near Great Falls 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

3.00ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 01:45 AM MDT (27 min ago)

Flow: 4,120 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

Low water at Missouri River near Great Falls MT: the gauge reads 3.00 ft, below normal for mid-October.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. The 30-day range is 2.93 ft – 3.05 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: 9.02 ftMay 24, 1981

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	9.02 ft	May 24, 1981
2	8.10 ft	June 11, 2011
3	7.98 ft	June 22, 2018
4	7.81 ft	June 17, 1980
5	7.78 ft	June 30, 1982
6	7.72 ft	June 24, 1984
7	7.23 ft	June 15, 1996
8	7.18 ft	July 11, 1983
9	7.06 ft	May 20, 1978
10	7.01 ft	February 26, 1986

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

17 Sat 77° 54° – Wind 27 mph

18 Sun 63° 43° – Wind 11 mph

19 Mon 72° 41° – Wind 9 mph

20 Tue 59° 47° – Wind 6 mph

21 Wed 67° 44° – Wind 6 mph

22 Thu 72° 52° – Wind 11 mph

23 Fri 57° 42° 0.14 in, 38% Wind 19 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:51 AM Sunset 06:28 PM Daylight 10 hr, 38 min First quarter 66%

Map

Other gauges on the Missouri River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Missouri River at Toston MTRiver gauge, Missouri River	4.04 ft	Below flood stage	−0.06 ft	101 mi
Missouri River below Hauser Dam near Helena MTRiver gauge, Missouri River	3,050 cfs	Low	+130 cfs	69 mi
Missouri River below Holter Dam near Wolf Cr MTRiver gauge, Missouri River	2,980 cfs	Very low	+30.0 cfs	60 mi
Missouri River at Cascade MTRiver gauge, Missouri River	3,430 cfs	Normal	+20.0 cfs	37 mi
Missouri River near Ulm MTRiver gauge, Missouri River	2.99 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	18 mi
Missouri River at Fort Benton MTRiver gauge, Missouri River	1.99 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	24 mi
Missouri River at Virgelle MTRiver gauge, Missouri River	2.99 ft	Below flood stage	+0.04 ft	47 mi
Missouri River near Landusky MTRiver gauge, Missouri River	13.34 ft	Below flood stage	−0.11 ft	111 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Sun River near Vaughn MTRiver gauge, Sun River	2.44 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	21 mi
Muddy Creek at Vaughn MTRiver gauge, Muddy Creek	3.26 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	22 mi
Belt Creek near Monarch MTRiver gauge, Belt Creek	2.20 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	27 mi
Smith River near Eden MTRiver gauge, Smith River	157 cfs	Normal	+29.0 cfs	31 mi
Marias River near Loma MTRiver gauge, Marias River	490 cfs	Normal	−7.0 cfs	33 mi
Sun River at Simms MTRiver gauge, Sun River	2.84 ft	Below flood stage	±0	41 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 near Great Falls MT today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 01:45 AM MDT, the water level was 3.00 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Missouri River near Great Falls MT rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Missouri River near Great Falls 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 near Great Falls MT?

The highest level on record is 9.02 ft on May 24, 1981.

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:06090300 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 47.58444, -111.06058 (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	3.00 ft	2026-10-20 07:45	Provisional
Flow	4,120 cfs	2026-10-20 07:45	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Missouri River near Great Falls MT (usgs:06090300). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/montana/missouri-river-near-great-falls-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