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Big Fork River at Big Falls

Highest listed crest 17.08 ftFlood stage 16.0 ft34 crests since 1937

The Big Fork River at Big Falls crested above flood stage 1 time among the 34 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1937 to 2024. The highest, 17.08 ft on May 8, 1950, was minor flooding, 1.08 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
17.08 ft
May 8, 1950; 14,800 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
16.0 ft
No major stage set
Crests at major
0
1 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
May 8, 1950
17.08 ft, minor flooding
Location
Koochiching County
Minnesota

Flood stages

The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.

Flood categories, Big Fork River at Big Falls
Flood stage (minor)16.01May 8, 1950Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage18.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream

Every listed crest

34 crests from 1937 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Big Fork River at Big Falls, 1937 to 2024 05101520ft Flood stage 16.0 ft Apr 26, 1937: 15.12 ft, below flood stage; 13,000 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1938: 14.05 ft, below flood stage; 11,200 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1950: 17.08 ft, minor flooding; 14,800 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 1951: 13.87 ft, below flood stage; 11,000 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1969: 15.79 ft, below flood stage; 13,300 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 1970: 13.13 ft, below flood stage; 10,100 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1979: 15.90 ft, below flood stage; 14,000 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 1982: 15.00 ft, below flood stage; 12,300 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1985: 13.12 ft, below flood stage; 10,100 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1997: 14.53 ft, below flood stage; 1,490 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1998: 7.26 ft, below flood stage; 3,430 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1999: 11.24 ft, below flood stageJun 25, 2000: 5.39 ft, below flood stage; 1,750 cubic feet per secondDec 22, 2000: 5.95 ft, below flood stageApr 6, 2005: 11.75 ft, below flood stage; 8,740 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 2006: 8.83 ft, below flood stage; 5,310 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 2007: 5.42 ft, below flood stage; 1,740 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 2008: 7.80 ft, below flood stage; 4,130 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 2009: 9.71 ft, below flood stage; 6,220 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 2010: 7.61 ft, below flood stage; 3,920 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 2011: 12.74 ft, below flood stage; 9,870 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 2012: 7.45 ft, below flood stage; 3,750 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 2013: 12.25 ft, below flood stage; 9,700 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 2014: 13.51 ft, below flood stage; 11,200 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 2015: 8.56 ft, below flood stage; 5,140 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 2016: 9.54 ft, below flood stage; 6,380 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 2017: 9.02 ft, below flood stage; 5,330 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 2018: 7.39 ft, below flood stage; 3,740 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 2019: 11.69 ft, below flood stage; 9,030 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 2020: 10.02 ft, below flood stage; 6,970 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 2021: 9.17 ft, below flood stage; 5,910 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 2022: 13.10 ft, below flood stage; 10,800 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 2023: 12.04 ft, below flood stage; 9,470 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2024: 8.12 ft, below flood stage; 4,620 cubic feet per second Highest, 17.08 ft, May 8, 1950 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Big Fork River at Big Falls 1930s: 0 1940s: 0 1950s: 1 1 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 2010s: 0 2020s: 0 1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  1. These are the crests the local National Weather Service office lists for the gauge: the highest on record and recent crests. Lesser floods between them may be missing, so counts by decade are a floor.
  2. Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Big Fork River at Big Falls
1May 8, 195017.08+1.08Minor14,800
2Apr 22, 197915.90−0.10Below flood stage14,000
3Apr 16, 196915.79−0.21Below flood stage13,300
4Apr 26, 193715.12−0.88Below flood stage13,000
5Apr 20, 198215.00−1.00Below flood stage12,300
6Apr 9, 199714.53−1.47Below flood stage1,490
7May 7, 193814.05−1.95Below flood stage11,200
8Apr 29, 195113.87−2.13Below flood stage11,000
9Jun 15, 201413.51−2.49Below flood stage11,200
10Apr 29, 197013.13−2.87Below flood stage10,100
11Apr 25, 198513.12−2.88Below flood stage10,100
12Apr 26, 202213.10−2.90Below flood stage10,800
13Apr 13, 201112.74−3.26Below flood stage9,870
14May 3, 201312.25−3.75Below flood stage9,700
15Apr 15, 202312.04−3.96Below flood stage9,470
16Apr 6, 200511.75−4.25Below flood stage8,740
17Apr 10, 201911.69−4.31Below flood stage9,030
18Apr 7, 199911.24−4.76Below flood stage—
19Apr 9, 202010.02−5.98Below flood stage6,970
20Apr 15, 20099.71−6.29Below flood stage6,220
21Jun 14, 20169.54−6.46Below flood stage6,380
22Apr 13, 20219.17−6.83Below flood stage5,910
23Apr 1, 20179.02−6.98Below flood stage5,330
24Apr 7, 20068.83−7.17Below flood stage5,310
25May 20, 20158.56−7.44Below flood stage5,140
26May 24, 20248.12−7.88Below flood stage4,620
27Apr 22, 20087.80−8.20Below flood stage4,130
28Sep 27, 20107.61−8.39Below flood stage3,920
29Apr 24, 20127.45−8.55Below flood stage3,750
30Apr 26, 20187.39−8.61Below flood stage3,740
31May 19, 19987.26−8.74Below flood stage3,430
32Dec 22, 20005.95−10.05Below flood stage—
33Jun 8, 20075.42−10.58Below flood stage1,740
34Jun 25, 20005.39−10.61Below flood stage1,750

Other gauges in Koochiching County

Flood gauges in Koochiching County
Littlefork22.037.00 ft, Apr 18, 191617

Koochiching County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Minnesota

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BIFM5, retrieved October 30, 2026. Stages in feet on the gauge's own datum, not elevation. Crests are as the National Weather Service lists them; preliminary values may be revised.