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Big Sandy Creek (MT) near Havre

Highest listed crest 15.15 ftFlood stage 8.5 ft54 crests since 1947

The Big Sandy Creek (MT) near Havre crested at major flood stage 4 times among the 54 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1947 to 2023. The highest, 15.15 ft on March 30, 1978, was major flooding, 6.65 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
15.15 ft
March 30, 1978; 6,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
8.5 ft
Major flooding from 12.0 ft
Crests at major
4
11th of 93 gauges in Montana
Most recent flood crest
April 13, 2023
12.07 ft, major flooding
Location
Hill County
Montana

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Big Sandy Creek (MT) near Havre
Action stage7.52Mar 9, 1966The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)8.53Jun 8, 2011Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage10.04Jun 6, 2013Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage12.04Apr 13, 2023Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

54 crests from 1947 to 2023. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Big Sandy Creek (MT) near Havre, 1947 to 2023 05101520ft Flood stage 8.5 ftMajor 12.0 ft Mar 21, 1947: 9.68 ft, minor flooding; 2,080 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1950: 3.88 ft, below flood stage; 208 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1951: 5.01 ft, below flood stage; 391 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1952: 14.70 ft, major flooding; 5,570 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 1953: 6.56 ft, below flood stage; 714 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 1955: 6.48 ft, below flood stage; 698 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1956: 6.47 ft, below flood stage; 550 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 1957: 5.13 ft, below flood stage; 250 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1959: 7.80 ft, action stage; 1,100 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1960: 4.10 ft, below flood stage; 215 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 1961: 3.64 ft, below flood stage; 132 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 1962: 2.54 ft, below flood stage; 6 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 1963: 2.16 ft, below flood stage; 1 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1964: 6.62 ft, below flood stage; 700 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 1965: 11.31 ft, moderate flooding; 2,950 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 1966: 8.07 ft, action stage; 1,200 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1967: 6.08 ft, below flood stage; 630 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 1969: 10.65 ft, moderate flooding; 2,600 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 1969: 10.65 ft, moderate flooding; 2,600 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1978: 15.15 ft, major flooding; 6,000 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1984: 1.69 ft, below flood stage; 12 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 1985: 2.67 ft, below flood stage; 16 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1986: 5.82 ft, below flood stage; 302 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1987: 3.05 ft, below flood stage; 52 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1988: 2.42 ft, below flood stage; 7 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 1989: 2.89 ft, below flood stage; 42 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1990: 4.74 ft, below flood stage; 163 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1991: 3.85 ft, below flood stage; 87 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 1991: 4.27 ft, below flood stageJul 3, 1992: 5.13 ft, below flood stage; 200 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 1993: 6.85 ft, below flood stage; 430 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 1994: 4.39 ft, below flood stage; 171 cubic feet per secondJul 15, 1995: 4.13 ft, below flood stage; 119 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 1996: 5.24 ft, below flood stage; 257 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1997: 3.22 ft, below flood stage; 67 cubic feet per secondJul 5, 1998: 6.82 ft, below flood stage; 479 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1999: 4.73 ft, below flood stage; 146 cubic feet per secondJul 21, 2000: 3.15 ft, below flood stage; 42 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 2001: 6.28 ft, below flood stage; 249 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 2002: 3.79 ft, below flood stage; 155 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 2003: 4.73 ft, below flood stage; 140 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 2004: 7.09 ft, below flood stage; 498 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 2005: 5.06 ft, below flood stage; 160 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 2006: 2.59 ft, below flood stage; 18 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 2006: 2.61 ft, below flood stageJul 6, 2007: 4.27 ft, below flood stage; 161 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 2008: 3.75 ft, below flood stage; 149 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 2009: 3.97 ft, below flood stage; 77 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 2010: 9.59 ft, minor flooding; 1,530 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 2011: 9.42 ft, minor flooding; 1,210 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 2012: 4.01 ft, below flood stage; 155 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2013: 11.90 ft, moderate floodingApr 19, 2018: 14.63 ft, major flooding; 6,227 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 2023: 12.07 ft, major flooding; 2,496 cubic feet per second Highest, 15.15 ft, Mar 30, 1978 19501960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Big Sandy Creek (MT) near Havre 1940s: 1 1950s: 1 1960s: 3 1970s: 1 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 2010s: 4 4 2020s: 1 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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

The 50 highest of 54 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Big Sandy Creek (MT) near Havre
1Mar 30, 197815.15+6.65Major6,000
2Apr 3, 195214.70+6.20Major5,570
3Apr 19, 201814.63+6.13Major6,227
4Apr 13, 202312.07+3.57Major2,496
5Jun 6, 201311.90+3.40Moderate—
6Apr 12, 196511.31+2.81Moderate2,950
7Jan 1, 196910.65+2.15Moderate2,600
8May 1, 196910.65+2.15Moderate2,600
9Mar 21, 19479.68+1.18Minor2,080
10Jun 23, 20109.59+1.09Minor1,530
11Jun 8, 20119.42+0.92Minor1,210
12Mar 9, 19668.07−0.43Action1,200
13Mar 11, 19597.80−0.70Action1,100
14Mar 10, 20047.09−1.41Below flood stage498
15Jul 13, 19936.85−1.65Below flood stage430
16Jul 5, 19986.82−1.68Below flood stage479
17May 19, 19646.62−1.88Below flood stage700
18Jun 6, 19536.56−1.94Below flood stage714
19Apr 11, 19556.48−2.02Below flood stage698
20Mar 30, 19566.47−2.03Below flood stage550
21Jul 13, 20016.28−2.22Below flood stage249
22Jun 13, 19676.08−2.42Below flood stage630
23May 28, 19865.82−2.68Below flood stage302
24Apr 14, 19965.24−3.26Below flood stage257
25Feb 28, 19575.13−3.37Below flood stage250
26Jul 3, 19925.13−3.37Below flood stage200
27Jun 20, 20055.06−3.44Below flood stage160
28Mar 23, 19515.01−3.49Below flood stage391
29May 28, 19904.74−3.76Below flood stage163
30Jun 5, 19994.73−3.77Below flood stage146
31Mar 16, 20034.73−3.77Below flood stage140
32Apr 28, 19944.39−4.11Below flood stage171
33Jun 7, 19914.27−4.23Below flood stage—
34Jul 6, 20074.27−4.23Below flood stage161
35Jul 15, 19954.13−4.37Below flood stage119
36Mar 25, 19604.10−4.40Below flood stage215
37May 14, 20124.01−4.49Below flood stage155
38Apr 1, 20093.97−4.53Below flood stage77
39Mar 29, 19503.88−4.62Below flood stage208
40May 23, 19913.85−4.65Below flood stage87
41Jun 12, 20023.79−4.71Below flood stage155
42Jun 20, 20083.75−4.75Below flood stage149
43Jun 3, 19613.64−4.86Below flood stage132
44May 30, 19973.22−5.28Below flood stage67
45Jul 21, 20003.15−5.35Below flood stage42
46Mar 31, 19873.05−5.45Below flood stage52
47Jun 28, 19892.89−5.61Below flood stage42
48May 1, 19852.67−5.83Below flood stage16
49Jun 12, 20062.61−5.89Below flood stage—
50Apr 1, 20062.59−5.91Below flood stage18

Other gauges in Hill County

Flood gauges in Hill County
McRae Creek at International Boundary7.016.36 ft, Sep 25, 19863
Eastern Crossing nr Rudyard9.513.65 ft, Mar 28, 19521
Havre10.015.30 ft, Mar 31, 19780

Hill County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Montana

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BSMM8, 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.