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Bitterroot River near Missoula

Highest listed crest 13.11 ftFlood stage 11.0 ft22 crests since 1975

The Bitterroot River near Missoula crested above flood stage 16 times among the 22 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1975 to 2025. The highest, 13.11 ft on May 19, 1997, was moderate flooding, 2.11 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Bitterroot River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
13.11 ft
May 19, 1997; 28,440 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
11.0 ft
Major flooding from 15.0 ft
Crests at major
0
16 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
June 13, 2022
11.38 ft, minor flooding
Location
Missoula County
Near Missoula (3.2 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Bitterroot River near Missoula
Action stage10.04Jun 6, 2021The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)11.015Jun 13, 2022Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage13.01May 19, 1997Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage15.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

22 crests from 1975 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Bitterroot River near Missoula, 1975 to 2025 810121416ft Flood stage 11.0 ftMajor 15.0 ft Jun 20, 1975: 11.10 ft, minor flooding; 19,900 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 1976: 11.00 ft, minor flooding; 19,500 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1982: 11.00 ft, minor flooding; 23,400 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1990: 8.13 ft, below flood stage; 19,900 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1996: 11.83 ft, minor flooding; 20,300 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1997: 13.11 ft, moderate flooding; 28,440 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1999: 10.65 ft, action stage; 15,700 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 2002: 10.33 ft, action stage; 14,900 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 2003: 12.65 ft, minor flooding; 21,600 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2006: 11.24 ft, minor flooding; 17,500 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2008: 11.97 ft, minor flooding; 19,600 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2009: 11.38 ft, minor flooding; 17,900 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 2011: 11.37 ft, minor flooding; 18,600 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 2012: 11.09 ft, minor flooding; 17,600 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2014: 11.11 ft, minor flooding; 17,900 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 2017: 10.80 ft, action stage; 16,700 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 2018: 12.23 ft, minor flooding; 19,400 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 2019: 11.09 ft, minor flooding; 19,400 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 2020: 11.40 ft, minor flooding; 17,800 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2021: 10.49 ft, action stage; 15,100 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 2022: 11.38 ft, minor flooding; 17,700 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2025: 8.44 ft, below flood stage; 9,841 cubic feet per second Highest, 13.11 ft, May 19, 1997 19801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Bitterroot River near Missoula 1970s: 2 1980s: 1 1990s: 2 2000s: 4 2010s: 5 5 2020s: 2 1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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.
  3. 2 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 14.55 ft on Jun 20, 1899; 13.40 ft on Jun 18, 1974.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Bitterroot River near Missoula
1May 19, 199713.11+2.11Moderate28,440
2Jun 1, 200312.65+1.65Minor21,600
3May 11, 201812.23+1.23Minor19,400
4May 21, 200811.97+0.97Minor19,600
5Jun 10, 199611.83+0.83Minor20,300
6Jun 1, 202011.40+0.40Minor17,800
7Jun 7, 200911.38+0.38Minor17,900
8Jun 13, 202211.38+0.38Minor17,700
9Jun 9, 201111.37+0.37Minor18,600
10May 21, 200611.24+0.24Minor17,500
11May 25, 201411.11+0.11Minor17,900
12Jun 20, 197511.10+0.10Minor19,900
13Apr 28, 201211.09+0.09Minor17,600
14May 18, 201911.09+0.09Minor19,400
15May 15, 197611.000.00Minor19,500
16Jun 18, 198211.000.00Minor23,400
17Jun 14, 201710.80−0.20Action16,700
18Jun 4, 199910.65−0.35Action15,700
19Jun 6, 202110.49−0.51Action15,100
20Jun 1, 200210.33−0.67Action14,900
21May 31, 20258.44−2.56Below flood stage9,841
22May 31, 19908.13−2.87Below flood stage19,900

The worst floods along the Bitterroot River

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Bitterroot River that crested above flood stage within a week.

May 19, 1997: 13.11 ft here, moderate flooding

  • DarbyMT · May 17, 1997 · 8.55 ft · Minor · its highest

June 1, 2003: 12.65 ft here, minor flooding

  • DarbyMT · May 31, 2003 · 8.45 ft · Minor

May 11, 2018: 12.23 ft here, minor flooding

  • DarbyMT · May 10, 2018 · 7.88 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Bitterroot River

In USGS station-number order, which runs downstream within a river basin.

Flood gauges on the Bitterroot River
DarbyMT7.58.55 ft, May 17, 19970
Missoula this gaugeMT11.013.11 ft, May 19, 19970

Other gauges in Missoula County

Flood gauges in Missoula County
Bonner10.016.00 ft, Feb 9, 19960
Missoula7.517.40 ft, Jun 1, 19086
Missoula11.012.14 ft, May 11, 20180

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BITM8, 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.