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Blackfoot River near Bonner

Highest listed crest 16.00 ftFlood stage 10.0 ft21 crests since 1956

The Blackfoot River near Bonner crested above flood stage 6 times among the 21 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1956 to 2025. The highest, 16.00 ft on February 9, 1996, was moderate flooding, 6.00 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
16.00 ft
February 9, 1996
Flood stage
10.0 ft
Major flooding from 17.0 ft
Crests at major
0
6 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
May 11, 2018
11.09 ft, minor flooding
Location
Missoula County
Near Missoula (12.9 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Blackfoot River near Bonner
Action stage9.51Jun 2, 1972The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)10.05May 11, 2018Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage16.01Feb 9, 1996Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage17.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

21 crests from 1956 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Blackfoot River near Bonner, 1956 to 2025 05101520ft Flood stage 10.0 ftMajor 17.0 ft May 22, 1956: 8.69 ft, below flood stage; 11,060 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 1959: 8.72 ft, below flood stage; 11,110 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1964: 10.89 ft, minor flooding; 19,200 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 1967: 8.78 ft, below flood stage; 11,290 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 1970: 8.42 ft, below flood stageMay 14, 1971: 8.78 ft, below flood stage; 11,290 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 1972: 9.98 ft, action stage; 6,500 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1974: 8.77 ft, below flood stage; 11,260 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 1975: 10.74 ft, minor flooding; 18,100 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1976: 9.48 ft, below flood stage; 13,140 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1981: 7.53 ft, below flood stage; 5,140 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1982: 7.53 ft, below flood stage; 4,870 cubic feet per secondFeb 9, 1996: 16.00 ft, moderate floodingJun 9, 1996: 8.42 ft, below flood stage; 10,100 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1997: 10.50 ft, minor flooding; 16,144 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 2011: 10.01 ft, minor flooding; 17,000 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 2018: 11.09 ft, minor flooding; 18,800 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2020: 8.52 ft, below flood stage; 11,800 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 2021: 7.54 ft, below flood stage; 9,430 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 2022: 6.47 ft, below flood stage; 6,760 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 2025: 5.17 ft, below flood stage; 4,070 cubic feet per second Highest, 16.00 ft, Feb 9, 1996 1960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Blackfoot River near Bonner 1950s: 0 1960s: 1 1970s: 1 1980s: 0 1990s: 2 2 2000s: 0 2010s: 2 2020s: 0 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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. 1 crest measured on an earlier gauge datum is left out: 11.65 ft on Jun 4, 1953.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Blackfoot River near Bonner
1Feb 9, 199616.00+6.00Moderate—
2May 11, 201811.09+1.09Minor18,800
3Jun 10, 196410.89+0.89Minor19,200
4Jun 20, 197510.74+0.74Minor18,100
5May 18, 199710.50+0.50Minor16,144
6Jun 9, 201110.01+0.01Minor17,000
7Jun 2, 19729.98−0.02Action6,500
8Jun 15, 19769.48−0.52Below flood stage13,140
9Jun 3, 19678.78−1.22Below flood stage11,290
10May 14, 19718.78−1.22Below flood stage11,290
11Jun 17, 19748.77−1.23Below flood stage11,260
12Jun 7, 19598.72−1.28Below flood stage11,110
13May 22, 19568.69−1.31Below flood stage11,060
14May 21, 20208.52−1.48Below flood stage11,800
15May 20, 19708.42−1.58Below flood stage—
16Jun 9, 19968.42−1.58Below flood stage10,100
17Jun 5, 20217.54−2.46Below flood stage9,430
18May 22, 19817.53−2.47Below flood stage5,140
19Jun 17, 19827.53−2.47Below flood stage4,870
20Jun 12, 20226.47−3.53Below flood stage6,760
21May 12, 20255.17−4.83Below flood stage4,070

Other gauges in Missoula County

Flood gauges in Missoula County
Missoula11.013.11 ft, May 19, 19970
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 BONM8, 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.