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Clark Fork River below Missoula

Highest listed crest 12.14 ftFlood stage 11.0 ft23 crests since 1933

The Clark Fork River below Missoula crested above flood stage 9 times among the 23 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1933 to 2025. The highest, 12.14 ft on May 11, 2018, was moderate flooding, 1.14 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Clark Fork River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
12.14 ft
May 11, 2018; 52,200 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
11.0 ft
Major flooding from 13.0 ft
Crests at major
0
9 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
May 11, 2018
12.14 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Missoula County
Near Missoula (4.7 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Clark Fork River below Missoula
Action stage10.53May 24, 1981The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)11.06Jun 9, 2011Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage12.03May 11, 2018Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage13.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

23 crests from 1933 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Clark Fork River below Missoula, 1933 to 2025 468101214ft Flood stage 11.0 ftMajor 13.0 ft Jun 11, 1933: 10.14 ft, below flood stage; 36,800 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1938: 10.00 ft, below flood stage; 35,700 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 1947: 11.18 ft, minor flooding; 45,900 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1948: 12.08 ft, moderate flooding; 52,800 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1950: 10.17 ft, below flood stage; 39,100 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1953: 10.10 ft, below flood stage; 40,100 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 1956: 10.75 ft, action stage; 44,600 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1964: 11.45 ft, minor flooding; 50,100 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1967: 10.09 ft, below flood stage; 39,900 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 1972: 11.71 ft, minor flooding; 52,200 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1974: 11.50 ft, minor flooding; 47,900 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1975: 11.67 ft, minor flooding; 49,200 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 1976: 10.96 ft, action stage; 43,600 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 1981: 10.61 ft, action stage; 42,900 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1982: 10.37 ft, below flood stage; 41,000 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1996: 10.11 ft, below flood stage; 38,200 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1997: 12.10 ft, moderate flooding; 53,033 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 2003: 10.24 ft, below flood stage; 38,700 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 2011: 11.33 ft, minor flooding; 46,900 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 2018: 12.14 ft, moderate flooding; 52,200 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2020: 10.34 ft, below flood stage; 38,900 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2021: 8.73 ft, below flood stage; 28,800 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 2025: 5.39 ft, below flood stage; 16,000 cubic feet per second Highest, 12.14 ft, May 11, 2018 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Clark Fork River below Missoula 1930s: 0 1940s: 2 1950s: 0 1960s: 1 1970s: 3 3 1980s: 0 1990s: 1 2000s: 0 2010s: 2 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, Clark Fork River below Missoula
1May 11, 201812.14+1.14Moderate52,200
2May 18, 199712.10+1.10Moderate53,033
3May 23, 194812.08+1.08Moderate52,800
4Jun 3, 197211.71+0.71Minor52,200
5Jun 21, 197511.67+0.67Minor49,200
6Jun 18, 197411.50+0.50Minor47,900
7Jun 10, 196411.45+0.45Minor50,100
8Jun 9, 201111.33+0.33Minor46,900
9May 16, 194711.18+0.18Minor45,900
10May 15, 197610.96−0.04Action43,600
11May 25, 195610.75−0.25Action44,600
12May 24, 198110.61−0.39Action42,900
13Jun 18, 198210.37−0.63Below flood stage41,000
14May 21, 202010.34−0.66Below flood stage38,900
15Jun 1, 200310.24−0.76Below flood stage38,700
16Jun 18, 195010.17−0.83Below flood stage39,100
17Jun 11, 193310.14−0.86Below flood stage36,800
18Jun 10, 199610.11−0.89Below flood stage38,200
19Jun 4, 195310.10−0.90Below flood stage40,100
20Jun 8, 196710.09−0.91Below flood stage39,900
21May 30, 193810.00−1.00Below flood stage35,700
22Jun 6, 20218.73−2.27Below flood stage28,800
23May 13, 20255.39−5.61Below flood stage16,000

The worst floods along the Clark Fork River

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

May 11, 2018: 12.14 ft here, moderate flooding

  • MissoulaMT · May 11, 2018 · 13.82 ft · Major

May 18, 1997: 12.10 ft here, moderate flooding

  • MissoulaMT · May 18, 1997 · 12.60 ft · Moderate
  • St. RegisMT · May 18, 1997 · 20.27 ft · Minor · its highest
  • PlainsMT · May 19, 1997 · 17.12 ft · Minor

May 23, 1948: 12.08 ft here, moderate flooding

  • MissoulaMT · May 23, 1948 · 13.07 ft · Major
  • St. RegisMT · May 24, 1948 · 19.96 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Clark Fork River

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

Flood gauges on the Clark Fork River
DrummondMT8.010.03 ft, Feb 9, 19960
MissoulaMT7.517.40 ft, Jun 1, 19086
Missoula this gaugeMT11.012.14 ft, May 11, 20180
St. RegisMT19.020.27 ft, May 18, 19970
PlainsMT16.019.17 ft, Jun 5, 19480

Other gauges in Missoula County

Flood gauges in Missoula County
Missoula11.013.11 ft, May 19, 19970
Bonner10.016.00 ft, Feb 9, 19960
Missoula7.517.40 ft, Jun 1, 19086

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BELM8, 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.