Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Clark Fork River near Plains

Highest listed crest 19.17 ftFlood stage 16.0 ft30 crests since 1913

The Clark Fork River near Plains crested above flood stage 21 times among the 30 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1913 to 2025. The highest, 19.17 ft on June 5, 1948, was moderate flooding, 3.17 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
19.17 ft
June 5, 1948; 134,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
16.0 ft
Major flooding from 19.5 ft
Crests at major
0
21 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
May 27, 2018
16.55 ft, minor flooding
Location
Sanders County
Montana

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 near Plains
Action stage15.03May 26, 1951The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)16.018May 27, 2018Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage18.03Jun 5, 1948Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage19.50—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

30 crests from 1913 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Clark Fork River near Plains, 1913 to 2025 8101214161820ft Flood stage 16.0 ftMajor 19.5 ft Jun 5, 1913: 17.94 ft, minor flooding; 115,000 cubic feet per secondJul 2, 1916: 17.90 ft, minor flooding; 115,000 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 1917: 17.00 ft, minor flooding; 106,000 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1918: 16.45 ft, minor flooding; 100,000 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1921: 16.00 ft, minor flooding; 100,000 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1922: 17.25 ft, minor flooding; 114,000 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1923: 15.50 ft, action stage; 96,500 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1925: 16.55 ft, minor flooding; 106,000 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1927: 17.60 ft, minor flooding; 117,000 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1928: 18.41 ft, moderate flooding; 126,000 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1933: 18.00 ft, moderate flooding; 120,000 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 1947: 16.41 ft, minor flooding; 104,000 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1948: 19.17 ft, moderate flooding; 134,000 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1949: 15.60 ft, action stage; 96,100 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 1950: 16.81 ft, minor flooding; 110,000 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 1951: 15.60 ft, action stage; 96,100 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 1956: 16.05 ft, minor flooding; 106,000 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1964: 17.48 ft, minor flooding; 128,000 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1972: 17.13 ft, minor flooding; 115,000 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 1974: 16.95 ft, minor flooding; 113,000 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1975: 16.35 ft, minor flooding; 107,000 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1997: 17.12 ft, minor flooding; 110,000 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2002: 14.62 ft, below flood stage; 86,200 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 2011: 16.53 ft, minor flooding; 104,000 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 2014: 14.52 ft, below flood stage; 82,800 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 2018: 16.55 ft, minor flooding; 103,000 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 2020: 14.15 ft, below flood stage; 79,100 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2021: 12.00 ft, below flood stage; 58,700 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 2022: 14.91 ft, below flood stage; 85,000 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 2025: 9.08 ft, below flood stage; 35,900 cubic feet per second Highest, 19.17 ft, Jun 5, 1948 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Clark Fork River near Plains 1910s: 4 1920s: 5 5 1930s: 1 1940s: 2 1950s: 2 1960s: 1 1970s: 3 1980s: 0 1990s: 1 2000s: 0 2010s: 2 2020s: 0 1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 near Plains
1Jun 5, 194819.17+3.17Moderate134,000
2May 28, 192818.41+2.41Moderate126,000
3Jun 17, 193318.00+2.00Moderate120,000
4Jun 5, 191317.94+1.94Minor115,000
5Jul 2, 191617.90+1.90Minor115,000
6Jun 14, 192717.60+1.60Minor117,000
7Jun 11, 196417.48+1.48Minor128,000
8Jun 9, 192217.25+1.25Minor114,000
9Jun 10, 197217.13+1.13Minor115,000
10May 19, 199717.12+1.12Minor110,000
11Jun 20, 191717.00+1.00Minor106,000
12Jun 20, 197416.95+0.95Minor113,000
13Jun 23, 195016.81+0.81Minor110,000
14May 22, 192516.55+0.55Minor106,000
15May 27, 201816.55+0.55Minor103,000
16Jun 10, 201116.53+0.53Minor104,000
17Jun 16, 191816.45+0.45Minor100,000
18May 11, 194716.41+0.41Minor104,000
19Jun 22, 197516.35+0.35Minor107,000
20May 26, 195616.05+0.05Minor106,000
21May 28, 192116.000.00Minor100,000
22May 18, 194915.60−0.40Action96,100
23May 26, 195115.60−0.40Action96,100
24Jun 14, 192315.50−0.50Action96,500
25Jun 13, 202214.91−1.09Below flood stage85,000
26Jun 4, 200214.62−1.38Below flood stage86,200
27May 29, 201414.52−1.48Below flood stage82,800
28Jun 2, 202014.15−1.85Below flood stage79,100
29Jun 6, 202112.00−4.00Below flood stage58,700
30May 13, 20259.08−6.92Below flood stage35,900

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.

June 5, 1913: 17.94 ft here, minor flooding

  • St. RegisMT · May 30, 1913 · 19.20 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
MissoulaMT11.012.14 ft, May 11, 20180
St. RegisMT19.020.27 ft, May 18, 19970
Plains this gaugeMT16.019.17 ft, Jun 5, 19480

Other gauges in Sanders County

Flood gauges in Sanders County
Thompson Falls7.59.86 ft, Jan 16, 19742
Thompson Falls7.08.53 ft, Jun 9, 19640

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge PLNM8, 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.