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Flathead River at Columbia Falls

Highest listed crest 25.58 ftFlood stage 13.0 ft46 crests since 1894

The Flathead River at Columbia Falls crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 46 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1894 to 2026. The highest, 25.58 ft on June 9, 1964, was major flooding, 12.58 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
25.58 ft
June 9, 1964; 176,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
13.0 ft
Major flooding from 22.0 ft
Crests at major
2
20th of 93 gauges in Montana
Most recent flood crest
May 29, 2026
13.81 ft, minor flooding
Location
Flathead County
Near Kalispell (12.0 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Flathead River at Columbia Falls
Action stage12.51Jun 5, 2021The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)13.040May 29, 2026Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage18.01May 23, 1948Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage22.02Jun 9, 1964Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

46 crests from 1894 to 2026. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Flathead River at Columbia Falls, 1894 to 2026 1015202530ft Flood stage 13.0 ftMajor 22.0 ft Jun 1, 1894: 22.70 ft, major flooding; 142,000 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 1929: 14.44 ft, minor flooding; 69,700 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 1931: 13.60 ft, minor flooding; 62,300 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1932: 16.46 ft, minor flooding; 89,800 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1933: 17.63 ft, minor flooding; 91,200 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1934: 13.92 ft, minor flooding; 60,200 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 1935: 15.28 ft, minor flooding; 71,000 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 1936: 15.40 ft, minor flooding; 71,800 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1938: 15.25 ft, minor flooding; 70,400 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 1939: 14.63 ft, minor flooding; 65,600 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1942: 13.94 ft, minor flooding; 56,300 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1943: 14.80 ft, minor flooding; 62,800 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 1946: 15.63 ft, minor flooding; 64,200 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1947: 17.27 ft, minor flooding; 83,700 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1948: 19.08 ft, moderate flooding; 96,000 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 1949: 14.84 ft, minor flooding; 65,200 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1950: 16.16 ft, minor flooding; 69,200 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 1951: 15.57 ft, minor flooding; 69,000 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 1954: 15.57 ft, minor flooding; 69,600 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 1956: 15.34 ft, minor flooding; 66,200 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1959: 14.20 ft, minor flooding; 58,000 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1961: 14.28 ft, minor flooding; 58,300 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1964: 25.58 ft, major flooding; 176,000 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1967: 14.25 ft, minor flooding; 59,400 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 1972: 14.47 ft, minor flooding; 59,400 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1974: 15.24 ft, minor flooding; 61,300 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 1975: 16.85 ft, minor flooding; 74,800 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 1989: 13.32 ft, minor floodingMay 19, 1991: 14.90 ft, minor flooding; 58,600 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1995: 15.77 ft, minor flooding; 65,580 cubic feet per secondDec 1, 1995: 11.83 ft, below flood stage; 37,400 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1996: 13.89 ft, minor flooding; 51,050 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1997: 15.36 ft, minor flooding; 62,537 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 2006: 13.41 ft, minor flooding; 47,000 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 2008: 14.25 ft, minor flooding; 53,500 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 2011: 13.74 ft, minor flooding; 49,200 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2012: 14.18 ft, minor flooding; 53,100 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 2013: 14.43 ft, minor flooding; 54,300 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2014: 13.88 ft, minor flooding; 50,400 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 2017: 13.43 ft, minor flooding; 47,000 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 2018: 13.88 ft, minor flooding; 50,200 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 2020: 13.87 ft, minor flooding; 50,200 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 2021: 12.90 ft, action stage; 43,600 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 2022: 14.86 ft, minor flooding; 53,400 cubic feet per secondDec 12, 2025: 11.10 ft, below flood stage; 31,100 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 2026: 13.81 ft, minor flooding; 46,600 cubic feet per second Highest, 25.58 ft, Jun 9, 1964 1900192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Flathead River at Columbia Falls 1890s: 1 1900s: 0 1910s: 0 1920s: 1 1930s: 8 8 1940s: 6 1950s: 5 1960s: 3 1970s: 3 1980s: 1 1990s: 4 2000s: 2 2010s: 6 2020s: 3 1890s1900s1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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. 3 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 15.70 ft on Jun 5, 1922; 17.30 ft on Jun 1, 1923; 18.71 ft on May 27, 1928.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Flathead River at Columbia Falls
1Jun 9, 196425.58+12.58Major176,000
2Jun 1, 189422.70+9.70Major142,000
3May 23, 194819.08+6.08Moderate96,000
4Jun 16, 193317.63+4.63Minor91,200
5May 9, 194717.27+4.27Minor83,700
6Jun 20, 197516.85+3.85Minor74,800
7May 22, 193216.46+3.46Minor89,800
8Jun 22, 195016.16+3.16Minor69,200
9Jun 8, 199515.77+2.77Minor65,580
10May 29, 194615.63+2.63Minor64,200
11May 12, 195115.57+2.57Minor69,000
12May 20, 195415.57+2.57Minor69,600
13May 15, 193615.40+2.40Minor71,800
14May 18, 199715.36+2.36Minor62,537
15May 21, 195615.34+2.34Minor66,200
16May 24, 193515.28+2.28Minor71,000
17May 27, 193815.25+2.25Minor70,400
18Jun 18, 197415.24+2.24Minor61,300
19May 19, 199114.90+1.90Minor58,600
20Jun 15, 202214.86+1.86Minor53,400
21May 15, 194914.84+1.84Minor65,200
22Jun 18, 194314.80+1.80Minor62,800
23Apr 30, 193914.63+1.63Minor65,600
24Jun 2, 197214.47+1.47Minor59,400
25May 24, 192914.44+1.44Minor69,700
26May 14, 201314.43+1.43Minor54,300
27May 27, 196114.28+1.28Minor58,300
28May 23, 196714.25+1.25Minor59,400
29May 19, 200814.25+1.25Minor53,500
30Jun 21, 195914.20+1.20Minor58,000
31Jun 27, 201214.18+1.18Minor53,100
32May 27, 194213.94+0.94Minor56,300
33Apr 25, 193413.92+0.92Minor60,200
34Jun 9, 199613.89+0.89Minor51,050
35May 24, 201413.88+0.88Minor50,400
36May 9, 201813.88+0.88Minor50,200
37Jun 1, 202013.87+0.87Minor50,200
38May 29, 202613.81+0.81Minor46,600
39Jun 8, 201113.74+0.74Minor49,200
40May 16, 193113.60+0.60Minor62,300
41Jun 1, 201713.43+0.43Minor47,000
42Jun 16, 200613.41+0.41Minor47,000
43Jun 12, 198913.32+0.32Minor—
44Jun 5, 202112.90−0.10Action43,600
45Dec 1, 199511.83−1.17Below flood stage37,400
46Dec 12, 202511.10−1.90Below flood stage31,100

The worst floods along the Flathead River

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

June 1, 1894: 22.70 ft here, major flooding

  • PolsonMT · Jun 1, 1894 · 21.00 ft · Minor · its highest

Gauges on the Flathead River

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

Flood gauges on the Flathead River
Columbia Falls this gaugeMT13.025.58 ft, Jun 9, 19642
PolsonMT18.021.00 ft, Jun 1, 18940

Other gauges in Flathead County

Flood gauges in Flathead County
West Glacier10.036.46 ft, Jun 9, 19642
Canadian Border10.510.62 ft, Jun 17, 19740
Columbia Falls13.018.60 ft, Jun 9, 19640
Lawrence Park at Kalispell7.58.39 ft, May 19, 20110

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CFMM8, 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.