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Jefferson River near Twin Bridges

Highest listed crest 12.42 ftFlood stage 10.0 ft32 crests since 1958

The Jefferson River near Twin Bridges crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 32 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1958 to 2019. The highest, 12.42 ft on June 9, 1997, was major flooding, 2.42 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Jefferson River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
12.42 ft
June 9, 1997; 15,200 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
10.0 ft
Major flooding from 12.0 ft
Crests at major
2
20th of 93 gauges in Montana
Most recent flood crest
February 11, 2019
10.50 ft, minor flooding
Location
Madison County
Montana

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Jefferson River near Twin Bridges
Action stage9.07Jun 11, 2011The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)10.04Feb 11, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage11.01Dec 14, 2000Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage12.02Jun 9, 1997Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

32 crests from 1958 to 2019. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Jefferson River near Twin Bridges, 1958 to 2019 468101214ft Flood stage 10.0 ftMajor 12.0 ft May 27, 1958: 7.04 ft, below flood stage; 8,140 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1959: 6.94 ft, below flood stage; 8,040 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1961: 5.89 ft, below flood stage; 5,460 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1962: 6.42 ft, below flood stage; 6,820 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 1963: 7.28 ft, below flood stageApr 5, 1966: 4.53 ft, below flood stage; 3,290 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 1968: 6.71 ft, below flood stage; 8,190 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 1994: 7.50 ft, below flood stage; 3,400 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1996: 12.00 ft, major flooding; 13,100 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1997: 12.42 ft, major flooding; 15,200 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 1998: 9.66 ft, action stage; 8,300 cubic feet per secondJan 7, 1999: 10.35 ft, minor floodingMay 31, 1999: 10.08 ft, minor flooding; 9,220 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 2000: 6.33 ft, below flood stage; 2,950 cubic feet per secondDec 14, 2000: 11.25 ft, moderate floodingJun 16, 2001: 6.39 ft, below flood stage; 3,030 cubic feet per secondJan 2, 2002: 8.52 ft, below flood stageJun 3, 2002: 8.37 ft, below flood stage; 6,050 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 2003: 10.31 ft, minor flooding; 10,800 cubic feet per secondJan 3, 2004: 8.79 ft, below flood stageJun 11, 2004: 5.83 ft, below flood stage; 2,580 cubic feet per secondJan 2, 2005: 8.78 ft, below flood stageMay 22, 2005: 6.96 ft, below flood stage; 4,100 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 2006: 9.44 ft, action stage; 8,500 cubic feet per secondJan 15, 2007: 9.34 ft, action stageJun 9, 2007: 7.47 ft, below flood stage; 4,610 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 2008: 9.58 ft, action stage; 8,320 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 2009: 9.58 ft, action stage; 9,000 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 2010: 9.33 ft, action stage; 11,500 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 2011: 9.89 ft, action stage; 13,400 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 2012: 7.34 ft, below flood stage; 7,530 cubic feet per secondFeb 11, 2019: 10.50 ft, minor flooding; 15,026 cubic feet per second Highest, 12.42 ft, Jun 9, 1997 1960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Jefferson River near Twin Bridges 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 4 4 2000s: 2 2010s: 1 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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. 8 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 9.04 ft on Jun 10, 1964; 8.13 ft on Jun 18, 1965; 7.55 ft on Jun 8, 1967; 7.20 ft on Jan 4, 1968; 7.51 ft on May 22, 1969; 7.69 ft on Jun 10, 1970; and more.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Jefferson River near Twin Bridges
1Jun 9, 199712.42+2.42Major15,200
2Jun 11, 199612.00+2.00Major13,100
3Dec 14, 200011.25+1.25Moderate—
4Feb 11, 201910.50+0.50Minor15,026
5Jan 7, 199910.35+0.35Minor—
6Jun 1, 200310.31+0.31Minor10,800
7May 31, 199910.08+0.08Minor9,220
8Jun 11, 20119.89−0.11Action13,400
9Jun 27, 19989.66−0.34Action8,300
10May 22, 20089.58−0.42Action8,320
11Jun 2, 20099.58−0.42Action9,000
12Jun 11, 20069.44−0.56Action8,500
13Jan 15, 20079.34−0.66Action—
14Jun 19, 20109.33−0.67Action11,500
15Jan 3, 20048.79−1.21Below flood stage—
16Jan 2, 20058.78−1.22Below flood stage—
17Jan 2, 20028.52−1.48Below flood stage—
18Jun 3, 20028.37−1.63Below flood stage6,050
19Apr 24, 19947.50−2.50Below flood stage3,400
20Jun 9, 20077.47−2.53Below flood stage4,610
21Apr 28, 20127.34−2.66Below flood stage7,530
22Feb 4, 19637.28−2.72Below flood stage—
23May 27, 19587.04−2.96Below flood stage8,140
24May 22, 20056.96−3.04Below flood stage4,100
25Jun 10, 19596.94−3.06Below flood stage8,040
26Jun 12, 19686.71−3.29Below flood stage8,190
27Jun 16, 19626.42−3.58Below flood stage6,820
28Jun 16, 20016.39−3.61Below flood stage3,030
29May 30, 20006.33−3.67Below flood stage2,950
30Jun 13, 19615.89−4.11Below flood stage5,460
31Jun 11, 20045.83−4.17Below flood stage2,580
32Apr 5, 19664.53−5.47Below flood stage3,290

The worst floods along the Jefferson River

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

June 9, 1997: 12.42 ft here, major flooding

June 11, 1996: 12.00 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Jefferson River

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

Flood gauges on the Jefferson River
Twin Bridges this gaugeMT10.012.42 ft, Jun 9, 19972
Three ForksMT8.09.88 ft, Jan 3, 19975

Other gauges in Madison County

Flood gauges in Madison County
Twin Bridges7.07.88 ft, Jun 25, 19840
Melrose6.08.09 ft, Jun 9, 19972

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge TWIM8, 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.