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Kootenai River below Libby Dam near Libby

Highest listed crest 28.50 ftFlood stage 27.5 ft9 crests since 1974

The Kootenai River below Libby Dam near Libby crested above flood stage 3 times among the 9 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1974 to 2024. The highest, 28.50 ft on June 18, 2006, was minor flooding, 1.00 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Kootenai River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
28.50 ft
June 18, 2006; 55,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
27.5 ft
No major stage set
Crests at major
0
3 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
July 3, 2012
27.61 ft, minor flooding
Location
Lincoln County
Montana

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Kootenai River below Libby Dam near Libby
Flood stage (minor)27.53Jul 3, 2012Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat

Every listed crest

9 crests from 1974 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Kootenai River below Libby Dam near Libby, 1974 to 2024 2224262830ft Flood stage 27.5 ft Aug 5, 1974: 27.50 ft, minor flooding; 47,200 cubic feet per secondNov 29, 1976: 26.46 ft, below flood stage; 40,100 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 1981: 26.49 ft, below flood stage; 41,500 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 2002: 26.28 ft, below flood stage; 40,400 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 2006: 28.50 ft, minor flooding; 55,000 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 2012: 27.61 ft, minor flooding; 48,900 cubic feet per secondDec 17, 2016: 24.15 ft, below flood stage; 27,200 cubic feet per secondDec 14, 2017: 24.15 ft, below flood stage; 25,800 cubic feet per secondDec 11, 2024: 23.85 ft, below flood stage; 25,500 cubic feet per second Highest, 28.50 ft, Jun 18, 2006 19801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Kootenai River below Libby Dam near Libby 1970s: 1 1 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 1 2010s: 1 2020s: 0 1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Kootenai River below Libby Dam near Libby
1Jun 18, 200628.50+1.00Minor55,000
2Jul 3, 201227.61+0.11Minor48,900
3Aug 5, 197427.500.00Minor47,200
4Jun 6, 198126.49−1.01Below flood stage41,500
5Nov 29, 197626.46−1.04Below flood stage40,100
6Jul 1, 200226.28−1.22Below flood stage40,400
7Dec 17, 201624.15−3.35Below flood stage27,200
8Dec 14, 201724.15−3.35Below flood stage25,800
9Dec 11, 202423.85−3.65Below flood stage25,500

The worst floods along the Kootenai River

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

June 18, 2006: 28.50 ft here, minor flooding

July 3, 2012: 27.61 ft here, minor flooding

Gauges on the Kootenai River

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

Flood gauges on the Kootenai River
Libby Dam near Libby this gaugeMT27.528.50 ft, Jun 18, 20060
Bonners FerryID64.080.13 ft, May 29, 19614

Other gauges in Lincoln County

Flood gauges in Lincoln County
Libby7.510.35 ft, Feb 9, 19961
Troy8.011.10 ft, May 27, 19481

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge KBDM8, 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.