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Middle Fork Flathead River near West Glacier

Highest listed crest 36.46 ftFlood stage 10.0 ft33 crests since 1943

The Middle Fork Flathead River near West Glacier crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 33 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1943 to 2025. The highest, 36.46 ft on June 9, 1964, was major flooding, 26.46 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
36.46 ft
June 9, 1964; 140,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
10.0 ft
Major flooding from 18.0 ft
Crests at major
2
20th of 93 gauges in Montana
Most recent flood crest
May 14, 2013
10.74 ft, minor flooding
Location
Flathead County
Montana

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Middle Fork Flathead River near West Glacier
Action stage9.013Jun 21, 2022The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)10.015May 14, 2013Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage14.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage18.02Jun 20, 1975Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

33 crests from 1943 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Middle Fork Flathead River near West Glacier, 1943 to 2025 010203040ft Flood stage 10.0 ftMajor 18.0 ft Jun 18, 1943: 9.00 ft, action stage; 20,600 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1947: 9.80 ft, action stage; 23,600 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1948: 12.40 ft, minor flooding; 35,100 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 1950: 9.69 ft, action stage; 23,600 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1953: 10.14 ft, minor flooding; 24,800 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 1954: 13.01 ft, minor flooding; 37,500 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1956: 11.28 ft, minor flooding; 30,800 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 1957: 10.10 ft, minor flooding; 24,200 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 1959: 10.24 ft, minor flooding; 25,800 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1960: 9.10 ft, action stage; 21,500 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1961: 10.58 ft, minor flooding; 28,100 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1964: 36.46 ft, major flooding; 140,000 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1967: 10.80 ft, minor flooding; 28,900 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1970: 9.34 ft, action stage; 23,400 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1971: 9.49 ft, action stage; 23,900 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 1972: 10.99 ft, minor flooding; 29,600 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1974: 11.60 ft, minor flooding; 31,900 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 1975: 19.42 ft, major flooding; 63,600 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 1976: 9.15 ft, action stage; 22,600 cubic feet per secondNov 12, 1989: 12.07 ft, minor flooding; 33,800 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1991: 12.40 ft, minor flooding; 34,920 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1996: 9.42 ft, action stage; 23,300 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 1997: 11.96 ft, minor flooding; 33,000 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 2008: 11.23 ft, minor flooding; 30,700 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 2011: 9.79 ft, action stage; 25,200 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 2012: 9.12 ft, action stage; 22,600 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 2013: 10.74 ft, minor flooding; 28,800 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 2018: 9.15 ft, action stage; 22,800 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2020: 9.13 ft, action stage; 22,800 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 2021: 7.86 ft, below flood stage; 18,000 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 2022: 9.61 ft, action stage; 24,600 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 2025: 6.38 ft, below flood stage; 12,400 cubic feet per secondDec 12, 2025: 8.64 ft, below flood stage; 20,600 cubic feet per second Highest, 36.46 ft, Jun 9, 1964 1960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Middle Fork Flathead River near West Glacier 1940s: 1 1950s: 5 5 1960s: 3 1970s: 3 1980s: 1 1990s: 2 2000s: 1 2010s: 1 2020s: 0 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Middle Fork Flathead River near West Glacier
1Jun 9, 196436.46+26.46Major140,000
2Jun 20, 197519.42+9.42Major63,600
3May 20, 195413.01+3.01Minor37,500
4May 23, 194812.40+2.40Minor35,100
5May 19, 199112.40+2.40Minor34,920
6Nov 12, 198912.07+2.07Minor33,800
7May 17, 199711.96+1.96Minor33,000
8Jun 18, 197411.60+1.60Minor31,900
9May 22, 195611.28+1.28Minor30,800
10May 19, 200811.23+1.23Minor30,700
11Mar 2, 197210.99+0.99Minor29,600
12May 23, 196710.80+0.80Minor28,900
13May 14, 201310.74+0.74Minor28,800
14May 27, 196110.58+0.58Minor28,100
15Jun 6, 195910.24+0.24Minor25,800
16Jun 13, 195310.14+0.14Minor24,800
17May 5, 195710.10+0.10Minor24,200
18May 9, 19479.80−0.20Action23,600
19Jun 8, 20119.79−0.21Action25,200
20Jun 6, 19509.69−0.31Action23,600
21Jun 21, 20229.61−0.39Action24,600
22May 28, 19719.49−0.51Action23,900
23Jun 9, 19969.42−0.58Action23,300
24Jun 5, 19709.34−0.66Action23,400
25May 11, 19769.15−0.85Action22,600
26May 9, 20189.15−0.85Action22,800
27May 31, 20209.13−0.87Action22,800
28Apr 27, 20129.12−0.88Action22,600
29Jun 4, 19609.10−0.90Action21,500
30Jun 18, 19439.00−1.00Action20,600
31Dec 12, 20258.64−1.36Below flood stage20,600
32Jun 5, 20217.86−2.14Below flood stage18,000
33May 12, 20256.38−3.62Below flood stage12,400

Other gauges in Flathead County

Flood gauges in Flathead County
Columbia Falls13.025.58 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 WGCM8, 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.