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Missouri River near Culbertson

Highest listed crest 19.66 ftFlood stage 19.0 ft14 crests since 1943

The Missouri River near Culbertson crested above flood stage 2 times among the 14 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1943 to 2019. The highest, 19.66 ft on April 14, 1979, was minor flooding, 0.66 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
19.66 ft
April 14, 1979; 52,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
19.0 ft
Major flooding from 25.0 ft
Crests at major
0
2 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
April 14, 1979
19.66 ft, minor flooding
Location
Richland County
Montana

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Missouri River near Culbertson
Action stage17.04Jun 16, 2011The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)19.02Apr 14, 1979Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage21.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage25.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

14 crests from 1943 to 2019. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Missouri River near Culbertson, 1943 to 2019 10152025ft Flood stage 19.0 ftMajor 25.0 ft Mar 26, 1943: 15.12 ft, below flood stage; 78,200 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1947: 14.83 ft, below flood stageMar 28, 1951: 15.10 ft, below flood stageMar 23, 1960: 19.14 ft, minor flooding; 55,000 cubic feet per secondDec 1, 1967: 17.55 ft, action stageMar 18, 1972: 18.30 ft, action stageMar 22, 1976: 16.98 ft, below flood stageMar 30, 1978: 14.98 ft, below flood stageApr 14, 1979: 19.66 ft, minor flooding; 52,000 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1982: 14.99 ft, below flood stageMar 31, 1997: 17.52 ft, action stageJun 16, 2011: 17.50 ft, action stage; 104,000 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 2017: 12.06 ft, below flood stageMar 30, 2019: 15.26 ft, below flood stage Highest, 19.66 ft, Apr 14, 1979 19501960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Missouri River near Culbertson 1940s: 0 1950s: 0 1960s: 1 1 1970s: 1 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 2010s: 0 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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, Missouri River near Culbertson
1Apr 14, 197919.66+0.66Minor52,000
2Mar 23, 196019.14+0.14Minor55,000
3Mar 18, 197218.30−0.70Action—
4Dec 1, 196717.55−1.45Action—
5Mar 31, 199717.52−1.48Action—
6Jun 16, 201117.50−1.50Action104,000
7Mar 22, 197616.98−2.02Below flood stage—
8Mar 30, 201915.26−3.74Below flood stage—
9Mar 26, 194315.12−3.88Below flood stage78,200
10Mar 28, 195115.10−3.90Below flood stage—
11Apr 1, 198214.99−4.01Below flood stage—
12Mar 30, 197814.98−4.02Below flood stage—
13Mar 28, 194714.83−4.17Below flood stage—
14Mar 21, 201712.06−6.94Below flood stage—

The worst floods along the Missouri River

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

March 23, 1960: 19.14 ft here, minor flooding

  • Wolf PointMT · Mar 27, 1960 · 25.64 ft · Minor · its highest

Gauges on the Missouri River

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

Flood gauges on the Missouri River
Wolf PointMT23.025.64 ft, Mar 27, 19600
Culbertson this gaugeMT19.019.66 ft, Apr 14, 19790
WillistonND22.030.38 ft, Jun 21, 20116

Other gauges in Richland County

Flood gauges in Richland County
Sidney19.024.03 ft, Mar 6, 19943

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CLBM8, 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.