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Musselshell River at Musselshell

Highest listed crest 13.23 ftFlood stage 11.0 ft65 crests since 1950

The Musselshell River at Musselshell crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 65 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1950 to 2024. The highest, 13.23 ft on May 27, 2011, was major flooding, 2.23 feet above flood stage. 4 other gauges on the Musselshell River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 3 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
13.23 ft
May 27, 2011; 16,200 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
11.0 ft
Major flooding from 12.0 ft
Crests at major
3
15th of 93 gauges in Montana
Most recent flood crest
March 11, 2014
12.23 ft, major flooding
Location
Musselshell County
Montana

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Musselshell River at Musselshell
Flood stage (minor)11.03Jun 16, 1997Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage11.51Jun 9, 1967Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage12.03Mar 11, 2014Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

65 crests from 1950 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Musselshell River at Musselshell, 1950 to 2024 2468101214ft Flood stage 11.0 ftMajor 12.0 ft Jun 20, 1950: 6.52 ft, below flood stage; 2,530 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1953: 5.02 ft, below flood stage; 1,380 cubic feet per secondAug 7, 1954: 3.37 ft, below flood stage; 370 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 1957: 6.32 ft, below flood stage; 2,380 cubic feet per secondJul 20, 1958: 4.13 ft, below flood stage; 783 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1961: 2.98 ft, below flood stage; 268 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1963: 4.41 ft, below flood stage; 962 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1964: 6.16 ft, below flood stage; 1,900 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 1965: 6.07 ft, below flood stage; 1,890 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 1966: 4.29 ft, below flood stage; 904 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1967: 11.57 ft, moderate flooding; 9,850 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1968: 6.80 ft, below flood stage; 1,968 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1969: 8.83 ft, below flood stage; 2,400 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 1970: 6.33 ft, below flood stage; 2,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1971: 8.55 ft, below flood stage; 3,300 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1972: 5.73 ft, below flood stage; 1,230 cubic feet per secondAug 24, 1973: 4.35 ft, below flood stage; 493 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 1974: 4.68 ft, below flood stage; 720 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 1975: 11.14 ft, minor flooding; 7,910 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1976: 6.82 ft, below flood stage; 2,100 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1977: 5.23 ft, below flood stage; 895 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1978: 11.18 ft, minor flooding; 8,040 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 1979: 12.96 ft, major flooding; 3,800 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1983: 3.68 ft, below flood stage; 464 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1984: 3.99 ft, below flood stage; 556 cubic feet per secondAug 29, 1985: 3.72 ft, below flood stage; 480 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1986: 4.73 ft, below flood stage; 890 cubic feet per secondJul 19, 1987: 3.52 ft, below flood stage; 428 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 1988: 2.75 ft, below flood stage; 191 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 1989: 2.87 ft, below flood stage; 222 cubic feet per secondAug 20, 1990: 6.18 ft, below flood stage; 1,400 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1991: 8.16 ft, below flood stage; 2,710 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 1992: 6.42 ft, below flood stage; 1,520 cubic feet per secondJul 28, 1993: 6.54 ft, below flood stage; 1,570 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 1994: 4.86 ft, below flood stage; 834 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1995: 7.48 ft, below flood stage; 2,160 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 1996: 6.52 ft, below flood stage; 1,630 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1997: 11.25 ft, minor flooding; 6,420 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 1998: 5.14 ft, below flood stage; 887 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 1999: 4.59 ft, below flood stage; 643 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 2000: 3.37 ft, below flood stage; 162 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 2001: 3.57 ft, below flood stage; 224 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2002: 3.45 ft, below flood stage; 186 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 2003: 3.92 ft, below flood stage; 330 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 2004: 3.51 ft, below flood stage; 200 cubic feet per secondJun 30, 2005: 5.89 ft, below flood stage; 1,180 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 2006: 4.40 ft, below flood stage; 518 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2007: 4.06 ft, below flood stage; 382 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 2008: 5.42 ft, below flood stage; 825 cubic feet per secondAug 8, 2009: 4.65 ft, below flood stage; 522 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 2010: 6.67 ft, below flood stage; 1,340 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 2011: 13.23 ft, major flooding; 16,200 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 2012: 4.52 ft, below flood stage; 275 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2013: 4.95 ft, below flood stage; 544 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 2014: 12.23 ft, major floodingJun 6, 2015: 8.37 ft, below flood stage; 2,550 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2016: 3.98 ft, below flood stage; 302 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 2017: 4.61 ft, below flood stage; 524 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 2018: 10.88 ft, below flood stage; 6,060 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 2019: 8.11 ft, below flood stage; 3,640 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2020: 5.51 ft, below flood stage; 1,520 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 2021: 2.97 ft, below flood stage; 284 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2022: 2.98 ft, below flood stage; 302 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 2023: 7.96 ft, below flood stage; 3,430 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 2024: 3.07 ft, below flood stage; 293 cubic feet per second Highest, 13.23 ft, May 27, 2011 19501960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Musselshell River at Musselshell 1950s: 0 1960s: 1 1970s: 3 3 1980s: 0 1990s: 1 2000s: 0 2010s: 2 2020s: 0 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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

The 50 highest of 65 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Musselshell River at Musselshell
1May 27, 201113.23+2.23Major16,200
2Jun 24, 197912.96+1.96Major3,800
3Mar 11, 201412.23+1.23Major—
4Jun 9, 196711.57+0.57Moderate9,850
5Jun 16, 199711.25+0.25Minor6,420
6Mar 24, 197811.18+0.18Minor8,040
7Jun 23, 197511.14+0.14Minor7,910
8Jun 2, 201810.88−0.12Below flood stage6,060
9Mar 21, 19698.83−2.17Below flood stage2,400
10Feb 14, 19718.55−2.45Below flood stage3,300
11Jun 6, 20158.37−2.63Below flood stage2,550
12Jun 9, 19918.16−2.84Below flood stage2,710
13May 30, 20198.11−2.89Below flood stage3,640
14Jun 10, 20237.96−3.04Below flood stage3,430
15Jun 9, 19957.48−3.52Below flood stage2,160
16May 18, 19766.82−4.18Below flood stage2,100
17Jun 13, 19686.80−4.20Below flood stage1,968
18Jun 23, 20106.67−4.33Below flood stage1,340
19Jul 28, 19936.54−4.46Below flood stage1,570
20Jun 20, 19506.52−4.48Below flood stage2,530
21Jun 3, 19966.52−4.48Below flood stage1,630
22Jun 20, 19926.42−4.58Below flood stage1,520
23May 26, 19706.33−4.67Below flood stage2,200
24Jun 24, 19576.32−4.68Below flood stage2,380
25Aug 20, 19906.18−4.82Below flood stage1,400
26Jun 11, 19646.16−4.84Below flood stage1,900
27Jun 28, 19656.07−4.93Below flood stage1,890
28Jun 30, 20055.89−5.11Below flood stage1,180
29Jun 10, 19725.73−5.27Below flood stage1,230
30May 24, 20205.51−5.49Below flood stage1,520
31May 26, 20085.42−5.58Below flood stage825
32Jun 21, 19775.23−5.77Below flood stage895
33Jun 23, 19985.14−5.86Below flood stage887
34Jun 8, 19535.02−5.98Below flood stage1,380
35Jun 4, 20134.95−6.05Below flood stage544
36Apr 28, 19944.86−6.14Below flood stage834
37Jun 9, 19864.73−6.27Below flood stage890
38Jun 2, 19744.68−6.32Below flood stage720
39Aug 8, 20094.65−6.35Below flood stage522
40Jun 16, 20174.61−6.39Below flood stage524
41Jun 2, 19994.59−6.41Below flood stage643
42May 29, 20124.52−6.48Below flood stage275
43Jun 17, 19634.41−6.59Below flood stage962
44Jun 14, 20064.40−6.60Below flood stage518
45Aug 24, 19734.35−6.65Below flood stage493
46May 14, 19664.29−6.71Below flood stage904
47Jul 20, 19584.13−6.87Below flood stage783
48May 24, 20074.06−6.94Below flood stage382
49Jun 14, 19843.99−7.01Below flood stage556
50May 28, 20163.98−7.02Below flood stage302

The worst floods along the Musselshell River

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

May 27, 2011: 13.23 ft here, major flooding

  • MosbyMT · May 23, 2011 · 16.00 ft · Major
  • RoundupMT · May 26, 2011 · 14.78 ft · Major · its highest
  • HarlowtonMT · May 25, 2011 · 10.25 ft · Minor · its highest
  • ShawmutMT · May 26, 2011 · 9.27 ft · Minor · its highest

June 24, 1979: 12.96 ft here, major flooding

  • HarlowtonMT · Jun 20, 1979 · 9.14 ft · Minor

March 11, 2014: 12.23 ft here, major flooding

  • RoundupMT · Mar 10, 2014 · 13.24 ft · Major
  • MosbyMT · Mar 12, 2014 · 11.35 ft · Minor
  • LavinaMT · Mar 10, 2014 · 10.47 ft · Minor
  • HarlowtonMT · Mar 7, 2014 · 9.84 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Musselshell River

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

Flood gauges on the Musselshell River
HarlowtonMT7.010.25 ft, May 25, 20110
ShawmutMT8.09.27 ft, May 26, 20110
LavinaMT9.511.15 ft, Jun 21, 20180
RoundupMT10.014.78 ft, May 26, 20119
Musselshell this gaugeMT11.013.23 ft, May 27, 20113
MosbyMT10.017.70 ft, Jul 27, 199310

Other gauges in Musselshell County

Flood gauges in Musselshell County
Roundup10.014.78 ft, May 26, 20119

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge MUSM8, 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.