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Musselshell River near Shawmut

Highest listed crest 9.27 ftFlood stage 8.0 ft27 crests since 1998

The Musselshell River near Shawmut crested above flood stage 2 times among the 27 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1998 to 2024. The highest, 9.27 ft on May 26, 2011, was minor flooding, 1.27 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
9.27 ft
May 26, 2011; 8,900 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
8.0 ft
No major stage set
Crests at major
0
2 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
June 20, 2018
8.39 ft, minor flooding
Location
Wheatland 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 near Shawmut
Flood stage (minor)8.02Jun 20, 2018Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat

Every listed crest

27 crests from 1998 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Musselshell River near Shawmut, 1998 to 2024 246810ft Flood stage 8.0 ft Jun 22, 1998: 4.57 ft, below flood stage; 672 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1999: 4.30 ft, below flood stage; 583 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 2000: 2.68 ft, below flood stage; 72 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 2001: 3.58 ft, below flood stage; 252 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2002: 3.75 ft, below flood stage; 338 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 2003: 3.80 ft, below flood stage; 400 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 2004: 4.18 ft, below flood stage; 512 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 2005: 5.20 ft, below flood stage; 980 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 2006: 4.54 ft, below flood stage; 694 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 2007: 3.59 ft, below flood stage; 256 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2008: 4.78 ft, below flood stage; 728 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 2009: 4.22 ft, below flood stage; 463 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 2010: 5.76 ft, below flood stage; 1,290 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 2011: 9.27 ft, minor flooding; 8,900 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2012: 4.44 ft, below flood stage; 393 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2013: 3.87 ft, below flood stage; 195 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 2014: 7.47 ft, below flood stage; 3,320 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2015: 7.01 ft, below flood stage; 2,510 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 2016: 3.82 ft, below flood stage; 235 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 2017: 5.25 ft, below flood stage; 713 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 2018: 8.39 ft, minor flooding; 4,460 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2019: 7.43 ft, below flood stage; 2,540 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 2020: 6.12 ft, below flood stage; 1,350 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2021: 3.60 ft, below flood stage; 181 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2022: 4.30 ft, below flood stage; 292 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2023: 7.95 ft, below flood stage; 3,200 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2024: 4.48 ft, below flood stage; 331 cubic feet per second Highest, 9.27 ft, May 26, 2011 200020052010201520202025

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Musselshell River near Shawmut 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 2010s: 2 2 2020s: 0 1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Musselshell River near Shawmut
1May 26, 20119.27+1.27Minor8,900
2Jun 20, 20188.39+0.39Minor4,460
3Jun 6, 20237.95−0.05Below flood stage3,200
4Mar 8, 20147.47−0.53Below flood stage3,320
5May 28, 20197.43−0.57Below flood stage2,540
6Jun 4, 20157.01−0.99Below flood stage2,510
7May 22, 20206.12−1.88Below flood stage1,350
8Jun 21, 20105.76−2.24Below flood stage1,290
9Jun 14, 20175.25−2.75Below flood stage713
10Jun 28, 20055.20−2.80Below flood stage980
11Jun 4, 20084.78−3.22Below flood stage728
12Jun 22, 19984.57−3.43Below flood stage672
13Jun 11, 20064.54−3.46Below flood stage694
14May 31, 20244.48−3.52Below flood stage331
15Jun 7, 20124.44−3.56Below flood stage393
16Jun 1, 19994.30−3.70Below flood stage583
17Jun 7, 20224.30−3.70Below flood stage292
18May 22, 20094.22−3.78Below flood stage463
19Jun 13, 20044.18−3.82Below flood stage512
20May 25, 20133.87−4.13Below flood stage195
21May 23, 20163.82−4.18Below flood stage235
22Apr 27, 20033.80−4.20Below flood stage400
23Jun 4, 20023.75−4.25Below flood stage338
24May 25, 20213.60−4.40Below flood stage181
25May 23, 20073.59−4.41Below flood stage256
26Jun 20, 20013.58−4.42Below flood stage252
27Apr 16, 20002.68−5.32Below flood stage72

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 26, 2011: 9.27 ft here, minor flooding

  • MosbyMT · May 23, 2011 · 16.00 ft · Major
  • RoundupMT · May 26, 2011 · 14.78 ft · Major · its highest
  • MusselshellMT · May 27, 2011 · 13.23 ft · Major · its highest
  • HarlowtonMT · May 25, 2011 · 10.25 ft · Minor · its highest

June 20, 2018: 8.39 ft here, minor flooding

  • LavinaMT · Jun 21, 2018 · 11.15 ft · Minor · its highest

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
Shawmut this gaugeMT8.09.27 ft, May 26, 20110
LavinaMT9.511.15 ft, Jun 21, 20180
RoundupMT10.014.78 ft, May 26, 20119
MusselshellMT11.013.23 ft, May 27, 20113
MosbyMT10.017.70 ft, Jul 27, 199310

Other gauges in Wheatland County

Flood gauges in Wheatland County
Harlowton7.010.25 ft, May 25, 20110

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SHAM8, 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.