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Sun River near Simms

Highest listed crest 13.70 ftFlood stage 7.5 ft40 crests since 1953

The Sun River near Simms crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 40 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1953 to 2019. The highest, 13.70 ft on June 9, 1964, was major flooding, 6.20 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
13.70 ft
June 9, 1964; 50,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
7.5 ft
Major flooding from 10.5 ft
Crests at major
3
15th of 93 gauges in Montana
Most recent flood crest
May 27, 2019
9.15 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Cascade County
Montana

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Sun River near Simms
Action stage6.010Jun 1, 2009The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)7.58May 12, 2018Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage8.52May 27, 2019Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage10.53Jun 20, 2018Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

40 crests from 1953 to 2019. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Sun River near Simms, 1953 to 2019 2468101214ft Flood stage 7.5 ftMajor 10.5 ft Jun 4, 1953: 8.30 ft, minor flooding; 10,200 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1964: 13.70 ft, major flooding; 50,000 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1966: 5.37 ft, below flood stage; 3,350 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1967: 7.79 ft, minor flooding; 9,610 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1968: 4.93 ft, below flood stage; 2,940 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 1969: 6.68 ft, action stage; 2,940 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 1970: 6.51 ft, action stage; 6,420 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 1971: 7.15 ft, action stage; 7,630 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 1972: 8.04 ft, minor flooding; 9,840 cubic feet per secondJan 13, 1973: 3.30 ft, below flood stageJun 17, 1974: 7.14 ft, action stage; 6,400 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 1975: 12.48 ft, major flooding; 37,900 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 1976: 7.88 ft, minor flooding; 10,200 cubic feet per secondJan 7, 1977: 4.27 ft, below flood stageMay 11, 1977: 2.73 ft, below flood stage; 294 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 1978: 6.77 ft, action stage; 7,060 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1979: 6.06 ft, action stage; 4,600 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1981: 7.90 ft, minor flooding; 10,280 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1997: 7.36 ft, action stage; 7,530 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 1998: 5.27 ft, below flood stage; 3,070 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1999: 6.00 ft, action stage; 4,310 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 2000: 4.80 ft, below flood stage; 2,570 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 2001: 3.42 ft, below flood stageJun 14, 2001: 2.57 ft, below flood stage; 606 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 2002: 6.46 ft, action stage; 5,510 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 2003: 5.88 ft, below flood stage; 4,400 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 2004: 3.73 ft, below flood stage; 1,480 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 2005: 5.72 ft, below flood stage; 3,700 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 2006: 5.97 ft, below flood stage; 4,290 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 2007: 4.16 ft, below flood stage; 1,900 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 2008: 8.08 ft, minor flooding; 8,130 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 2009: 6.21 ft, action stage; 4,580 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2010: 4.33 ft, below flood stage; 2,100 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 2011: 9.87 ft, moderate flooding; 13,900 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2012: 7.87 ft, minor flooding; 7,600 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 2013: 4.98 ft, below flood stage; 2,800 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 2014: 5.00 ft, below flood stage; 2,830 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 2018: 8.10 ft, minor flooding; 8,242 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 2018: 10.75 ft, major flooding; 17,658 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 2019: 9.15 ft, moderate flooding; 11,188 cubic feet per second Highest, 13.70 ft, Jun 9, 1964 1960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Sun River near Simms 1950s: 1 1960s: 2 1970s: 3 1980s: 1 1990s: 0 2000s: 1 2010s: 5 5 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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, Sun River near Simms
1Jun 9, 196413.70+6.20Major50,000
2Jun 20, 197512.48+4.98Major37,900
3Jun 20, 201810.75+3.25Major17,658
4Jun 8, 20119.87+2.37Moderate13,900
5May 27, 20199.15+1.65Moderate11,188
6Jun 4, 19538.30+0.80Minor10,200
7May 12, 20188.10+0.60Minor8,242
8May 26, 20088.08+0.58Minor8,130
9Jun 2, 19728.04+0.54Minor9,840
10May 22, 19817.90+0.40Minor10,280
11May 15, 19767.88+0.38Minor10,200
12Jun 7, 20127.87+0.37Minor7,600
13Jun 1, 19677.79+0.29Minor9,610
14Jun 13, 19977.36−0.14Action7,530
15May 29, 19717.15−0.35Action7,630
16Jun 17, 19747.14−0.36Action6,400
17Jun 7, 19786.77−0.73Action7,060
18Jul 1, 19696.68−0.82Action2,940
19Jun 6, 19706.51−0.99Action6,420
20Jun 24, 20026.46−1.04Action5,510
21Jun 1, 20096.21−1.29Action4,580
22May 27, 19796.06−1.44Action4,600
23Jun 5, 19996.00−1.50Action4,310
24Jun 12, 20065.97−1.53Below flood stage4,290
25May 27, 20035.88−1.62Below flood stage4,400
26May 18, 20055.72−1.78Below flood stage3,700
27May 30, 19665.37−2.13Below flood stage3,350
28Jul 4, 19985.27−2.23Below flood stage3,070
29Jun 25, 20145.00−2.50Below flood stage2,830
30Jun 9, 20134.98−2.52Below flood stage2,800
31Jun 11, 19684.93−2.57Below flood stage2,940
32Jun 10, 20004.80−2.70Below flood stage2,570
33Jun 6, 20104.33−3.17Below flood stage2,100
34Jan 7, 19774.27−3.23Below flood stage—
35May 20, 20074.16−3.34Below flood stage1,900
36May 11, 20043.73−3.77Below flood stage1,480
37Mar 1, 20013.42−4.08Below flood stage—
38Jan 13, 19733.30−4.20Below flood stage—
39May 11, 19772.73−4.77Below flood stage294
40Jun 14, 20012.57−4.93Below flood stage606

The worst floods along the Sun River

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

June 20, 2018: 10.75 ft here, major flooding

  • VaughnMT · Jun 21, 2018 · 9.64 ft · Major

June 8, 2011: 9.87 ft here, moderate flooding

  • VaughnMT · Jun 10, 2011 · 8.29 ft · Moderate

May 27, 2019: 9.15 ft here, moderate flooding

  • VaughnMT · May 28, 2019 · 6.66 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Sun River

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

Flood gauges on the Sun River
Simms this gaugeMT7.513.70 ft, Jun 9, 19643
VaughnMT6.013.66 ft, Mar 19, 196920

Other gauges in Cascade County

Flood gauges in Cascade County
Monarch6.57.74 ft, Jun 9, 19640
Ulm13.517.00 ft, Jun 1, 19531
Truly9.022.50 ft, Jun 4, 19531
Vaughn6.013.66 ft, Mar 19, 196920

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SSRM8, 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.