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Sun River near Vaughn

Highest listed crest 13.66 ftFlood stage 6.0 ft84 crests since 1934

The Sun River near Vaughn crested at major flood stage 20 times among the 84 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1934 to 2019. The highest, 13.66 ft on March 19, 1969, was major flooding, 7.66 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
13.66 ft
March 19, 1969
Flood stage
6.0 ft
Major flooding from 9.0 ft
Crests at major
20
1st of 93 gauges in Montana
Most recent flood crest
May 28, 2019
6.66 ft, minor flooding
Location
Cascade County
Near Great Falls (10.0 mi)

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 Vaughn
Action stage5.014May 13, 2018The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)6.014May 28, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage8.013Jun 10, 2011Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage9.020Jun 21, 2018Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

84 crests from 1934 to 2019. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Sun River near Vaughn, 1934 to 2019 051015ft Flood stage 6.0 ftMajor 9.0 ft Jun 8, 1934: 9.50 ft, major flooding; 11,000 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 1935: 4.85 ft, below flood stage; 4,570 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 1936: 5.02 ft, action stage; 4,830 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 1937: 2.74 ft, below flood stage; 1,940 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 1938: 9.56 ft, major flooding; 11,200 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1939: 4.05 ft, below flood stage; 3,530 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1940: 2.63 ft, below flood stage; 1,810 cubic feet per secondDec 28, 1940: 1.97 ft, below flood stageMay 28, 1942: 7.18 ft, minor flooding; 7,780 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1943: 10.48 ft, major flooding; 10,300 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 1944: 4.60 ft, below flood stage; 4,050 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 1945: 5.00 ft, action stage; 4,830 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1946: 6.05 ft, minor flooding; 6,130 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1947: 7.93 ft, minor floodingMay 30, 1949: 5.75 ft, action stage; 4,420 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1950: 9.50 ft, major flooding; 8,700 cubic feet per secondNov 27, 1950: 8.25 ft, moderate floodingMay 17, 1952: 5.23 ft, action stage; 4,210 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1954: 9.15 ft, major flooding; 7,820 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1955: 6.74 ft, minor flooding; 5,440 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1956: 8.96 ft, moderate flooding; 7,660 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1957: 10.33 ft, major flooding; 8,540 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1958: 10.92 ft, major flooding; 9,100 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1959: 8.77 ft, moderate flooding; 7,170 cubic feet per secondNov 25, 1959: 6.46 ft, minor floodingJun 1, 1961: 6.30 ft, minor flooding; 5,310 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1962: 9.99 ft, major flooding; 7,990 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 1963: 3.52 ft, below flood stage; 2,350 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1965: 8.81 ft, moderate flooding; 7,040 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1966: 5.31 ft, action stage; 4,010 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 1967: 11.80 ft, major flooding; 12,000 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1968: 5.48 ft, action stage; 3,410 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1969: 13.66 ft, major floodingJun 7, 1970: 7.82 ft, minor flooding; 6,680 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1971: 9.01 ft, major flooding; 7,620 cubic feet per secondDec 2, 1972: 2.68 ft, below flood stageJun 20, 1973: 1.86 ft, below flood stage; 698 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1974: 8.83 ft, moderate flooding; 6,100 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 1976: 11.41 ft, major flooding; 8,850 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1977: 2.40 ft, below flood stageJul 25, 1977: 1.93 ft, below flood stage; 681 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1978: 12.42 ft, major floodingJun 8, 1978: 8.83 ft, moderate flooding; 6,110 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1979: 8.08 ft, moderate floodingMay 28, 1979: 7.68 ft, minor flooding; 5,400 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1980: 10.14 ft, major flooding; 7,200 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1982: 9.07 ft, major flooding; 6,010 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1983: 5.50 ft, action stage; 3,470 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1984: 4.40 ft, below flood stage; 2,780 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 1985: 5.23 ft, action stage; 3,370 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 1986: 8.66 ft, moderate floodingMay 31, 1986: 7.61 ft, minor flooding; 4,840 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 1987: 5.57 ft, action stage; 3,480 cubic feet per secondJul 6, 1988: 2.05 ft, below flood stage; 927 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1989: 12.77 ft, major floodingMay 12, 1989: 8.22 ft, moderate flooding; 5,430 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1990: 7.29 ft, minor flooding; 4,760 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1991: 10.55 ft, major flooding; 7,240 cubic feet per secondNov 1, 1991: 3.21 ft, below flood stageJun 17, 1992: 2.57 ft, below flood stage; 1,450 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1993: 7.62 ft, minor flooding; 4,680 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 1994: 5.54 ft, action stage; 3,650 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 1995: 9.05 ft, major flooding; 5,620 cubic feet per secondDec 7, 1995: 8.57 ft, moderate floodingJun 6, 1996: 8.27 ft, moderate flooding; 5,190 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1997: 11.45 ft, major flooding; 7,700 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 1998: 6.13 ft, minor flooding; 3,830 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 1999: 7.08 ft, minor flooding; 4,420 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 2000: 4.33 ft, below flood stage; 2,650 cubic feet per secondAug 1, 2001: 2.71 ft, below flood stage; 1,120 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 2002: 8.64 ft, moderate flooding; 5,590 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 2003: 4.21 ft, below flood stage; 3,620 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 2004: 3.29 ft, below flood stage; 1,800 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 2005: 4.33 ft, below flood stage; 3,850 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 2006: 5.25 ft, action stage; 6,160 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2007: 3.61 ft, below flood stage; 2,350 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 2008: 5.81 ft, action stage; 8,060 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 2009: 4.58 ft, below flood stage; 4,250 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 2010: 3.95 ft, below flood stage; 3,040 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 2011: 8.29 ft, moderate flooding; 14,800 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2012: 5.43 ft, action stage; 6,600 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 2018: 5.64 ft, action stage; 7,146 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 2018: 9.64 ft, major flooding; 19,500 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2019: 6.66 ft, minor flooding; 8,696 cubic feet per second Highest, 13.66 ft, Mar 19, 1969 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Sun River near Vaughn 1930s: 2 1940s: 4 1950s: 9 9 1960s: 5 1970s: 8 1980s: 6 1990s: 9 2000s: 1 2010s: 3 1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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.
  3. 5 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 13.48 ft on Jun 6, 1948; 16.38 ft on Jun 4, 1953; 23.40 ft on Jun 9, 1964; 22.28 ft on Jun 20, 1975; 15.45 ft on May 24, 1981.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 84 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Sun River near Vaughn
1Mar 19, 196913.66+7.66Major—
2Mar 11, 198912.77+6.77Major—
3Mar 17, 197812.42+6.42Major—
4Jun 19, 196711.80+5.80Major12,000
5Jun 13, 199711.45+5.45Major7,700
6May 15, 197611.41+5.41Major8,850
7Jun 13, 195810.92+4.92Major9,100
8May 22, 199110.55+4.55Major7,240
9Jun 16, 194310.48+4.48Major10,300
10May 22, 195710.33+4.33Major8,540
11May 27, 198010.14+4.14Major7,200
12May 27, 19629.99+3.99Major7,990
13Jun 21, 20189.64+3.64Major19,500
14Jun 24, 19389.56+3.56Major11,200
15Jun 8, 19349.50+3.50Major11,000
16Jun 18, 19509.50+3.50Major8,700
17May 22, 19549.15+3.15Major7,820
18Jun 18, 19829.07+3.07Major6,010
19Jun 7, 19959.05+3.05Major5,620
20May 30, 19719.01+3.01Major7,620
21Jun 4, 19568.96+2.96Moderate7,660
22Jun 18, 19748.83+2.83Moderate6,100
23Jun 8, 19788.83+2.83Moderate6,110
24Jun 17, 19658.81+2.81Moderate7,040
25Jun 16, 19598.77+2.77Moderate7,170
26Feb 25, 19868.66+2.66Moderate—
27Jun 11, 20028.64+2.64Moderate5,590
28Dec 7, 19958.57+2.57Moderate—
29Jun 10, 20118.29+2.29Moderate14,800
30Jun 6, 19968.27+2.27Moderate5,190
31Nov 27, 19508.25+2.25Moderate—
32May 12, 19898.22+2.22Moderate5,430
33Mar 8, 19798.08+2.08Moderate—
34Mar 17, 19477.93+1.93Minor—
35Jun 7, 19707.82+1.82Minor6,680
36May 28, 19797.68+1.68Minor5,400
37May 18, 19937.62+1.62Minor4,680
38May 31, 19867.61+1.61Minor4,840
39Jun 1, 19907.29+1.29Minor4,760
40May 28, 19427.18+1.18Minor7,780
41Jun 6, 19997.08+1.08Minor4,420
42May 23, 19556.74+0.74Minor5,440
43May 28, 20196.66+0.66Minor8,696
44Nov 25, 19596.46+0.46Minor—
45Jun 1, 19616.30+0.30Minor5,310
46Jul 4, 19986.13+0.13Minor3,830
47May 30, 19466.05+0.05Minor6,130
48May 27, 20085.81−0.19Action8,060
49May 30, 19495.75−0.25Action4,420
50May 13, 20185.64−0.36Action7,146

Gauges on the Sun River

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

Flood gauges on the Sun River
SimmsMT7.513.70 ft, Jun 9, 19643
Vaughn this gaugeMT6.013.66 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
Simms7.513.70 ft, Jun 9, 19643

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge VAUM8, 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.