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Thompson River near Thompson Falls

Highest listed crest 8.53 ftFlood stage 7.0 ft23 crests since 1948

The Thompson River near Thompson Falls crested above flood stage 10 times among the 23 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1948 to 2025. The highest, 8.53 ft on June 9, 1964, was minor flooding, 1.53 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
8.53 ft
June 9, 1964; 6,080 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
7.0 ft
No major stage set
Crests at major
0
10 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
March 19, 2017
7.15 ft, minor flooding
Location
Sanders County
Montana

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Thompson River near Thompson Falls
Action stage6.55May 7, 2018The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)7.010Mar 19, 2017Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat

Every listed crest

23 crests from 1948 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Thompson River near Thompson Falls, 1948 to 2025 0246810ft Flood stage 7.0 ft May 28, 1948: 0.00 ft, below flood stage; 6,190 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 1956: 7.77 ft, minor flooding; 4,960 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1961: 6.33 ft, below flood stage; 3,580 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1964: 8.53 ft, minor flooding; 6,080 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1967: 6.85 ft, action stage; 4,100 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 1971: 6.80 ft, action stage; 4,030 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1972: 7.07 ft, minor flooding; 4,350 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 1974: 6.85 ft, action stage; 4,110 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 1976: 6.51 ft, action stage; 3,590 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1991: 6.16 ft, below flood stage; 3,110 cubic feet per secondFeb 9, 1996: 7.72 ft, minor flooding; 5,060 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 1997: 8.35 ft, minor flooding; 5,360 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 2002: 7.65 ft, minor flooding; 4,570 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 2008: 7.84 ft, minor flooding; 4,820 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 2011: 7.67 ft, minor flooding; 4,590 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 2012: 7.01 ft, minor flooding; 3,800 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 2017: 7.15 ft, minor flooding; 3,860 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 2018: 6.62 ft, action stage; 3,240 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 2020: 5.10 ft, below flood stage; 1,690 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2021: 5.33 ft, below flood stage; 1,890 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 2022: 5.15 ft, below flood stage; 1,790 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 2025: 3.99 ft, below flood stage; 866 cubic feet per secondDec 11, 2025: 5.14 ft, below flood stage; 1,840 cubic feet per second Highest, 8.53 ft, Jun 9, 1964 19501960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Thompson River near Thompson Falls 1940s: 0 1950s: 1 1960s: 1 1970s: 1 1980s: 0 1990s: 2 2000s: 2 2010s: 3 3 2020s: 0 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Thompson River near Thompson Falls
1Jun 9, 19648.53+1.53Minor6,080
2May 17, 19978.35+1.35Minor5,360
3May 19, 20087.84+0.84Minor4,820
4May 21, 19567.77+0.77Minor4,960
5Feb 9, 19967.72+0.72Minor5,060
6May 16, 20117.67+0.67Minor4,590
7May 23, 20027.65+0.65Minor4,570
8Mar 19, 20177.15+0.15Minor3,860
9Jun 1, 19727.07+0.07Minor4,350
10Apr 25, 20127.01+0.01Minor3,800
11May 23, 19676.85−0.15Action4,100
12Jan 16, 19746.85−0.15Action4,110
13May 13, 19716.80−0.20Action4,030
14May 7, 20186.62−0.38Action3,240
15May 11, 19766.51−0.49Action3,590
16May 27, 19616.33−0.67Below flood stage3,580
17May 19, 19916.16−0.84Below flood stage3,110
18May 25, 20215.33−1.67Below flood stage1,890
19May 7, 20225.15−1.85Below flood stage1,790
20Dec 11, 20255.14−1.86Below flood stage1,840
21May 22, 20205.10−1.90Below flood stage1,690
22May 5, 20253.99−3.01Below flood stage866
23May 28, 19480.00−7.00Below flood stage6,190

Other gauges in Sanders County

Flood gauges in Sanders County
Plains16.019.17 ft, Jun 5, 19480
Thompson Falls7.59.86 ft, Jan 16, 19742

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge THRM8, 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.