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Tongue River at Birney Day School near Birney

Highest listed crest 9.49 ftFlood stage 7.0 ft46 crests since 1980

The Tongue River at Birney Day School near Birney crested above flood stage 4 times among the 46 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1980 to 2024. The highest, 9.49 ft on May 31, 2019, was minor flooding, 2.49 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
9.49 ft
May 31, 2019; 7,160 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
7.0 ft
No major stage set
Crests at major
0
4 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
May 31, 2019
9.49 ft, minor flooding
Location
Rosebud County
Montana

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Tongue River at Birney Day School near Birney
Flood stage (minor)7.04May 31, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat

Every listed crest

46 crests from 1980 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Tongue River at Birney Day School near Birney, 1980 to 2024 0246810ft Flood stage 7.0 ft Jun 15, 1980: 3.49 ft, below flood stage; 1,370 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 1981: 4.84 ft, below flood stage; 2,390 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 1982: 4.52 ft, below flood stage; 2,080 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1983: 4.71 ft, below flood stage; 2,290 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1984: 6.43 ft, below flood stage; 4,520 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 1985: 3.10 ft, below flood stage; 1,000 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1986: 5.20 ft, below flood stage; 2,670 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1987: 2.86 ft, below flood stage; 816 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1988: 4.43 ft, below flood stage; 2,100 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 1989: 2.24 ft, below flood stage; 502 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1990: 4.40 ft, below flood stage; 2,070 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1991: 5.00 ft, below flood stage; 2,400 cubic feet per secondJun 30, 1992: 4.33 ft, below flood stage; 1,990 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1993: 4.52 ft, below flood stage; 1,970 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 1994: 3.87 ft, below flood stage; 1,460 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1995: 5.84 ft, below flood stage; 3,240 cubic feet per secondFeb 8, 1996: 6.92 ft, below flood stageMay 31, 1996: 5.28 ft, below flood stage; 2,660 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1997: 5.94 ft, below flood stage; 3,120 cubic feet per secondOct 5, 1997: 3.99 ft, below flood stage; 1,430 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1999: 6.69 ft, below flood stage; 4,210 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2000: 4.52 ft, below flood stage; 1,970 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2001: 2.85 ft, below flood stage; 663 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 2002: 3.47 ft, below flood stage; 913 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2003: 5.05 ft, below flood stage; 2,370 cubic feet per secondJul 23, 2004: 1.84 ft, below flood stage; 294 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 2005: 5.19 ft, below flood stage; 2,690 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 2006: 1.98 ft, below flood stage; 370 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 2007: 7.06 ft, minor flooding; 5,340 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 2008: 5.99 ft, below flood stage; 3,700 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 2009: 4.45 ft, below flood stage; 1,900 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 2010: 6.03 ft, below flood stage; 3,760 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 2011: 7.30 ft, minor flooding; 4,430 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 2012: 3.94 ft, below flood stage; 1,570 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 2013: 3.98 ft, below flood stage; 1,610 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 2014: 6.76 ft, below flood stage; 4,000 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 2015: 6.60 ft, below flood stage; 3,770 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 2016: 3.27 ft, below flood stage; 1,120 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 2017: 5.89 ft, below flood stage; 3,390 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2018: 7.90 ft, minor flooding; 5,230 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2019: 9.49 ft, minor flooding; 7,160 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 2020: 4.13 ft, below flood stage; 1,810 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2021: 3.90 ft, below flood stage; 1,590 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 2022: 5.62 ft, below flood stage; 2,850 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 2023: 6.78 ft, below flood stage; 3,600 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 2024: 5.14 ft, below flood stage; 2,300 cubic feet per second Highest, 9.49 ft, May 31, 2019 19801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Tongue River at Birney Day School near Birney 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 1 2010s: 3 3 2020s: 0 1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Tongue River at Birney Day School near Birney
1May 31, 20199.49+2.49Minor7,160
2May 31, 20187.90+0.90Minor5,230
3Jun 12, 20117.30+0.30Minor4,430
4Jun 9, 20077.06+0.06Minor5,340
5Feb 8, 19966.92−0.08Below flood stage—
6Jun 13, 20236.78−0.22Below flood stage3,600
7Jun 1, 20146.76−0.24Below flood stage4,000
8Jun 13, 19996.69−0.31Below flood stage4,210
9Jun 5, 20156.60−0.40Below flood stage3,770
10Jun 14, 19846.43−0.57Below flood stage4,520
11Jun 13, 20106.03−0.97Below flood stage3,760
12Jun 21, 20085.99−1.01Below flood stage3,700
13Jun 17, 19975.94−1.06Below flood stage3,120
14May 20, 20175.89−1.11Below flood stage3,390
15Jun 22, 19955.84−1.16Below flood stage3,240
16Jun 14, 20225.62−1.38Below flood stage2,850
17May 31, 19965.28−1.72Below flood stage2,660
18Jun 8, 19865.20−1.80Below flood stage2,670
19May 23, 20055.19−1.81Below flood stage2,690
20Jun 12, 20245.14−1.86Below flood stage2,300
21Mar 14, 20035.05−1.95Below flood stage2,370
22May 23, 19915.00−2.00Below flood stage2,400
23Jun 2, 19814.84−2.16Below flood stage2,390
24Jun 15, 19834.71−2.29Below flood stage2,290
25Jun 25, 19824.52−2.48Below flood stage2,080
26Jun 11, 19934.52−2.48Below flood stage1,970
27May 31, 20004.52−2.48Below flood stage1,970
28Jun 20, 20094.45−2.55Below flood stage1,900
29Jun 5, 19884.43−2.57Below flood stage2,100
30Jun 18, 19904.40−2.60Below flood stage2,070
31Jun 30, 19924.33−2.67Below flood stage1,990
32Jun 2, 20204.13−2.87Below flood stage1,810
33Oct 5, 19973.99−3.01Below flood stage1,430
34Jun 14, 20133.98−3.02Below flood stage1,610
35Jun 8, 20123.94−3.06Below flood stage1,570
36Jun 7, 20213.90−3.10Below flood stage1,590
37May 12, 19943.87−3.13Below flood stage1,460
38Jun 15, 19803.49−3.51Below flood stage1,370
39Jun 22, 20023.47−3.53Below flood stage913
40Jun 13, 20163.27−3.73Below flood stage1,120
41Apr 10, 19853.10−3.90Below flood stage1,000
42May 18, 19872.86−4.14Below flood stage816
43Jun 4, 20012.85−4.15Below flood stage663
44May 17, 19892.24−4.76Below flood stage502
45Jul 3, 20061.98−5.02Below flood stage370
46Jul 23, 20041.84−5.16Below flood stage294

The worst floods along the Tongue River

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

June 9, 2007: 7.06 ft here, minor flooding

Gauges on the Tongue River

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

Flood gauges on the Tongue River
Birney Day School near Birney this gaugeMT7.09.49 ft, May 31, 20190
Miles CityMT10.013.99 ft, May 21, 20110

Other gauges in Rosebud County

Flood gauges in Rosebud County
Forsyth14.014.53 ft, May 21, 19780

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BNYM8, 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.