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Yellowstone River at Forsyth

Highest listed crest 14.53 ftFlood stage 14.0 ft47 crests since 1978

The Yellowstone River at Forsyth crested above flood stage 1 time among the 47 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1978 to 2024. The highest, 14.53 ft on May 21, 1978, was minor flooding, 0.53 feet above flood stage. 3 other gauges on the Yellowstone River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
14.53 ft
May 21, 1978; 109,800 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
14.0 ft
No major stage set
Crests at major
0
1 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
May 21, 1978
14.53 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, Yellowstone River at Forsyth
Flood stage (minor)14.01May 21, 1978Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat

Every listed crest

47 crests from 1978 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Yellowstone River at Forsyth, 1978 to 2024 46810121416ft Flood stage 14.0 ft May 21, 1978: 14.53 ft, minor flooding; 109,800 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1979: 7.24 ft, below flood stage; 36,100 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 1980: 6.91 ft, below flood stage; 33,700 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1981: 9.41 ft, below flood stage; 56,600 cubic feet per secondJul 2, 1982: 9.82 ft, below flood stage; 60,200 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 1983: 7.92 ft, below flood stage; 43,600 cubic feet per secondJul 2, 1984: 7.80 ft, below flood stage; 41,700 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1985: 6.30 ft, below flood stage; 29,700 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1986: 8.96 ft, below flood stage; 52,600 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 1987: 5.17 ft, below flood stage; 23,800 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 1988: 6.62 ft, below flood stage; 33,000 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1989: 7.23 ft, below flood stage; 37,800 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1990: 6.88 ft, below flood stage; 35,000 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1991: 9.85 ft, below flood stage; 61,100 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1992: 7.73 ft, below flood stage; 41,300 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1993: 7.68 ft, below flood stage; 40,800 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 1994: 6.78 ft, below flood stage; 33,600 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1995: 9.22 ft, below flood stage; 54,700 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1996: 10.79 ft, below flood stage; 72,200 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1997: 12.82 ft, below flood stage; 87,100 cubic feet per secondJul 6, 1998: 7.43 ft, below flood stage; 39,100 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 1999: 9.01 ft, below flood stage; 52,100 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2000: 6.96 ft, below flood stage; 35,200 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 2001: 5.78 ft, below flood stage; 25,800 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2002: 8.11 ft, below flood stage; 44,900 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 2003: 8.72 ft, below flood stage; 49,700 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 2004: 6.43 ft, below flood stage; 30,800 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 2005: 7.35 ft, below flood stage; 38,400 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 2006: 6.91 ft, below flood stage; 34,700 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 2007: 7.22 ft, below flood stage; 37,300 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2008: 9.18 ft, below flood stage; 53,700 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 2009: 8.97 ft, below flood stage; 52,200 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 2010: 9.20 ft, below flood stage; 53,700 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2011: 12.24 ft, below flood stage; 78,800 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 2012: 8.05 ft, below flood stage; 44,400 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 2013: 7.06 ft, below flood stage; 36,000 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 2014: 10.41 ft, below flood stage; 64,100 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2015: 8.54 ft, below flood stage; 48,300 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 2016: 6.78 ft, below flood stage; 33,900 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 2017: 9.68 ft, below flood stage; 57,700 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 2018: 11.53 ft, below flood stage; 74,500 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 2019: 9.68 ft, below flood stage; 57,700 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2020: 9.62 ft, below flood stage; 57,200 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 2021: 7.25 ft, below flood stage; 39,200 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 2022: 12.27 ft, below flood stage; 81,600 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 2023: 9.41 ft, below flood stage; 55,700 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 2024: 8.45 ft, below flood stage; 47,800 cubic feet per second Highest, 14.53 ft, May 21, 1978 19801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Yellowstone River at Forsyth 1970s: 1 1 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 2010s: 0 2020s: 0 1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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. 1 crest measured on an earlier gauge datum is left out: 12.20 ft on Jun 15, 1922.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Yellowstone River at Forsyth
1May 21, 197814.53+0.53Minor109,800
2Jun 14, 199712.82−1.18Below flood stage87,100
3Jun 17, 202212.27−1.73Below flood stage81,600
4May 24, 201112.24−1.76Below flood stage78,800
5May 30, 201811.53−2.47Below flood stage74,500
6Jun 14, 199610.79−3.21Below flood stage72,200
7Jun 1, 201410.41−3.59Below flood stage64,100
8Jun 14, 19919.85−4.15Below flood stage61,100
9Jul 2, 19829.82−4.18Below flood stage60,200
10Jun 8, 20179.68−4.32Below flood stage57,700
11Jun 10, 20199.68−4.32Below flood stage57,700
12Jun 4, 20209.62−4.38Below flood stage57,200
13Jun 11, 19819.41−4.59Below flood stage56,600
14Jun 26, 20239.41−4.59Below flood stage55,700
15Jun 18, 19959.22−4.78Below flood stage54,700
16Jun 8, 20109.20−4.80Below flood stage53,700
17Jun 27, 20089.18−4.82Below flood stage53,700
18Jun 24, 19999.01−4.99Below flood stage52,100
19Jun 24, 20098.97−5.03Below flood stage52,200
20Jun 8, 19868.96−5.04Below flood stage52,600
21Jun 3, 20038.72−5.28Below flood stage49,700
22Jun 4, 20158.54−5.46Below flood stage48,300
23Jun 12, 20248.45−5.55Below flood stage47,800
24Jun 4, 20028.11−5.89Below flood stage44,900
25Jun 8, 20128.05−5.95Below flood stage44,400
26Jun 12, 19837.92−6.08Below flood stage43,600
27Jul 2, 19847.80−6.20Below flood stage41,700
28Jun 18, 19927.73−6.27Below flood stage41,300
29May 23, 19937.68−6.32Below flood stage40,800
30Jul 6, 19987.43−6.57Below flood stage39,100
31Jun 25, 20057.35−6.65Below flood stage38,400
32Jun 8, 20217.25−6.75Below flood stage39,200
33Jun 16, 19797.24−6.76Below flood stage36,100
34Jun 18, 19897.23−6.77Below flood stage37,800
35Jun 9, 20077.22−6.78Below flood stage37,300
36Jun 15, 20137.06−6.94Below flood stage36,000
37May 31, 20006.96−7.04Below flood stage35,200
38May 25, 19806.91−7.09Below flood stage33,700
39Jun 11, 20066.91−7.09Below flood stage34,700
40Jun 13, 19906.88−7.12Below flood stage35,000
41May 15, 19946.78−7.22Below flood stage33,600
42Jun 10, 20166.78−7.22Below flood stage33,900
43Jun 7, 19886.62−7.38Below flood stage33,000
44Jun 12, 20046.43−7.57Below flood stage30,800
45Jun 10, 19856.30−7.70Below flood stage29,700
46Jun 15, 20015.78−8.22Below flood stage25,800
47May 29, 19875.17−8.83Below flood stage23,800

The worst floods along the Yellowstone River

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

May 21, 1978: 14.53 ft here, minor flooding

  • SidneyMT · May 23, 1978 · 20.02 ft · Moderate
  • GlendiveMT · May 22, 1978 · 53.85 ft · Minor
  • Miles CityMT · May 22, 1978 · 16.50 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Yellowstone River

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

Flood gauges on the Yellowstone River
Forsyth this gaugeMT14.014.53 ft, May 21, 19780
Miles CityMT14.021.70 ft, Mar 20, 19440
GlendiveMT53.562.80 ft, Mar 20, 19690
SidneyMT19.024.03 ft, Mar 6, 19943

Other gauges in Rosebud County

Flood gauges in Rosebud County
Birney Day School near Birney7.09.49 ft, May 31, 20190

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge FRYM8, 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.