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Yellowstone River at Glendive

Highest listed crest 62.80 ftFlood stage 53.5 ft27 crests since 1907

The Yellowstone River at Glendive crested above flood stage 19 times among the 27 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1907 to 2025. The highest, 62.80 ft on March 20, 1969, was moderate flooding, 9.30 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Yellowstone River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
62.80 ft
March 20, 1969
Flood stage
53.5 ft
Major flooding from 65.0 ft
Crests at major
0
19 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
February 26, 2025
55.15 ft, minor flooding
Location
Dawson 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 Glendive
Action stage51.56Jun 1, 2018The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)53.512Feb 26, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage60.07Mar 17, 2003Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage65.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

27 crests from 1907 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Yellowstone River at Glendive, 1907 to 2025 50556065ft Flood stage 53.5 ftMajor 65.0 ft Jun 24, 1907: 53.00 ft, action stage; 90,600 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1908: 52.60 ft, action stage; 86,400 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1909: 54.30 ft, minor flooding; 107,000 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1909: 53.30 ft, action stage; 94,200 cubic feet per secondJul 7, 1909: 53.60 ft, minor flooding; 96,500 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1959: 60.50 ft, moderate floodingMar 20, 1969: 62.80 ft, moderate floodingFeb 16, 1971: 61.25 ft, moderate floodingMar 12, 1972: 55.60 ft, minor floodingMar 21, 1978: 62.30 ft, moderate floodingMay 22, 1978: 53.85 ft, minor flooding; 99,000 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1979: 56.55 ft, minor floodingFeb 21, 1982: 60.05 ft, moderate floodingMar 5, 1994: 60.50 ft, moderate floodingMar 17, 2003: 60.49 ft, moderate floodingJun 29, 2008: 50.59 ft, below flood stage; 66,387 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 2011: 55.85 ft, minor floodingMay 23, 2011: 56.38 ft, minor flooding; 125,000 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 2014: 59.35 ft, minor floodingJun 2, 2014: 52.06 ft, action stageFeb 21, 2017: 52.74 ft, action stageJun 9, 2017: 50.63 ft, below flood stage; 61,127 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 2018: 59.07 ft, minor floodingJun 1, 2018: 52.46 ft, action stage; 79,758 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 2019: 54.95 ft, minor flooding; 104,771 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 2020: 53.50 ft, minor flooding; 89,399 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 2025: 55.15 ft, minor flooding Highest, 62.80 ft, Mar 20, 1969 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Yellowstone River at Glendive 1900s: 2 1910s: 0 1920s: 0 1930s: 0 1940s: 0 1950s: 1 1960s: 1 1970s: 5 5 1980s: 1 1990s: 1 2000s: 1 2010s: 5 2020s: 2 1900s1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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: 66.00 ft on Mar 15, 1920.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Yellowstone River at Glendive
1Mar 20, 196962.80+9.30Moderate—
2Mar 21, 197862.30+8.80Moderate—
3Feb 16, 197161.25+7.75Moderate—
4Mar 19, 195960.50+7.00Moderate—
5Mar 5, 199460.50+7.00Moderate—
6Mar 17, 200360.49+6.99Moderate—
7Feb 21, 198260.05+6.55Moderate—
8Mar 10, 201459.35+5.85Minor—
9Mar 23, 201859.07+5.57Minor—
10Mar 17, 197956.55+3.05Minor—
11May 23, 201156.38+2.88Minor125,000
12Mar 11, 201155.85+2.35Minor—
13Mar 12, 197255.60+2.10Minor—
14Feb 26, 202555.15+1.65Minor—
15Mar 22, 201954.95+1.45Minor104,771
16Jun 9, 190954.30+0.80Minor107,000
17May 22, 197853.85+0.35Minor99,000
18Jul 7, 190953.60+0.10Minor96,500
19Mar 3, 202053.500.00Minor89,399
20Jun 22, 190953.30−0.20Action94,200
21Jun 24, 190753.00−0.50Action90,600
22Feb 21, 201752.74−0.76Action—
23Jun 18, 190852.60−0.90Action86,400
24Jun 1, 201852.46−1.04Action79,758
25Jun 2, 201452.06−1.44Action—
26Jun 9, 201750.63−2.87Below flood stage61,127
27Jun 29, 200850.59−2.91Below flood stage66,387

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.

March 20, 1969: 62.80 ft here, moderate flooding

  • SidneyMT · Mar 21, 1969 · 21.00 ft · Moderate

February 16, 1971: 61.25 ft here, moderate flooding

  • SidneyMT · Feb 17, 1971 · 21.67 ft · Moderate

March 19, 1959: 60.50 ft here, moderate flooding

  • SidneyMT · Mar 21, 1959 · 19.14 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
ForsythMT14.014.53 ft, May 21, 19780
Miles CityMT14.021.70 ft, Mar 20, 19440
Glendive this gaugeMT53.562.80 ft, Mar 20, 19690
SidneyMT19.024.03 ft, Mar 6, 19943

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge GLNM8, 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.