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Little Missouri River at Marmarth

Highest listed crest 21.70 ftFlood stage 18.0 ft32 crests since 1913

The Little Missouri River at Marmarth crested above flood stage 7 times among the 32 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1913 to 2021. The highest, 21.70 ft on March 23, 1947, was minor flooding, 3.70 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Little Missouri River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 2 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
21.70 ft
March 23, 1947; 45,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
18.0 ft
Major flooding from 30.0 ft
Crests at major
0
7 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
May 23, 2011
21.11 ft, minor flooding
Location
Slope County
North Dakota

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Little Missouri River at Marmarth
Action stage16.06Mar 24, 2019The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)18.07May 23, 2011Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage23.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage30.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

32 crests from 1913 to 2021. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Little Missouri River at Marmarth, 1913 to 2021 0102030ft Flood stage 18.0 ftMajor 30.0 ft Mar 1, 1913: 21.50 ft, minor floodingMar 1, 1920: 19.70 ft, minor floodingMay 1, 1929: 20.20 ft, minor floodingFeb 20, 1943: 19.50 ft, minor flooding; 36,000 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1944: 17.80 ft, action stage; 29,600 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1947: 21.70 ft, minor flooding; 45,000 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1950: 14.20 ft, below flood stage; 18,500 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 1967: 13.59 ft, below flood stage; 15,400 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1971: 16.31 ft, action stage; 21,300 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1972: 18.30 ft, minor flooding; 15,500 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1975: 16.75 ft, action stage; 26,600 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 1978: 17.33 ft, action stage; 24,370 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 1995: 14.30 ft, below flood stage; 15,700 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1997: 14.00 ft, below flood stage; 10,000 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 2003: 6.30 ft, below flood stage; 2,800 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 2005: 8.61 ft, below flood stageApr 24, 2006: 13.42 ft, below flood stage; 11,400 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2007: 11.18 ft, below flood stage; 8,910 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 2008: 12.20 ft, below flood stageApr 17, 2009: 16.85 ft, action stage; 21,100 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 2010: 8.60 ft, below flood stageMay 23, 2011: 21.11 ft, minor flooding; 40,300 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 2012: 4.12 ft, below flood stage; 350 cubic feet per secondSep 8, 2013: 12.35 ft, below flood stage; 11,300 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 2014: 13.80 ft, below flood stageJun 22, 2015: 8.37 ft, below flood stage; 5,020 cubic feet per secondSep 25, 2016: 5.05 ft, below flood stage; 1,880 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 2017: 7.25 ft, below flood stageApr 15, 2018: 12.42 ft, below flood stage; 11,500 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 2019: 16.54 ft, action stage; 21,900 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 2020: 8.97 ft, below flood stage; 5,310 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 2021: 2.48 ft, below flood stage Highest, 21.70 ft, Mar 23, 1947 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Little Missouri River at Marmarth 1910s: 1 1920s: 2 2 1930s: 0 1940s: 2 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 1 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 2010s: 1 2020s: 0 1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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: 23.40 ft on Mar 31, 1952.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Little Missouri River at Marmarth
1Mar 23, 194721.70+3.70Minor45,000
2Mar 1, 191321.50+3.50Minor—
3May 23, 201121.11+3.11Minor40,300
4May 1, 192920.20+2.20Minor—
5Mar 1, 192019.70+1.70Minor—
6Feb 20, 194319.50+1.50Minor36,000
7Mar 12, 197218.30+0.30Minor15,500
8Apr 5, 194417.80−0.20Action29,600
9Mar 27, 197817.33−0.67Action24,370
10Apr 17, 200916.85−1.15Action21,100
11May 8, 197516.75−1.25Action26,600
12Mar 24, 201916.54−1.46Action21,900
13Jun 5, 197116.31−1.69Action21,300
14May 13, 199514.30−3.70Below flood stage15,700
15Apr 7, 195014.20−3.80Below flood stage18,500
16Mar 20, 199714.00−4.00Below flood stage10,000
17Mar 11, 201413.80−4.20Below flood stage—
18May 10, 196713.59−4.41Below flood stage15,400
19Apr 24, 200613.42−4.58Below flood stage11,400
20Apr 15, 201812.42−5.58Below flood stage11,500
21Sep 8, 201312.35−5.65Below flood stage11,300
22May 9, 200812.20−5.80Below flood stage—
23Jun 7, 200711.18−6.82Below flood stage8,910
24Mar 8, 20208.97−9.03Below flood stage5,310
25Jun 29, 20058.61−9.39Below flood stage—
26Mar 18, 20108.60−9.40Below flood stage—
27Jun 22, 20158.37−9.63Below flood stage5,020
28Feb 21, 20177.25−10.75Below flood stage—
29Mar 19, 20036.30−11.70Below flood stage2,800
30Sep 25, 20165.05−12.95Below flood stage1,880
31Mar 13, 20124.12−13.88Below flood stage350
32Feb 27, 20212.48−15.52Below flood stage—

The worst floods along the Little Missouri River

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

March 23, 1947: 21.70 ft here, minor flooding

  • MedoraND · Mar 23, 1947 · 20.50 ft · Major · its highest
  • Watford CityND · Mar 25, 1947 · 24.00 ft · Moderate · its highest

May 23, 2011: 21.11 ft here, minor flooding

  • MedoraND · May 25, 2011 · 20.39 ft · Major
  • Camp CrookSD · May 24, 2011 · 19.40 ft · Major · its highest

Gauges on the Little Missouri River

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

Flood gauges on the Little Missouri River
Camp CrookSD12.019.40 ft, May 24, 20111
Marmarth this gaugeND18.021.70 ft, Mar 23, 19470
MedoraND15.020.50 ft, Mar 23, 19472
Watford CityND20.024.00 ft, Mar 25, 19470

Slope County: every hazard · River floods across the country · North Dakota

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge MTHN8, 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.