Big Hole River near Melrose, MT
River level and flood forecast · Madison County
Normal1.8 ftas of Mon 2:15 PM
The river is 4.2 ft below flood stage (6 ft).
Flow: 411 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Sun, Dec 31, 5 PM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 8 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 7.5 ft |
| Flood stage | 6 ft |
| Action stage | 5 ft |
| Record crest (June 9, 1997) | 8.09 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 8 ftThe town of Melrose begins to flood on the south end of town.
- 7 ftAgricultural land floods and irrigation systems need to be protected.
- 6.5 ftAt 6.5 Feet - May 2018 - Water continues to impact agriculutral land along the river and equipment near the river needs to be protected. A couple of homes in the Meriweather Subdivison impacted with basement flooding. Sections of Burma Road impacted.
- 6.4 ft6.4 Feet June 19, 2020. River was above flood stage. Cause - Snowmelt/runoff from rainfall about 2 days prior. Bigh Hole River upstream at BHD rose to about 6.6 feet. Downstream at Glen, it rose to about 6.5 feet.
- 6.2 ftAt 6.2 Feet on the Big Hole River...water starts to come out of its bank and affect a home/driveway near Glen. Look at staff gauge GNLM8...that should be around 6.5 feet on the Big Hole River near Glen for flooding around Glen. (June 2017)
Highest crests on record
- 8.09 ft — June 9, 1997
- 8.04 ft — June 10, 1972
- 7.88 ft — June 9, 1964
- 7.76 ft — June 3, 1948
- 7.72 ft — May 27, 1942
Recent crests: 6.45 ft (June 19, 2020) · 7.05 ft (May 27, 2018) · 6.21 ft (May 11, 2018) · 5.25 ft (April 27, 2012) · 7.46 ft (June 10, 2011)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- UpstreamBig Hole River at Maiden Rock near Divide, MT
- DownstreamBig Hole River near Glen, MT
- Beaverhead River near Twin Bridges, MT
- Big Hole River near bl Hamilton Ditch nr Twin Bridges, MT
- Beaverhead River at Twin Bridges, MT
- Ruby River near Twin Bridges, MT
- Jefferson River near Twin Bridges, MT
- Beaverhead River at Dillon, MT
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (MLRM8); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.