Flathead River at Columbia Falls, MT
River level and flood forecast · Flathead County
Normal3.8 ftas of Mon 12:45 PM
The river is 9.2 ft below flood stage (13 ft).
Forecast to hold near 3.8 ft through Mon, Oct 19, 12 PM.
Flow: 3,620 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 9:36 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 22 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 18 ft |
| Flood stage | 13 ft |
| Action stage | 12.5 ft |
| Record crest (June 9, 1964) | 25.58 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 22 ftFlooding in Columbia Falls, Kalispell, Creston and Foy's Bend causing isolation of many homes within the valley. Many secondary roads are impassable and closures of Highway 93 are expected.
- 18 ftFlooding of low lying areas in Columbia Falls including many buildings and secondary roads. There is also possible flooding along Highway 93 between Kalispell and Sommers.
- 16.1 ftA trailer and RV park located just north of Highway 35 in Evergreen may be flooded.
- 16 ftLow lying buildings and roads in the vicinity of Kalispell, Creston, Columbia Falls and Foy's Bend begin flooding.
- 14 ftFlooding of farmers crops adjacent to the Flathead River is likely. Sections of the Steel Bridge Road become inundated with water and impassable.
- 13 ftFarmers crops adjacent to the Flathead River are inundated with water.
Highest crests on record
- 25.58 ft — June 9, 1964
- 22.7 ft — June 1, 1894
- 19.08 ft — May 23, 1948
- 17.63 ft — June 16, 1933
- 17.27 ft — May 9, 1947
Recent crests: 13.81 ft (May 29, 2026) · 11.1 ft (December 12, 2025) · 14.86 ft (June 15, 2022) · 12.9 ft (June 5, 2021) · 13.87 ft (June 1, 2020)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- DownstreamFlathead River near Polson, MT
- Whitefish River near Kalispell, MT
- South Fork Flathead River near Columbia Falls, MT
- North Fork Flathead River near Columbia Falls, MT
- Stillwater River at Lawrence Park at Kalispell, MT
- Middle Fork Flathead River near West Glacier, MT
- Flathead River at Foys Bend near Kalispell, MT
- Swan River near Bigfork, MT
- Swiftcurrent Creek at Many Glacier near Babb, MT
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (CFMM8); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.