Flathead River near Polson, MT
River level and flood forecast · Lake County
Normal5.5 ftas of Mon 11:50 AM
The river is 12.5 ft below flood stage (18 ft).
Forecast to hold near 5.5 ft through Mon, Oct 19, 12 PM.
Flow: 7,250 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
| Flood stage | 18 ft |
| Record crest (June 1, 1894) | 21 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 18 ftFlooding to agricultural land in the vicinity of Dixon. Cattle may be stranded in low lying areas next to the river.
Highest crests on record
- 21 ft — June 1, 1894
- 19.3 ft — May 26, 1980
- 19.15 ft — June 6, 1948
- 17.99 ft — June 12, 1964
- 17.99 ft — June 16, 1951
Recent crests: 8.63 ft (May 26, 2025) · 16.89 ft (June 24, 2022) · 11.84 ft (June 1, 2021) · 14.7 ft (June 8, 2020) · 15.5 ft (May 30, 2018)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- UpstreamFlathead River at Columbia Falls, MT
- DownstreamFlathead River at Perma, MT
- Swan River near Bigfork, MT
- Flathead River at Foys Bend near Kalispell, MT
- Clark Fork River near Plains, MT
- Stillwater River at Lawrence Park at Kalispell, MT
- South Fork Flathead River above Twin Creek near Hungry Horse, MT
- South Fork Jocko near Arlee MT, MT
- Whitefish River near Kalispell, MT
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (FPOM8); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.