Yellowstone River near Sidney, MT
River level and flood forecast · Richland County
Normal2.5 ftas of Mon 2 PM
The river is 16.5 ft below flood stage (19 ft).
Flow: 5,500 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 | 21.7 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 20 ft |
| Flood stage | 19 ft |
| Action stage | 17 ft |
| Record crest (March 6, 1994) | 24.03 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 28.2 ftIce jam will threaten city bridges.
- 28.2 ftIce jam will threaten city bridges.
- 24 ftSevere ice jamming may threaten city bridges.
- 21 ftRichland Park north of Sidney begins to flood.
- 19 ftFlood stage. Expect low-land flooding to occur.
- 14 ftAt stages of 14.0 feet and higher combined with 60,000 cfs or more will create under tow which can sweep people under water.
- 2.8 ftAt river levels of 2.8 feet and lower, MDU power plant in Sidney needs to shut down due to lack of water in its intake pipe for the cooling towers.
Highest crests on record
- 24.03 ft — March 6, 1994
- 22.08 ft — March 19, 2011
- 21.92 ft — May 25, 2011
- 21.67 ft — February 17, 1971
- 21.65 ft — June 16, 1965
Recent crests: 17.83 ft (March 2, 2025) · 19.59 ft (March 24, 2019) · 16.87 ft (June 2, 2018) · 18.29 ft (March 26, 2018) · 14.41 ft (June 10, 2017)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- UpstreamYellowstone River at Glendive, MT
- Missouri River near Culbertson, MT
- Missouri River near Williston, ND
- Beaver Creek (SW ND) near Trotters, ND
- Big Muddy Creek at US 2 west of Culbertson, MT
- Little Missouri River near Watford City, ND
- Little Muddy River near Williston, ND
- Poplar River near Poplar, MT
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (SIDM8); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.