Rivers in Montana

Yellowstone River at Billings

Yellowstone County, MontanaNWS BILM8USGS 06214500Billings office

Below flood stage
2.63ftStage

Observed Tue, Sep 29, 2:00 PM MDT

Flood stage
13.50 ft
Record crest
16.37 ft2022

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood15.00 ft
Moderate flood14.50 ft
Minor flood13.50 ft
Action12.50 ft
  1. 13.10 ftWater flows over Cerise road in east Billings across the river from Metra Park.
  2. 12.50 ftMinor flooding of several homes in Arrow Island subdivision begins.

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, October to December

CategoryChance
Minor floodingUnder 5%
Moderate floodingUnder 5%
Major floodingUnder 5%

The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued September 23, 2026.

Crest history

64 crests on NOAA’s list since 1944.

#DateStage
1June 15, 202216.37 ft
2June 12, 199715.00 ft
3June 19, 197414.60 ft
4July 2, 201114.37 ft
5June 12, 199613.73 ft
6July 7, 197513.48 ft
7May 28, 201813.47 ft
8June 30, 198213.25 ft
9June 2, 202013.22 ft
10May 30, 201413.04 ft
11June 25, 197112.99 ft
12June 21, 196812.66 ft
13June 8, 197012.51 ft
14June 27, 194412.50 ft
15June 7, 199112.44 ft
16June 8, 201912.42 ft
17June 7, 199512.33 ft
18June 16, 196712.20 ft
19June 10, 198112.14 ft
20June 9, 197212.08 ft
21June 2, 200312.04 ft
22May 19, 197811.91 ft
23June 6, 198611.83 ft
24June 6, 201011.73 ft
25June 26, 200811.68 ft

Most recent crests

  • June 11, 2024: 11.50 ft
  • May 25, 2023: 10.09 ft
  • June 15, 2022: 16.37 ft
  • June 7, 2021: 10.31 ft
  • June 2, 2020: 13.22 ft
  • June 8, 2019: 12.42 ft
  • May 28, 2018: 13.47 ft
  • June 7, 2017: 11.58 ft
  • June 9, 2016: 8.96 ft
  • June 2, 2015: 10.50 ft

Nearby

Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.

What this means

Forecasts by the Missouri Basin River Forecast Center. Forecasts are issued routinely during the warm season, and as needed at other times of the year. Stage may be affected by ice during winter months. River forecasts for this location take into account past precipitation and the precipitation amounts expected approximately 72 hours into the future from the forecast issuance time.

Sources

Stage, flood stages, impacts and crest history from NOAA’s National Water Prediction Service. Streamflow and the daily record from the U.S. Geological Survey.