Rivers in Montana

Little Bighorn River near Hardin

Big Horn County, MontanaNWS HRDM8USGS 06294000Billings office

Below flood stage
2.27ftStage

Observed Tue, Sep 29, 10:15 PM MDT

Flood stage
8.00 ft
Record crest
12.32 ft2011

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood11.80 ft
Moderate flood10.00 ft
Minor flood8.00 ft

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

57 crests on NOAA’s list since 1960.

#DateStage
1May 23, 201112.32 ft
2March 21, 196011.78 ft
3May 19, 197811.20 ft
4March 25, 20199.65 ft
5February 9, 19969.33 ft
6February 18, 19829.17 ft
7June 1, 20188.47 ft
8June 10, 20078.31 ft
9June 27, 19698.30 ft
10June 27, 20237.78 ft
11February 14, 19717.30 ft
12March 9, 19727.20 ft
13June 11, 19687.07 ft
14March 12, 19897.06 ft
15June 2, 20147.06 ft
16May 21, 19946.97 ft
17February 27, 19866.71 ft
18May 9, 19756.52 ft
19February 4, 19956.41 ft
20June 1, 20136.16 ft
21April 29, 20176.03 ft
22March 9, 19936.03 ft
23May 26, 20085.96 ft
24May 10, 20245.90 ft
25May 12, 19955.86 ft

Most recent crests

  • May 10, 2024: 5.90 ft
  • June 27, 2023: 7.78 ft
  • June 2, 2022: 5.66 ft
  • June 7, 2021: 4.28 ft
  • June 2, 2020: 4.83 ft
  • March 25, 2019: 9.65 ft
  • June 1, 2018: 8.47 ft
  • April 29, 2017: 6.03 ft
  • April 21, 2016: 3.83 ft
  • May 31, 2015: 5.75 ft

Nearby

Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.

What this means

Forecasts by the Missouri Basin River Forecast Center. Forecasts are issued as needed during times of high water, but are not routinely available. Stage may be affected by ice during winter months. River forecasts will be issued for this location when the water level reaches 1.5 feet from flood stage.

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.