Rivers in Montana

Jefferson River near Twin Bridges

Madison County, MontanaNWS TWIM8USGS 06026500Great Falls office

Below flood stage
3.15ftStage

Observed Tue, Sep 29, 2:15 PM MDT

Flood stage
10.00 ft
Record crest
12.42 ft1997

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood12.00 ft
Moderate flood11.00 ft
Minor flood10.00 ft
Action9.00 ft
  1. 10.50 ftFebruary 2019...River stage near 10.5 feet between Twin Bridges and Silver Star. No flooding reported. Cause is an ice jam. The start of the ice jam was north of Silver Star.
  2. 9.30 ftMay 30 2018 - Around 9.3 feet, flooding continues downstream around Cardwell. Cardwell post office has water by it. Cardwell School is surrounded by water. Homes along this portion of the Jefferson River surrounded by water and basements flood.
  3. 9.10 ftMay 30 2018 - Around 9.1 feet, flooding begins downstream around Cardwell.

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

41 crests on NOAA’s list since 1958.

#DateStage
1June 9, 199712.42 ft
2June 11, 199612.00 ft
3December 14, 200011.25 ft
4February 11, 201910.50 ft
5January 7, 199910.35 ft
6June 1, 200310.31 ft
7May 31, 199910.08 ft
8June 11, 20119.89 ft
9June 12, 20119.70 ft
10June 27, 19989.66 ft
11June 2, 20099.58 ft
12May 22, 20089.58 ft
13June 11, 20069.44 ft
14January 15, 20079.34 ft
15June 19, 20109.33 ft
16June 10, 19649.04 ft
17January 3, 20048.79 ft
18January 2, 20058.78 ft
19January 2, 20028.52 ft
20June 3, 20028.37 ft
21June 3, 19728.25 ft
22June 18, 19658.13 ft
23June 10, 19707.69 ft
24June 8, 19677.55 ft
25May 22, 19697.51 ft

Most recent crests

  • February 11, 2019: 10.50 ft
  • April 28, 2012: 7.34 ft
  • June 12, 2011: 9.70 ft
  • June 11, 2011: 9.89 ft
  • June 19, 2010: 9.33 ft
  • June 2, 2009: 9.58 ft
  • May 22, 2008: 9.58 ft
  • June 9, 2007: 7.47 ft
  • January 15, 2007: 9.34 ft
  • June 11, 2006: 9.44 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.

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.