Rivers in Montana

Clark Fork River near Plains

Sanders County, MontanaNWS PLNM8USGS 12389000Missoula office

Below flood stage
4.67ftStage

Observed Tue, Sep 22, 1:45 AM MDT

Flood stage
16.00 ft
Forecast crest
4.68 ftTue, Sep 22, 12:00 PM MDT
Record crest
19.17 ft1948

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood19.50 ft
Moderate flood18.00 ft
Minor flood16.00 ft
Action15.00 ft
  1. 18.00 ftFlooding affects low lying areas ajacent to the river including county roads and possibly areas in Plains west of Montana Rail Link. Floodwaters also threaten Highway 200 west of Plains and Highway 200 west of Paradise.
  2. 16.00 ftFlooding affects county roads and low lying areas adjacent to the river.

Crest history

30 crests on NOAA’s list since 1913.

#DateStage
1June 5, 194819.17 ft
2May 28, 192818.41 ft
3June 17, 193318.00 ft
4June 5, 191317.94 ft
5July 2, 191617.90 ft
6June 14, 192717.60 ft
7June 11, 196417.48 ft
8June 9, 192217.25 ft
9June 10, 197217.13 ft
10May 19, 199717.12 ft
11June 20, 191717.00 ft
12June 20, 197416.95 ft
13June 23, 195016.81 ft
14May 27, 201816.55 ft
15May 22, 192516.55 ft
16June 10, 201116.53 ft
17June 16, 191816.45 ft
18May 11, 194716.41 ft
19June 22, 197516.35 ft
20May 26, 195616.05 ft
21May 28, 192116.00 ft
22May 18, 194915.60 ft
23May 26, 195115.60 ft
24June 14, 192315.50 ft
25June 13, 202214.91 ft

Most recent crests

  • May 13, 2025: 9.08 ft
  • June 13, 2022: 14.91 ft
  • June 6, 2021: 12.00 ft
  • June 2, 2020: 14.15 ft
  • May 27, 2018: 16.55 ft
  • May 29, 2014: 14.52 ft
  • June 10, 2011: 16.53 ft
  • June 4, 2002: 14.62 ft
  • May 19, 1997: 17.12 ft
  • June 22, 1975: 16.35 ft

Nearby

Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.

What this means

Forecasts by the Northwest River Forecast Center. Forecasts are issued routinely year-round.

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.