TornadoLiveMap

Flathead River near Polson — water level right now

Lake County, Montana · NWS gauge FPOM8
Loading the latest reading…
–
current stage (ft)
 
18
minor flood stage
 
21
record crest
set 1894-06-01
–
flood status
official NWS category
Official NOAA forecast → USGS data → Full US flood map →

Flood stages at this gauge

Where the water stands right now against the four official thresholds:

minor · 18
Flood stageLevel (ft)What it means
Minor flood stage18low-lying roads and fields near the river start to flood

Highest floods on record here

#Crest (ft)Datevs. minor flood stage
1211894-06-01+3 above
219.31980-05-26+1.3 above
319.151948-06-06+1.15 above
417.991964-06-120.01 below
517.991951-06-160.01 below
617.451958-05-260.55 below
717.21928-05-290.8 below
817.041945-06-030.96 below
916.91974-06-241.1 below
1016.892022-06-241.11 below
1116.891956-06-071.11 below
1216.81947-05-151.2 below

Historic crests recorded at this gauge by the National Weather Service — the 12 highest on file.

Where this gauge is

The marker is this gauge; nearby gauges load live and are clickable.

Nearby river gauges

Swan River near Bigfork 27 mi away · loading… Clark Fork River near Plains 33 mi away · loading… Stillwater River at Lawrence Park at Kalispell 37 mi away · loading… Whitefish River near Kalispell 44 mi away · loading… Thompson River near Thompson Falls 46 mi away · loading… Clark Fork River at St. Regis 47 mi away · loading…

Gauge details

NWS gauge IDFPOM8
USGS site12372000
CountyLake
StateMontana
NWS forecast officeMissoula
River forecast centerNorthwest River Forecast Center
Coordinates47.68, -114.246
Time zoneMST7MDT
Turn Around, Don't Drown. Six inches of moving water can knock you off your feet and twelve inches can float a car. Never drive around barricades or into water of unknown depth — most flood deaths happen in vehicles.

Questions about Flathead River near Polson

Is Flathead River near Polson flooding right now?

The live reading at the top of this page answers that: the gauge is compared against its official NWS flood stages every 15 minutes. Minor flooding at this gauge begins at 18 ft. Blue means normal, yellow is action stage, orange minor, red moderate and dark red major flooding.

What is flood stage for Flathead River near Polson?

minor flood stage 18 ft. These are official National Weather Service thresholds set specifically for this gauge, not generic values.

What is the record flood at Flathead River near Polson?

The highest crest on file at this gauge is 21 ft, reached on 1894-06-01 — that is 3 ft above minor flood stage. The full list of the highest crests is in the table on this page.

Where does this data come from?

From the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, the official U.S. river gauge network — a U.S. government work in the public domain. Live stage is refreshed every 15 minutes; flood thresholds and historic crests are refreshed monthly. For life-safety decisions follow NWS Missoula and local emergency management.