What changed on Montana rivers this week (Oct 24–Oct 30, 2026)
Between Oct 24 and Oct 30, 1 of the 38 gauges in Montana rose by 10% or more, 9 fell by 10% or more, and 8 changed status. 9 have no reading at one end of the week (n/a).
Compares the snapshot of Oct 24, 2026, 7:07 PM PDT with the latest, Oct 30, 2026, 11:23 AM PDT. Not a forecast.
Biggest risers
| River | Flow Oct 24 | Flow Oct 30 | Change | Status then → now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yaak River near Troy, MT | 87.4 cfs | 125 cfs | +43% | Too low → Fishable/Floatable |
Biggest fallers
| River | Flow Oct 24 | Flow Oct 30 | Change | Status then → now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Hole River below Big Lake Creek, at Wisdom, MT | 288 cfs | 113 cfs | -61% | Use caution → Fishable/Floatable |
| Rock Creek near Clinton, MT | 474 cfs | 303 cfs | -36% | Use caution → High but doable |
| Beaverhead River at Dillon, MT | 156 cfs | 126 cfs | -19% | Fishable/Floatable (same) |
| Bitterroot River near Darby, MT | 292 cfs | 237 cfs | -19% | Fishable/Floatable (same) |
| Madison River below Ennis Lake, near McAllister, MT | 1,420 cfs | 1,160 cfs | -18% | Fishable/Floatable → Too low |
| Clark Fork above Missoula, MT | 2,020 cfs | 1,710 cfs | -15% | High but doable → Fishable/Floatable |
| Big Hole River near Melrose, MT | 704 cfs | 612 cfs | -13% | High but doable → Fishable/Floatable |
| Beaverhead River near Twin Bridges, MT | 273 cfs | 240 cfs | -12% | Fishable/Floatable (same) |
| Missouri River below Holter Dam, near Wolf Creek, MT | 3,080 cfs | 2,720 cfs | -12% | Fishable/Floatable → Too low |
Status changes
| River | Flow Oct 24 | Flow Oct 30 | Change | Status then → now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Hole River below Big Lake Creek, at Wisdom, MT | 288 cfs | 113 cfs | -61% | Use caution → Fishable/Floatable |
| Big Hole River near Melrose, MT | 704 cfs | 612 cfs | -13% | High but doable → Fishable/Floatable |
| Clark Fork above Missoula, MT | 2,020 cfs | 1,710 cfs | -15% | High but doable → Fishable/Floatable |
| Madison River near West Yellowstone, MT | 335 cfs | 315 cfs | -6% | Fishable/Floatable → Too low |
| Madison River below Ennis Lake, near McAllister, MT | 1,420 cfs | 1,160 cfs | -18% | Fishable/Floatable → Too low |
| Missouri River below Holter Dam, near Wolf Creek, MT | 3,080 cfs | 2,720 cfs | -12% | Fishable/Floatable → Too low |
| Rock Creek near Clinton, MT | 474 cfs | 303 cfs | -36% | Use caution → High but doable |
| Yaak River near Troy, MT | 87.4 cfs | 125 cfs | +43% | Too low → Fishable/Floatable |
All 38 Montana gauges, day by day
Middle columns are each day's snapshot flow in cfs (last run of that day).
| River | Flow Oct 24 | Oct 25 | Oct 26 | Oct 27 | Oct 28 | Oct 29 | Flow Oct 30 | Change | Status then → now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yaak River near Troy, MT | 87.4 cfs | 87.4 | 85.3 | 100 | 135 | 130 | 125 cfs | +43% | Too low → Fishable/Floatable |
| Bitterroot River near Missoula, MT | 899 cfs | 960 | 916 | 942 | 969 | 960 | 934 cfs | +4% | Fishable/Floatable (same) |
| Clark Fork near Plains, MT | 10,300 cfs | 10,500 | 10,600 | 10,500 | 10,600 | 10,700 | 10,700 cfs | +4% | Fishable/Floatable (same) |
| Yellowstone River at Billings, MT | 3,130 cfs | 3,190 | 3,230 | 3,210 | 3,210 | 3,170 | 3,210 cfs | +3% | Fishable/Floatable (same) |
| Middle Fork Flathead River near West Glacier, MT | 510 cfs | 487 | 479 | 517 | 541 | 533 | 517 cfs | +1% | Fishable/Floatable (same) |
| Missouri River at Toston, MT | 3,800 cfs | 4,110 | 3,910 | 4,110 | 4,210 | 3,950 | 3,850 cfs | +1% | Fishable/Floatable (same) |
| Kootenai River below Libby Dam, near Libby, MT | 4,240 cfs | 4,240 | 4,260 | 4,280 | 4,240 | 4,240 | 4,240 cfs | 0% | Fishable/Floatable (same) |
| Gallatin River at Logan, MT | 730 cfs | 691 | 647 | 784 | 763 | 743 | 723 cfs | -1.0% | Fishable/Floatable (same) |
| Flathead River at Columbia Falls, MT | 3,640 cfs | 3,600 | 3,600 | 3,660 | 3,680 | 3,680 | 3,600 cfs | -1% | Fishable/Floatable (same) |
| Stillwater River near Absarokee, MT | 440 cfs | 435 | 419 | 446 | 440 | 440 | 435 cfs | -1% | Fishable/Floatable (same) |
| Missouri River at Fort Benton, MT | 4,770 cfs | 4,920 | 5,030 | 4,750 | 4,630 | 4,610 | 4,610 cfs | -3% | Fishable/Floatable (same) |
| Smith River near Eden, MT | 143 cfs | 138 | 128 | 141 | 146 | 143 | 138 cfs | -3% | Fishable/Floatable (same) |
| Blackfoot River near Bonner, MT | 719 cfs | 697 | 662 | 690 | 690 | 690 | 683 cfs | -5% | Fishable/Floatable (same) |
| Clark Fork below Missoula, MT | 2,760 cfs | 2,830 | 2,670 | 2,670 | 2,740 | 2,650 | 2,610 cfs | -5% | Fishable/Floatable (same) |
| Yellowstone River near Livingston, MT | 1,650 cfs | 1,630 | 1,600 | 1,630 | 1,610 | 1,550 | 1,560 cfs | -5% | Fishable/Floatable (same) |
| Madison River near West Yellowstone, MT | 335 cfs | 322 | 315 | 322 | 315 | 309 | 315 cfs | -6% | Fishable/Floatable → Too low |
| Gallatin River near Gallatin Gateway, MT | 402 cfs | 370 | 360 | 397 | 370 | 325 | 376 cfs | -6% | Fishable/Floatable (same) |
| Madison River near Cameron, MT | 994 cfs | 971 | 971 | 938 | 915 | 894 | 915 cfs | -8% | Fishable/Floatable (same) |
| Bighorn River below Yellowtail Afterbay Dam, near St. Xavier, MT | 1,780 cfs | 1,780 | 1,780 | 1,780 | 1,780 | 1,800 | 1,610 cfs | -10% | Fishable/Floatable (same) |
| Yellowstone River at Corwin Springs, MT | 1,240 cfs | 1,200 | 1,170 | 1,180 | 1,170 | 1,120 | 1,120 cfs | -10% | Fishable/Floatable (same) |
| Missouri River below Holter Dam, near Wolf Creek, MT | 3,080 cfs | 2,890 | 2,860 | 2,870 | 2,840 | 2,720 | 2,720 cfs | -12% | Fishable/Floatable → Too low |
| Beaverhead River near Twin Bridges, MT | 273 cfs | 251 | 242 | 235 | 231 | 249 | 240 cfs | -12% | Fishable/Floatable (same) |
| Big Hole River near Melrose, MT | 704 cfs | 786 | 720 | 649 | 634 | 634 | 612 cfs | -13% | High but doable → Fishable/Floatable |
| Clark Fork above Missoula, MT | 2,020 cfs | 1,860 | 1,770 | 1,820 | 1,820 | 1,740 | 1,710 cfs | -15% | High but doable → Fishable/Floatable |
| Madison River below Ennis Lake, near McAllister, MT | 1,420 cfs | 1,250 | 1,250 | 1,430 | 1,410 | 1,270 | 1,160 cfs | -18% | Fishable/Floatable → Too low |
| Bitterroot River near Darby, MT | 292 cfs | 247 | 251 | 265 | 258 | 244 | 237 cfs | -19% | Fishable/Floatable (same) |
| Beaverhead River at Dillon, MT | 156 cfs | 159 | 141 | 150 | 138 | 126 | 126 cfs | -19% | Fishable/Floatable (same) |
| Rock Creek near Clinton, MT | 474 cfs | 354 | 331 | 354 | 336 | 308 | 303 cfs | -36% | Use caution → High but doable |
| Big Hole River below Big Lake Creek, at Wisdom, MT | 288 cfs | 183 | 150 | 168 | 142 | 118 | 113 cfs | -61% | Use caution → Fishable/Floatable |
| Jefferson River near Three Forks, MT | n/a | 1,720 | 1,700 | 1,700 | 1,640 | 1,530 | 1,520 cfs | n/a | n/a |
| Jefferson River near Twin Bridges, MT | n/a | 1,490 | 1,510 | 1,450 | 1,380 | 1,360 | 1,320 cfs | n/a | n/a |
| Judith River near mouth, near Winifred, MT | n/a | 373 | 364 | 373 | 381 | 368 | 364 cfs | n/a | n/a |
| Marias River near Loma, MT | n/a | 490 | 484 | 504 | 531 | 531 | 510 cfs | n/a | n/a |
| Marias River near Shelby, MT | n/a | 305 | 295 | 300 | 290 | 280 | 280 cfs | n/a | n/a |
| Ruby River below reservoir, near Alder, MT | n/a | 44.6 | 45.7 | 44.6 | 44.6 | 45.7 | 44.6 cfs | n/a | n/a |
| Ruby River near Twin Bridges, MT | n/a | 179 | 177 | 212 | 185 | 177 | 175 cfs | n/a | n/a |
| Sun River at Simms, MT | n/a | 301 | 295 | 301 | 289 | 276 | 282 cfs | n/a | n/a |
| Sun River near Vaughn, MT | n/a | 552 | 533 | 542 | 533 | 506 | 506 cfs | n/a | n/a |
How this is worked out: on every run Flowcast saves each gauge's latest USGS flow reading and its status; the last run of each day is kept as that day's snapshot (times are when the run finished, not exact reading times). This page compares the oldest snapshot in the last 7 days (Oct 24, 2026, 7:07 PM PDT) with the latest one (Oct 30, 2026, 11:23 AM PDT), about 5.7 days apart. Change is (latest flow − earlier flow) ÷ earlier flow. Rising or falling here means a change of 10% or more either way. “n/a” means the gauge had no snapshot reading at one end (for example it was added to Flowcast later, or had no current reading). Two snapshots can miss peaks in between, USGS readings are provisional, and dam releases can change flow on regulated rivers at any time. This describes the past week only; it is not a forecast. The window moves forward one day each day.
All Montana rivers · Montana rivers rising or falling now (24 h) · All states this week · Other states: Oregon · Washington · Idaho
Data from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Readings are provisional and subject to revision. Flowcast statuses are automated comparisons with each gauge's own history, not safety ratings or fishing reports. Check local conditions, weather, regulations and closures before you go. Rivers can change quickly.