How high is the Flathead River at Columbia Falls Mount right now?

The Flathead River at Columbia Falls Mount is currently flowing at 46,300 cubic feet per second with a gage height of 13.77 feet, based on the most recent USGS instantaneous reading.

Is the flow on the Flathead River at Columbia Falls Mount normal for this time of year?

Current flow is classified as very high for October 28. Today's discharge is at the 125th percentile compared to the long-term historical record at this gauge.

Is the Flathead River at Columbia Falls Mount at flood stage?

Yes — the gage height is currently 0.77 feet above the NWS flood-stage threshold of 13.0 feet.

What is the historical median flow for the Flathead River at Columbia Falls Mount on October 28?

The long-term median discharge for this date is 3,960 cfs based on USGS daily statistics. The 10th–95th percentile range historically is 2,600 to 11,500 cfs.

Where is the Flathead River at Columbia Falls Mount stream gauge located?

The Flathead River at Columbia Falls Mount stream gauge is operated by the USGS in Flathead County, MT on the Flathead River. USGS site number 12363000 (coordinates 48.3618, -114.1850).

Flathead River at Columbia Falls Mount

USGS Site No: 12363000 • Flathead River • Flathead County, MT

Flathead River at Columbia Falls Mount on the Flathead River is currently at 46,300 cfs (Very High — 125th percentile for this date) . Gage height: 13.77 ft. This station is at or above flood stage.

Reading from 4 months ago

↑ Upstream on Flathead River

South F Flathead River near Columbia Falls Mount

Downstream on Flathead River ↓

Flathead River Near Polson Mount

46,300

CFS Discharge

13.77

Gage Height (ft)

Very High

Flow Condition

FLOOD

Flood Status

Historical Percentile Comparison

Today's discharge compared to the long-term record for October 28 at this station. Percentile rank shows what fraction of historical years had lower flow on this date.

Percentile	Label	CFS Threshold
10th	Very Low threshold	2,600
25th	Low threshold	3,620
50th (Median)	Normal (median)	3,960
75th	High threshold	6,330
95th	Very High threshold	11,500

30-Day Hydrograph

Recent discharge plotted against the historical 10th–95th percentile envelope for the same calendar days. Source: USGS daily values + long-term statistics.

10th–95th historical Day-of-year median Recent discharge

30-Day Flow History

Date	Discharge (CFS)	Gage Ht (ft)
May 26, 2026	25,500	—
May 25, 2026	22,400	—
May 24, 2026	19,400	—
May 23, 2026	18,100	—
May 22, 2026	18,100	—
May 21, 2026	18,700	—
May 20, 2026	19,200	—
May 19, 2026	20,200	—
May 18, 2026	22,700	—
May 17, 2026	25,500	—
May 16, 2026	28,400	—
May 15, 2026	32,600	—
Apr 20, 2026	16,400	—
Apr 19, 2026	16,700	—
Apr 18, 2026	17,200	—
Apr 17, 2026	18,000	—
Apr 16, 2026	18,400	—
Apr 15, 2026	18,100	—
Apr 14, 2026	17,700	—
Apr 13, 2026	16,900	—
Apr 12, 2026	16,100	—
Apr 11, 2026	15,400	—
Apr 10, 2026	15,100	—
Apr 9, 2026	14,500	—
Apr 8, 2026	14,000	—
Apr 7, 2026	13,000	—
Apr 6, 2026	12,500	—
Apr 5, 2026	12,800	—
Apr 4, 2026	13,400	—
Apr 3, 2026	14,000	—

Station Information

USGS Site No: 12363000
State: MT
County: Flathead County
Coordinates: 48.3618, -114.1850
Drainage Area: 4,473 mi²
Datum (ft): 2,981.5
HUC Code: 17010208

View on USGS NWIS →

Flood Stage Thresholds

Action Stage: 12.5 ft
Flood Stage: 13.0 ft
Moderate Flood: 18.0 ft
Major Flood: 22.0 ft

Currently 0.77 ft above flood stage.

Recent Extremes

Max discharge: 32,600 cfs

May 15, 2026
Min discharge: 3,460 cfs

Dec 4, 2025
Days at flood stage: 0

Computed from the local daily-values archive.

Nearby Gauges

Whitefish River Near Kalispell Mount
5.2 mi · 67 cfs

Normal
South F Flathead River near Columbia Falls Mount
6.8 mi · 16,100 cfs

Very High
North F Flathead River near Columbia Falls Mount
9.6 mi · 14,900 cfs

Very High
Stillwater River at Lawrence Park, at Kalispell
11.6 mi · 609 cfs

Very High
M F Flathead River Near West Glacier Mount
12.2 mi · 14,800 cfs

Very High