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Yellowstone River at Livingston, MT

USGS gauge 06192500 · drainage 3,551 sq mi · observed Oct 16, 11:00 PM MDT · 72 min old

Latest flow1,650 cfsObserved Oct 16, 11:00 PM MDT

Gage height-0.03 ftObserved Oct 16, 11:00 PM MDT

Percentile for date26th

Percentile for Oct 16 from the trailing 24 h mean (1,682 cfs), 102 years of USGS daily statistics; estimated. Median for the date: 1,920 cfs

24 h change-3%Flow 24 h earlier: 1,700 cfs

Last 7 days Live gauge

Source: USGS Water Data API (continuous values), observed to Oct 16, 11:00 PM MDT. Shaded band: 25th to 75th percentile of USGS daily statistics for each date; dashed: median. Flow in cfs.

Rate of rise and fall Live gauge

Window	Flow then	Change to latest	Gage height then	Gage height change
1 h	1,660 cfs	▬ -10 cfs (-0.6%)	-0.02 ft	-0.01 ft
3 h	1,670 cfs	▼ -20 cfs (-1.2%)	-0.01 ft	-0.02 ft
6 h	1,690 cfs	▼ -40 cfs (-2.4%)	0.02 ft	-0.05 ft
12 h	1,670 cfs	▼ -20 cfs (-1.2%)	0.00 ft	-0.03 ft
24 h	1,700 cfs	▼ -50 cfs (-2.9%)	0.04 ft	-0.07 ft

Last 7 days

Measure	Flow	Time	Relative to latest reading
Highest reading	1,930 cfs	Oct 12, 11:30 PM MDT	96 h earlier
Lowest reading	1,490 cfs	Oct 10, 4:45 PM MDT	150 h earlier

Source: computed from USGS continuous readings (Water Data API) to Oct 16, 11:00 PM MDT. Each row compares the latest reading with the reading closest to that many hours earlier; the arrow is steady (▬) when the change is within 1%.

Last 12 months Historical record

Source: USGS daily mean flows (Water Data API), Oct 15, 2025 to Oct 15, 2026. Shaded band: 25th to 75th percentile of USGS daily statistics for each date; dashed: median. Gaps are days without a published value; recent days are provisional.

Daily mean flow Live gauge

Date (gauge-local)	Mean flow	Note
Oct 16, 2026	1,682 cfs
Oct 15, 2026	1,730 cfs
Oct 14, 2026	1,808 cfs
Oct 13, 2026	1,898 cfs
Oct 12, 2026	1,804 cfs
Oct 11, 2026	1,605 cfs
Oct 10, 2026	1,544 cfs
Oct 9, 2026	1,562 cfs

Source: USGS Water Data API (continuous values); each mean uses readings on that gauge-local date, shown only with at least 80% of expected readings.

The same 50 days in earlier years Historical record

━ 2026 ╌ 2025 ╌ 2024 ╌ 2023

Year	Mean flow	Highest day
2026	1,760 cfs	2,160 cfs
2025	1,504 cfs	1,840 cfs
2024	1,813 cfs	2,530 cfs
2023	2,287 cfs	2,700 cfs

Source: USGS daily mean flows (Water Data API). Each line is the 50 days from Aug 27 to Oct 15, shifted to the same calendar dates in earlier years; gaps are days without a published value. Recent days are provisional.

Compared with this gauge’s record Historical record

Measure	Value	When or rank
Peak daily flow, last 7 days	1,890 cfs	Oct 13, 2026
Last time, before the last 7 days, that daily flow was this high or higher	1,920 cfs	Sep 4, 2026 (39 days earlier)
Last day above the 90th percentile for its date, before the last 7 days	May 14, 2026	5 months earlier
Days above the 75th percentile for their date	0 of 30	last 30 days
October 1 to 15, mean flow	1,655 cfs	rank 89 highest of 103 years

Source: USGS daily mean flows (Water Data API), 1897 to 2026 (37,207 days), data through Oct 15, 2026, computed Oct 17, 2026; method record-v1. Percentiles are USGS daily statistics. Recent days are provisional.

Largest annual peaks Historical record

Ten largest peaks of record

Date	Peak flow	Gage height at peak
Jun 14, 2022	55,200 cfs	11.63 ft
Jun 30, 2011	40,600 cfs	10.15 ft
Jun 6, 1997	38,000 cfs	10.72 ft
Jun 10, 1996	37,100 cfs	9.97 ft
Jun 17, 1974	36,300 cfs	9.21 ft
May 27, 2018	33,600 cfs	10.18 ft
May 29, 2014	32,700 cfs	9.70 ft
Jun 20, 1943	30,600 cfs	9.34 ft
Jun 1, 2020	30,600 cfs	10.20 ft
Jun 11, 1902	30,100 cfs	–

Five most recent annual peaks

Date	Peak flow	Gage height at peak
Jun 2, 2025	20,500 cfs	7.43 ft
Jun 10, 2024	24,100 cfs	7.91 ft
May 23, 2023	22,100 cfs	7.55 ft
Jun 14, 2022	55,200 cfs	11.63 ft
Jun 6, 2021	18,500 cfs	7.79 ft

Median annual peak by decade (calendar year of the peak date)

Decade	Peaks on file	Median peak	Largest peak
1900s	6	20,700 cfs	30,100 cfs
1930s	5	15,500 cfs	20,800 cfs
1940s	10	18,000 cfs	30,600 cfs
1950s	10	21,300 cfs	25,800 cfs
1960s	10	20,300 cfs	27,900 cfs
1970s	10	25,050 cfs	36,300 cfs
1980s	10	17,050 cfs	27,900 cfs
1990s	10	23,200 cfs	38,000 cfs
2000s	10	20,950 cfs	27,200 cfs
2010s	10	24,900 cfs	40,600 cfs
2020s	6	23,100 cfs	55,200 cfs

Source: USGS annual peak streamflow (Water Data API), 101 annual peaks, 1897 to 2025. A water year's peak is its highest instantaneous flow. Gage height at older peaks can be on a different datum. Decades with fewer than 5 peaks are left out.

Flood frequency: peak flows Historical record

Chance in any year	Average spacing	Peak flow	Confidence interval, as published
50%	2 years	20,700 cfs	19,600 to 21,800 cfs
42.9%	2.3 years	21,800 cfs	20,700 to 23,000 cfs
20%	5 years	26,800 cfs	25,200 to 28,600 cfs
10%	10 years	30,800 cfs	28,800 to 33,400 cfs
4%	25 years	36,000 cfs	33,100 to 40,400 cfs
2%	50 years	39,800 cfs	36,100 to 46,200 cfs
1%	100 years	43,800 cfs	39,000 to 52,400 cfs
0.5%	200 years	47,800 cfs	41,900 to 59,300 cfs
0.2%	500 years	53,200 cfs	45,500 to 69,300 cfs

Source: USGS StreamStats gage statistics (peak-flow statistics, annual exceedance probability), record 1894 to 2022, 98 years. 2023, Peak-flow frequency analyses for selected streamgages in the Upper Yellowstone River Basin, based on data through water year 2022 https://doi.org/10.5066/P9J1U1GB. Long-run statistics, not a forecast or a schedule. Fetched Oct 16, 11:06 PM MDT.

Historic crests Official NWS

Date	Crest stage	Flow
Jun 13, 2022	11.63 ft	55,200 cfs
Jun 6, 1997	10.72 ft	38,000 cfs
Jun 1, 2020	10.20 ft	30,600 cfs
May 27, 2018	10.18 ft	33,600 cfs
Jun 30, 2011	10.15 ft	40,600 cfs
Jun 10, 1996	9.97 ft	37,100 cfs
May 29, 2014	9.70 ft	32,700 cfs
Jun 6, 2017	9.62 ft	26,300 cfs
Jun 25, 2008	9.52 ft	26,300 cfs
Jun 1, 2003	9.46 ft	27,200 cfs

Source: National Weather Service forecast point LIVM8 (Yellowstone River near Livingston), historic crests as published by the NWS; the NWS may have recorded them on an older gauge datum. The USGS annual peaks above are a separate record and can differ in date, flow and datum.

USGS field measurements Historical record

Date	Measured flow	Gage height	Rated
Oct 13, 2026	1,890 cfs	0.36 ft	Fair
Aug 6, 2026	2,620 cfs	1.16 ft	Fair
Jun 11, 2026	8,530 cfs	4.57 ft	Fair
Apr 16, 2026	3,570 cfs	2.12 ft	Fair
Feb 11, 2026	1,260 cfs	-0.49 ft	Good
Nov 20, 2025	1,470 cfs	-0.12 ft	Fair
Aug 21, 2025	1,630 cfs	0.09 ft	Fair
Jul 23, 2025	2,800 cfs	1.60 ft	Fair
May 28, 2025	13,900 cfs	6.10 ft	Fair
Mar 13, 2025	1,080 cfs	-0.79 ft	Fair

Source: USGS Water Data API field measurements, the 10 most recent site-visit measurements with a flow value, fetched Oct 16, 10:33 PM MDT. The rating shown is the USGS measurement rating as published.

Flood events in Park County, 2016 to 2026 Historical record

Flood and flash flood events	Deaths	Injuries	Property and crop damage
1	0	0	$0

Most recent events

Date	Type	Cause	Location	Deaths	Damage
Mar 25, 2019	Flood	Heavy Rain / Snow Melt	Wilsall	0	$0

Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database (county-level Flood and Flash Flood events), 2016 to 2026, fetched Oct 16, 10:33 PM MDT. Deaths include direct and indirect; damage is as reported to NCEI. NCEI data are in the public domain in the United States.

Federal flood disaster declarations Historical record

8 federal flood disaster declarations on file for Park County.

Declaration	Declared	Incident period	Title	Programs
DR-4726-MT	Aug 12, 2023	Apr 10, 2023 to Apr 26, 2023	FLOODING	Public assistance
DR-4655-MT	Jun 16, 2022	Jun 10, 2022 to Jul 5, 2022	SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING	Public assistance
DR-4437-MT	May 24, 2019	Mar 20, 2019 to Apr 10, 2019	FLOODING	Public assistance
DR-4405-MT	Oct 31, 2018	May 1, 2018 to Jun 10, 2018	FLOODING	Public assistance
DR-4172-MT	Apr 17, 2014	Mar 1, 2014 to Mar 16, 2014	ICE JAMS AND FLOODING	Public assistance
DR-1996-MT	Jun 17, 2011	Apr 4, 2011 to Jul 22, 2011	SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING	Public assistance
DR-1183-MT	Jul 25, 1997	Mar 1, 1997 to Aug 6, 1997	SEVERE STORMS,ICE JAMS, SNOW MELT, FLOODING	Public assistance
DR-1105-MT	Feb 23, 1996	Feb 4, 1996 to Feb 29, 1996	SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND ICE JAMS	Public assistance

Source: This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries, endpoint https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v2/DisasterDeclarationsSummaries (v2), accessed Oct 16, 10:33 PM MDT. Declarations whose type is Flood or whose title contains FLOOD; the 12 most recent are listed.

Gage height to flow rating Historical record

Line: current USGS rating, gage height (ft, horizontal) to flow (cfs, vertical). ● latest reading, -0.03 ft and 1,650 cfs.

Source: USGS rating table for the gauge (NWIS rating depot, expanded shifted rating, 1,225 rows, thinned to 96 points), fetched Oct 16, 10:33 PM MDT. Ratings are provisional and change with the channel.

Snow water equivalent at nearby SNOTEL stations Weather station

Station	Distance	Elevation	Snow water now	Median for date	Of median	Date
Lick Creek	21 mi	6,880 ft	0.3 in	0.2 in	150%	Oct 15, 2026
Shower Falls	23 mi	8,060 ft	0.8 in	1.4 in	57%	Oct 15, 2026
Mill Creek	24 mi	7,420 ft	0.2 in	–	–	Oct 15, 2026

Source: USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service SNOTEL stations within 37 miles of the gauge (AWDB web service), fetched Oct 16, 10:32 PM MDT. Provisional data; stations may not drain to this gauge.

Water temperature by month Historical record

Jan

34°F

124 days (few)

Feb

35°F

106 days (few)

Mar

40°F

123 days (few)

Apr

46°F

708 days

May

48°F

736 days

Jun

53°F

691 days

Jul

64°F

713 days

Aug

64°F

734 days

Sep

57°F

713 days

Oct

46°F

97 days (few)

Nov

39°F

73 days (few)

Dec

33°F

96 days (few)

Source: USGS daily mean water temperature (parameter 00010, Water Data API), 1999 to 2026, mean of all published daily values in each calendar month (days counted under each month; (few) means fewer than 150 daily values).

Flood stages Official NWS

Category	Gage height (ft)
Minor	10.0 ft
Moderate	10.5 ft
Major	11.0 ft

Source: National Weather Service forecast point LIVM8 (Yellowstone River near Livingston), fetched Oct 17, 12:06 AM MDT. Compare with the gage height above; thresholds belong to that forecast point.

National Weather Service forecast point Official NWS

Item	Value
Forecast point	LIVM8, Yellowstone River near Livingston
Weather Forecast Office	Billings (BYZ)
River Forecast Center	Missouri Basin River Forecast Center (MBRFC)
Forecast reliability, as published	Forecasts are issued routinely year-round.
Flood inundation maps	Check this forecast point at water.noaa.gov
Upstream forecast points	Yellowstone River at Corwin Springs; Yellowstone River at Fishing Bridge
Downstream forecast points	Yellowstone River at Billings; Yellowstone River at Forsyth; Yellowstone River at Miles City; Yellowstone River at Glendive; Yellowstone River near Sidney

Source: National Weather Service National Water Prediction Service, forecast point LIVM8, fetched Oct 17, 12:06 AM MDT.

Long-range flood outlook, October to December Official NWS

Category	Chance at this forecast point
Minor flooding	less than 5%
Moderate flooding	less than 5%
Major flooding	less than 5%

Source: National Weather Service long-range river flood outlook for forecast point LIVM8, produced Sep 23, 2026; the published chance of flooding in each category during the outlook period. Fetched Oct 17, 12:06 AM MDT.

Flood impacts by stage Official NWS

Stage	National Weather Service impact statement
9.0 ft	Water starts to impinge on island road.
9.5 ft	Some minor overflow occurs along the lowest areas throughout the reach of the river and across the road connecting the island with the rest of town. +
10.0 ft	Roads to mill creek, cinnebar basin and trail creek are covered with water. Water will also be over portions of yellowstone park road for 800 yards, 3.5 miles south of town, including a few farm homes. Flooding over the road to 9th street island with water reaching some homes.

Source: National Weather Service forecast point LIVM8 (Yellowstone River near Livingston). Statements are quoted from the NWS and describe that forecast point.

State water quality assessments near the gauge Agency data

Assessment unit	Overall status	Category	Impaired	Has TMDL	Cycle	Report
Yellowstone River	Not Supporting	5	Y	N	2024	EPA report

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment units within about 400 m of the gauge, as reported by the state, fetched Oct 16, 10:32 PM MDT. Values are the state's assessment, quoted.

Upstream watershed characteristics Agency data

Measure (whole upstream watershed)	Value
Impervious surface, 2019	0.1%
Medium-intensity urban land, 2019	0.0%
Cropland, 2019	0.6%
Woody wetland, 2019	1.4%
Mean elevation	8,012 ft
Mean annual precipitation, 1981 to 2010	29.2 in
Mean annual runoff	17.2 in
Base-flow index	74%
Dam density	0.001 per sq km

Source: U.S. EPA StreamCat (NHDPlus reach 4366016), watershed-wide metrics; land cover from the 2019 National Land Cover Database. Static values, fetched Oct 16, 10:33 PM MDT.

Sources and method

Data: U.S. Geological Survey. Terms
River forecasts, flood stages, crests and impact statements: National Weather Service. Terms
Storm events: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database. Terms
Declarations: FEMA OpenFEMA (not endorsed by FEMA). Terms
Snow data: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. Terms
Water quality assessments and watershed data: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Terms

USGS daily statistics, downloaded Oct 12, 2026

Percentile method: trailing 24 h mean vs USGS daily percentiles for calendar date 10-16.

Percentile is estimated from USGS published daily percentiles. Readings are provisional until USGS reviews them. Not endorsed by USGS, NOAA or the National Weather Service. Not for navigation or safety-of-life decisions; the absence of an alert is not a statement that conditions are safe.