Blackfoot River level at Bonner

Montana · Tubing & floating

Measured at USGS 12340000 — Blackfoot River near Bonner MT · NWS forecast point BONM8

764CFS 117% of normal

Reading taken · as of 33 min ago

Gage height2.34 ft
Median for mid-September655 CFS
Years of record93 (1898–2026)
Highest on record18,600 CFS daily, 1898–2026
Lowest on record168 CFS daily

Right around its normal summer float level

At 764 CFS, this gauge is running 117% of normal for mid-September — above the 655 CFS median USGS has recorded for this date across 93 years of record (1898–2026).

Last 30 days · 607–888 CFS · dashed line is the seasonal median

Flood stages at Bonner

National Weather Service categories for gauge BONM8, WFO MSO. Impact wording is the NWS's own, verbatim.

NWS forecast: 2.50 ft by .

Flow history at Bonner

Loading history…

Daily values from USGS 12340000, updated every 15 to 60 minutes; NWS forecast for BONM8 reissued through the day. Provisional.

Highest crests on record at Bonner

12 on record
StageFlowDate
16.00 ftFeb 9, 1996
11.65 ftJun 4, 1953
11.09 ft18,800 CFSMay 11, 2018
10.89 ft19,200 CFSJun 10, 1964
10.74 ft18,100 CFSJun 20, 1975
10.50 ft16,144 CFSMay 18, 1997
10.01 ft17,000 CFSJun 9, 2011
9.98 ft6,500 CFSJun 2, 1972
9.48 ft13,140 CFSJun 15, 1976
8.78 ft11,290 CFSMay 14, 1971

Crests published by the National Weather Service.

About Blackfoot River at Bonner

In Montana — the reading paddlers, anglers and outfitters here check before committing to a shuttle. Johnsrud Park; Missoula's biggest summer float.

Blackfoot River at Bonner — common questions

3 questions

Does rain upstream change Blackfoot River at Bonner quickly?

Yes. It is free-flowing, so rain upstream moves it directly. Several feet in a few hours is normal after a heavy storm.

Is Blackfoot River at Bonner high or low for this time of year?

The USGS median flow for mid-September here is 655 CFS, from 93 years of record (1898–2026). Today is 117% of it. The comparison is what makes the raw number mean anything: the same reading is a drought on one river and a flood on another.

How often does this reading update?

USGS transmits from gauge 12340000 every 15 to 60 minutes, and the National Weather Service reissues the flood forecast for BONM8 a few times a day — more often when the river is rising. This page refreshes from both when you open it. The timestamp is in the gauge's local time.

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