Milk River Flow
As of 2026-09-12, the Milk River is flowing at a combined 582 cfs across 8 USGS streamgauges — 32% of normal for this time of year, versus a seasonal average of 1,811 cfs.
Total streamflow across the Milk River was last observed at 582 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 1,154 acre-ft of water today; about 32% of normal. River levels are low and may signify a drought. Average streamflow for this time of year is 1,811 cfs, with recent peaks last observed on 2018-04-24 when daily discharge volume was observed at 72,890 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the Milk River At Eastern Crossing Of Int Bndry reporting a streamflow rate of 582 cfs. This is also the highest stage along the Milk River, with a gauge stage of 4.12 ft at this location. This river is monitored from 8 different streamgauging stations along the Milk River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 2,656 ft, the Milk River At Eastern Crossing Of Int Bndry.
River streamflow levels
Daily aggregate streamflow across every monitored gauge along the Milk River. Use the range buttons to zoom in on a specific period.
Total streamflow
Sum of all monitored streamgauges · daily
Every streamgauge along the Milk River
All 8 USGS gauges Snoflo tracks for this river, with current flow, stage, recent change, percent of normal, and the gauge's all-time min / max. Click any header to sort. Cells are heatmapped relative to the column min/max -- darker blue = higher.
| Streamgauge▾ | Streamflow (cfs)▾ | Gauge stage (ft)▾ | 24h Δ (%)▾ | % Normal▾ | Min (cfs)▾ | Max (cfs)▾ | Elevation (ft)▾ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Milk River At Eastern Crossing Of Int Bndry
MT
USGS 06135000
|
582 | 4.12 | -10.7 | 130% | 0 | 4,060 | 2,656 |
|
Milk River At Havre Mt
MT
USGS 06140500
|
70 | 0.52 | -26.4 | 26% | 1 | 7,490 | 2,468 |
|
Milk River Near Harlem Mt
MT
USGS 06154100
|
179 | 2.83 | -1.1 | 68% | 1 | 7,490 | 2,329 |
|
Milk River Near Dodson Mt
MT
USGS 06155030
|
13 | 3.21 | 0.0 | 45% | 0 | 10,500 | 2,267 |
|
Milk River At Malta Mt
MT
USGS 06155500
|
36 | 1.40 | -7.5 | 45% | 2 | 10,100 | 2,224 |
|
Milk River At Juneberg Bridge Nr Saco Mt
MT
USGS 06164510
|
89 | 2.87 | -11.9 | 49% | 32 | 14,200 | 2,147 |
|
Milk River At Tampico Mt
MT
USGS 06172310
|
56 | 2.21 | -25.9 | 47% | 1 | 21,100 | 2,101 |
|
Milk River At Nashua Mt
MT
USGS 06174500
|
206 | 1.97 | -8.9 | 100% | 0 | 25,200 | 2,036 |
Maximum streamflow discharge by year
The single highest aggregate discharge recorded each year. Spotting the multi-year trend reveals droughts vs. wet cycles long before the headline daily flow does.
Annual peak discharge
From the river's full record · one point per water year
Streamflow elevation profile
Each bubble is one gauge along the river, plotted by current streamflow (x-axis) vs elevation (y-axis), sized by gauge stage. Reading top-to-bottom traces the river from headwaters down to its mouth -- you can see flow accumulate as elevation drops.
Elevation vs streamflow
One point per monitored gauge · bubble size = gauge stage
Milk River
The Milk River is a tributary of the Missouri River that spans 729 kilometers and flows through Montana and Alberta, Canada. The river is named after its milky appearance, which is caused by suspended sediments from glacial runoff. The Milk River was historically important to the indigenous Blackfeet people, who relied on it for water and hunting. The St. Mary River Dam and Reservoir, located in Montana, was built in 1921 for irrigation purposes and is the largest reservoir on the Milk River. Other reservoirs include the Fresno Reservoir and Nelson Reservoir. The Milk River is used for recreational activities like fishing, hunting, and camping, and supports agricultural practices in the surrounding areas. In recent years, drought and climate change have led to decreased water levels and concerns about the river's future sustainability.
Track the Milk River in the Snoflo app
Set per-gauge push alerts (e.g. "alert me when flow at the Russian R Nr Healdsburg crosses 5,000 cfs"), and Snoflo's iOS app pushes the moment USGS reports the crossing.
About the Milk River
How is the Milk River flowing right now?
As of 2026-09-12, the Milk River is flowing at a combined 582 cfs across its USGS streamgauges, about 32% of normal for this date. The live per-gauge breakdown and 24-hour trend are shown above.
Is the Milk River running high or low right now?
Check the percent-of-normal figure on this page: above 100% means the river is running higher than its seasonal average for the date, below 100% means lower. The per-gauge table shows which reaches are highest and lowest.
Where does the data for the Milk River come from?
Streamflow and gauge stage data are sourced from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Information System. The aggregate flow shown at the top of the page is computed by Snoflo as the sum of all monitored gauges along the river.
How is "percent of normal" calculated?
Today's aggregate streamflow is compared to the historical average aggregate streamflow on this calendar day across the river's full record. 100% means right on average; values above 100% indicate above-normal flow (wet year); values below indicate below-normal (dry year or drought).
Why are some gauges showing very different flows?
Gauges along a river measure flow at different points: headwater gauges read what's coming off the snowpack or mountain runoff; downstream gauges integrate everything upstream, including tributary inputs. Wide spreads usually mean a tributary is contributing significantly between gauges.
What's the elevation profile chart showing?
Each bubble is one gauge along the river, plotted by streamflow (x-axis) and elevation (y-axis), sized by gauge stage. Reading top-down traces the river from headwaters to mouth -- you can see flow build as elevation drops.
Can I get alerts when a specific gauge crosses a threshold?
Yes -- alerts are managed in the Snoflo iOS app on a per-gauge basis. Open any individual streamgauge from the table above and favorite it to set a discharge threshold.