Tongue River river
Total streamflow across the Tongue River was last observed at 883 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 1,751 acre-ft of water today; about 19% of normal. River levels are low and may signify a drought. Average streamflow for this time of year is 4,631 cfs, with recent peaks last observed on 2019-05-31 when daily discharge volume was observed at 24,742 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the Tongue River At Monarch reporting a streamflow rate of 383 cfs. However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the Tongue River At Tongue R Dam Nr Decker Mt with a gauge stage of 11.16 ft. This river is monitored from 8 different streamgauging stations along the Tongue River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 4,072 ft, the Tongue River Near Dayton.
River streamflow levels
Daily aggregate streamflow across every monitored gauge along the Tongue River. Use the range buttons to zoom in on a specific period.
Total streamflow
Sum of all monitored streamgauges · daily
Every streamgauge along the Tongue 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)▾ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Tongue River Near Dayton
WY
USGS 06298000
|
48 | 1.73 | 0.0 | 55% | 13 | 3,400 | 4,072 |
|
Tongue River At Monarch
WY
USGS 06299980
|
383 | 3.36 | · | · | · | · | 3,632 |
|
Tongue River At State Line Nr Decker Mt
MT
USGS 06306300
|
249 | 2.77 | -7.1 | 19% | 27 | 17,500 | 3,436 |
|
Tongue River At Tongue R Dam Nr Decker Mt
MT
USGS 06307500
|
295 | 11.16 | 0.0 | 36% | 48 | 10,800 | 3,352 |
|
Tongue R At Birney Day School Br Nr Birney Mt
MT
USGS 06307616
|
339 | 1.70 | 6.9 | 42% | 62 | 7,230 | 3,074 |
|
Tongue R Bl Brandenberg Bridge Nr Ashland Mt
MT
USGS 06307830
|
221 | 3.06 | 4.3 | 28% | 95 | 8,340 | 2,749 |
|
Tongue River At Miles City Mt
MT
USGS 06308500
|
19 | 1.05 | 9.3 | 3% | 7 | 15,300 | 2,373 |
|
Tongue River At Akra
ND
USGS 05101000
|
2 | 6.50 | 513.3 | 2% | 0 | 11,800 | 974 |
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
Tongue River
The Tongue River is a 265-mile-long river that flows through Wyoming and Montana. It has played a significant role in Native American history and served as a transportation route for early settlers. The river's watershed encompasses over 10,000 square miles and is known for its diverse wildlife and scenic beauty. The Tongue River is fed by numerous tributaries, including Otter Creek and the Powder River. The river is home to various reservoirs, including the Tongue River Reservoir and the Keyhole Reservoir, which are used for recreation and irrigation. The Tongue River Basin is also an important agricultural region, producing crops like wheat, barley, and hay. The river has faced challenges in recent years due to water contamination and disputes over water use, but stakeholders continue to work towards finding sustainable solutions.
Recreation along the Tongue River
Fishing access and paddle runs Snoflo tracks within the watershed.
Track the Tongue 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 Tongue River
Where does the data for the Tongue 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.