A small USGS stream gaging station with an antenna on its roof under a cloudy evening sky

Check a river’s flow.

Search any USGS stream gauge by river or station name, by state, or near you. Each card shows the latest flow and how it compares with the normal range for today’s date; open a gauge for the full picture: trend, water temperature and what it means for trout, safety and the official NWS flood stage.

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3 USGS gauges near your location (within 30 miles)

Musselshell River nr Martinsdale, MT
USGS 06119600
No current reading. USGS answered but returned no recent value for this gauge (ice, maintenance or a seasonal gauge).
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2.8 miles away in a straight line

Musselshell River at Harlowton MT

USGS 06120500

Limited data: Normal flow for the date: no water temperature here

No water temperature here. The full view adds the NWS forecast.

Discharge: 41.1 ft³/s
Gauge height: 2.94 ft

Below normal for Nov 5 Steady · 24 h Below NWS action stage

Last 24 hours

View data as a table

Discharge, last 7 days: readings, about hourly, newest first. USGS provisional data may be revised.
Time	Discharge (ft³/s)	Gauge height (ft)
Nov 5, 4:00 PM MST	41.1	2.94
Nov 5, 3:00 PM MST	41.1	2.94
Nov 5, 2:00 PM MST	41.1	2.94
Nov 5, 1:00 PM MST	41.1	2.94
Nov 5, 12:00 PM MST	41.1	2.94
Nov 5, 11:00 AM MST	41.1	2.94
Nov 5, 10:00 AM MST	41.1	2.94
Nov 5, 9:00 AM MST	41.1	2.94
Nov 5, 8:00 AM MST	41.1	2.94
Nov 5, 7:00 AM MST	41.1	2.94
Nov 5, 6:00 AM MST	41.1	2.94
Nov 5, 4:00 AM MST	41.1	2.94
Nov 5, 3:00 AM MST	41.1	2.94
Nov 5, 2:00 AM MST	41.1	2.94
Nov 5, 1:00 AM MST	41.1	2.94
Nov 5, 12:00 AM MST	41.1	2.94
Nov 4, 11:00 PM MST	42.6	2.95
Nov 4, 10:00 PM MST	41.1	2.94
Nov 4, 9:00 PM MST	42.6	2.95
Nov 4, 8:00 PM MST	42.6	2.95
Nov 4, 7:00 PM MST	42.6	2.95
Nov 4, 6:00 PM MST	42.6	2.95
Nov 4, 5:00 PM MST	42.6	2.95
Nov 4, 4:00 PM MST	44.2	2.96
Nov 4, 3:00 PM MST	44.2	2.96
Nov 4, 2:00 PM MST	44.2	2.96

Reading Nov 5, 4:00 PM MST · checked 5:18 PM MST

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20.9 miles away in a straight line

Shields River bl SF Shields River nr Wilsall, MT

USGS 06192978

Limited data: Not enough data: no water temperature or flow statistics here

No water temperature, flow statistics here. The full view adds the NWS forecast.

Discharge: 13.2 ft³/s
Gauge height: 5.91 ft
Water temp: 38.3°F

Steady · 24 h

Last 24 hours

View data as a table

Discharge, last 7 days: readings, about hourly, newest first. USGS provisional data may be revised.
Time	Discharge (ft³/s)	Gauge height (ft)
Nov 5, 4:15 PM MST	13.2	5.91
Nov 5, 3:15 PM MST	13.2	5.91
Nov 5, 2:15 PM MST	11.9	5.89
Nov 5, 1:15 PM MST	12.5	5.9
Nov 5, 12:15 PM MST	12.5	5.9
Nov 5, 11:15 AM MST	12.5	5.9
Nov 5, 10:15 AM MST	12.5	5.9
Nov 5, 9:15 AM MST	12.5	5.9
Nov 5, 8:15 AM MST	12.5	5.9
Nov 5, 7:15 AM MST	12.5	5.9
Nov 5, 6:15 AM MST	13.2	5.91
Nov 5, 5:15 AM MST	13.2	5.91
Nov 5, 4:15 AM MST	13.2	5.91
Nov 5, 3:15 AM MST	14	5.92
Nov 5, 2:15 AM MST	14	5.92
Nov 5, 1:15 AM MST	14	5.92
Nov 5, 12:15 AM MST	14	5.92
Nov 4, 11:15 PM MST	14	5.92
Nov 4, 10:15 PM MST	14	5.92
Nov 4, 9:15 PM MST	14	5.92
Nov 4, 8:15 PM MST	14.7	5.93
Nov 4, 7:15 PM MST	14.7	5.93
Nov 4, 6:15 PM MST	14.7	5.93
Nov 4, 5:15 PM MST	14	5.92
Nov 4, 4:15 PM MST	14	5.92
Nov 4, 3:15 PM MST	13.2	5.91
Nov 4, 2:15 PM MST	13.2	5.91

Checked Nov 6, 12:18 AM UTC; readings refresh at most every 15 minutes and statistics daily. Provisional USGS data can be revised. Conditions change: re-check before you go. This is general guidance, not a fishing forecast, a safety guarantee or a statement about access.

Musselshell River nr Martinsdale, MT
USGS 06119600 · MT · live flow · gauge height · 2.8 mi
Reading the gauge…
Musselshell River at Harlowton MT
USGS 06120500 · MT · live flow · gauge height · 20.9 mi
Reading the gauge…
Shields River bl SF Shields River nr Wilsall, MT
USGS 06192978 · MT · live flow · gauge height · water temperature · 21.6 mi
Reading the gauge…

Quick picks: our 2,852 waters by state

Each state opens its USGS gauges and our water pages there; a water opens the live cards for its gauges, or the NOAA tides for flats and surf.

Search covers 11,178 USGS stream gauges that reported discharge, gauge height or water temperature in the 183 days before 2026-10-23 (USGS series catalog); readings are fetched live when a gauge is shown.

Where these numbers come from

Discharge, gauge height, water temperature and water quality: U.S. Geological Survey readings (provisional, can be revised), cached for 15 minutes. Where USGS publishes a gauge’s flow only once a day, the latest daily mean is shown with its date.
Normal range: the 25th to 75th percentile of daily mean flow for the same calendar day over the gauge’s record (USGS daily statistics), classed as USGS does (hyswap).
Temperature guidance for trout quotes the gauge’s own state fish and wildlife agency; where we found none, it says so and quotes federal guidance (National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). Cold-water safety quotes the NWS; dissolved oxygen and pH are read against EPA criteria. Each line names its source.
Flood stage and forecasts: the National Weather Service’s National Water Prediction Service and its Turn Around Don’t Drown guidance. Tides: NOAA Tides & Currents.

General guidance, not a fishing forecast, a safety guarantee or a statement about access. Planning a trip? The trip planner shows these readings on every day you fish a water.