Water level
Flathead Lake water level
Flathead Lake is at 2,893.04 ft as of Sep 9, 2026. Live readings, trend, history and what the level means for swimming and boat ramps.
Recent readings
Daily values from USGS gauge 12371550.
| Date | Elevation (ft) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-08 | 2,893.00 | +0.08 |
| 2026-09-07 | 2,892.92 | +0.00 |
| 2026-09-06 | 2,892.92 | +0.01 |
| 2026-09-05 | 2,892.91 | +0.01 |
| 2026-09-04 | 2,892.90 | +0.01 |
| 2026-09-03 | 2,892.89 | +0.03 |
| 2026-09-02 | 2,892.86 | -0.04 |
| 2026-09-01 | 2,892.90 |
What this level means
Station 12371550, Flathead Lake at Polson MT, publishes the water surface elevation used here. The last value stored here, 2,893.04 ft, is from 2026-09-09. Over the record shown on the level page the gauge has moved between 2,886.35 ft and 2,893.15 ft (low on 2026-03-20, high on 2026-07-02). Beach width and ramp access both move with the pool, so the number above is worth a look first.
How this reading is taken
USGS gauge 12371550 measures the water surface and publishes the value continuously. This page stores the latest reading at build time and refreshes the record daily, so the figure above is a real measurement rather than a model or an estimate.
No operating agency publishes a full pool elevation for Flathead Lake that we can cite, so this page shows the reading and its trend without a percentage.
Elevations are given in feet above the gauge datum used by the operating agency. Two lakes are only comparable with each other through how full they are, not through their raw elevation, because each dam sits at a different height.
Water level questions
What is the current water level at Flathead Lake?
The latest reading is 2,893.04 ft, from USGS gauge 12371550.
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from one of these public sources.