USGS Streamgage 06339500
Knife River near Golden Valley, ND
Knife River near Golden Valley, ND is USGS streamgage 06339500 in North Dakota, monitoring river discharge in hydrologic subbasin 10130201. It sits on the Knife River, alongside 4 other gauges Rivermatics tracks on the same river. It drains a watershed of about 1,230 square miles. Discharge records at this site go back to 1903. Typical flow runs near 17.2 cfs in July and 60.7 cfs in April, with the higher of the two arriving in April. Rivermatics issues a daily machine-learned flow outlook for this gauge, reaching 14 days ahead.
View live conditions & forecast →
Gauge details
- State
- North Dakota
- Drainage area
- 1,230 sq mi
- Gauge elevation
- 1,861 ft
- Subbasin (HUC-8)
- 10130201
- Coordinates
- 47.15444, -102.05944
- USGS site number
- 06339500
- Records begin
- 1903-06-01 (123 years)
- Rivermatics forecast
- 14-day flow outlook
14-day flow forecast
Based on observations through for Knife River near Golden Valley, ND. Each day carries a median estimate and the band the model expects the flow to fall within — not a single number to plan against. Forecasts are re-issued daily; see the live screen for the current outlook.
| Date | Low p10 | Expected p50 | High p90 | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.4 | 2.6 | 2.7 | ||
| 2.4 | 2.6 | 2.8 | ||
| 2.3 | 2.6 | 2.8 | ||
| 2.4 | 2.7 | 3.3 | ||
| 2.3 | 2.7 | 3.6 | ||
| 2.3 | 2.7 | 3.8 | ||
| 2.3 | 2.7 | 3.8 | ||
| 2.2 | 2.7 | 3.8 | ||
| 2.2 | 2.7 | 3.7 | ||
| 2.1 | 2.6 | 3.7 | ||
| 2.1 | 2.6 | 3.6 | ||
| 2.1 | 2.6 | 3.7 | ||
| 2.1 | 2.6 | 3.7 | ||
| 2 | 2.6 | 3.7 |
All values in cubic feet per second (cfs). Estimates only — do not use them for navigation or for any safety, rescue, or emergency decision.
Typical flow by month
Long-term daily discharge percentiles from the USGS record (up to 123 years of data), averaged within each month. These describe the historical normal range — they are not a forecast and not today's reading.
| Month | Low p10 | Typical p50 | High p90 | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1.2 | 5.1 | 12.6 | |
| February | 1.1 | 6.2 | 86.4 | |
| March | 6.9 | 50.1 | 934.6 | |
| April | 13.9 | 60.7 | 757.3 | |
| May | 7.2 | 27.1 | 203.9 | |
| June | 6.6 | 27.6 | 296.5 | |
| July | 3.5 | 17.2 | 105.1 | |
| August | 1.2 | 8.4 | 46.5 | |
| September | 1.3 | 6.7 | 29.5 | |
| October | 2.5 | 8.4 | 29 | |
| November | 3.9 | 9.4 | 24.5 | |
| December | 2.3 | 7 | 14 |
All values in cubic feet per second (cfs).
Common questions
- When does Knife River near Golden Valley, ND normally run highest?
- April, on the long-term record. The median daily flow that month is about 60.7 cfs, against 5.1 cfs in January, the lowest month. These are historical normals for the date, not a forecast and not today's reading.
- What is a normal flow for Knife River near Golden Valley, ND?
- It depends on the month. In January, half of days historically fall near 5.1 cfs, with the middle 80% of days between 1.2 and 12.6 cfs. The month-by-month table on this page gives the full range.
- How long has Knife River near Golden Valley, ND been measured?
- Discharge records at USGS site 06339500 begin in 1903, about 123 years, covering roughly 9,128 days of published daily values. The long record is what makes the monthly percentiles on this page meaningful.
- Is there a flow forecast for Knife River near Golden Valley, ND?
- Yes. Rivermatics trains a machine-learned model — a temporal-fusion transformer — on this basin's observed flows, weather, and snowpack, and issues a daily flow outlook reaching 14 days ahead: a median estimate inside a confidence band, not a single number to bet on. Every forecast is scored against days the model never trained on, and that track record is published on the live gauge screen. Open live conditions to see the current outlook.
- Where is Knife River near Golden Valley, ND?
- The gauge sits at 47.15444, -102.05944, in North Dakota, in hydrologic subbasin 10130201, at an elevation of about 1,861 feet, draining roughly 1,230 square miles.
- Can I use Knife River near Golden Valley, ND data for flood or safety decisions?
- No. Rivermatics provides estimates, not guarantees, and the readings and forecasts here may be delayed, inaccurate, or wrong. Do not use them for navigation or for any safety, rescue, or emergency decision. Check the National Weather Service and USGS directly, and use your own judgment.
Upstream and downstream on the Knife River
Every gauge Rivermatics tracks on this river, ordered by drainage area — upstream first. See the Knife River in full.
- Knife River at Manning, ND 204 sq mi
- Knife River near Golden Valley, ND this page
- Knife River near Beulah, ND 1,880 sq mi
- Knife River at Hazen, ND 2,250 sq mi
- Knife River near Stanton, ND 2,500 sq mi