10 USGS Streamgages · Mississippi River system
Yellowstone River flows and levels
Yellowstone River is gauged at 10 USGS streamgages in Wyoming and Montana, each tracked by Rivermatics. The mainstem runs about 692 miles (1,114 km) from headwaters to outlet. It drains into the Mississippi River system. It drains roughly 69,389 square miles at its outlet. The gauged reach falls about 5,851 feet, from 7,736 feet down to 1,886. Rivermatics issues a daily machine-learned 14-day flow outlook at 8 of them.
Gauges on this river, upstream to downstream
Ordered by drainage area, which is how far down the river each gauge sits. April and July figures are long-term median daily flows for that month from the USGS record — historical normals, not a forecast and not today's reading.
| Gauge | State | Drainage sq mi | Elevation ft | April p50 cfs | July p50 cfs | Forecast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellowstone River at Yellowstone Lake Outlet YNP | WY | 995 | 7,736 | 544.1 | 3,802.6 | 14-day |
| Yellowstone River at Corwin Springs, MT | MT | 2,615 | 5,084 | 1,398.3 | 6,330 | 14-day + temp |
| Yellowstone River near Livingston, MT | MT | 3,551 | 4,547 | 1,821.7 | 7,156.1 | 14-day + temp |
| Yellowstone River at Billings, MT | MT | 11,807 | 3,085 | 3,892.3 | 12,419.7 | 14-day + temp |
| Yellowstone River at Forsyth, MT | MT | 40,152 | 2,512 | 7,204 | 15,554.2 | 14-day |
| Yellowstone River at Miles City, MT | MT | 48,288 | 2,340 | 7,600 | 18,715.2 | 14-day |
| Yellowstone River at Glendive, MT | MT | 66,731 | 2,059 | 8,171.7 | 21,683.9 | 14-day |
| Yellowstone River near Sidney, MT | MT | 69,099 | 1,886 | 8,658.3 | 20,880.6 | 14-day + temp |
| Yellowstone River at Big Timber, MT | MT | — | 4,014 | — | — | — |
| Yellowstone River at Springdale, MT | MT | — | 4,230 | — | — | — |
Common questions
- How many gauges are on the Yellowstone River?
- Rivermatics tracks 10 USGS streamgages on the Yellowstone River, across Wyoming and Montana. Each has its own page with the site's full flow record and monthly normals. The river may carry other gauges that publish neither daily values nor discharge statistics; those are not tracked here.
- Is there a flow forecast for the Yellowstone River?
- Yes, at 8 of the 10 gauges. Rivermatics trains a machine-learned model — a temporal-fusion transformer — on each basin's observed flows, weather and snowpack, and issues a daily 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 each gauge's live screen.
- What river system is the Yellowstone River part of?
- The Yellowstone River drains into the Mississippi River system — it is a tributary somewhere in that chain, following the flowpath down to its terminal river. Rivermatics builds this from the USGS/geoconnex reference-mainstem network rather than from names.
- Can I use Yellowstone River 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.
Other rivers in the Mississippi River system
- Missouri River 52 gauges
- Big Sioux River 17 gauges
- James River 15 gauges
- Kansas River 12 gauges
- Smoky Hill River 12 gauges
- Platte River 11 gauges
- Rapid Creek 11 gauges
- Republican River 11 gauges