Loading page content…
Loading lake conditions…
Flathead Lake is a lake in Montana. It covers roughly 126,080 surface acres (about 197 square miles). Fish documented in the area include Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Yellow Perch, and Mackinaw (Lake Trout). It reaches a maximum depth of roughly 371 feet at an elevation of about 2,893 feet. For this location, LakeRadar tracks an hourly and 7-day forecast, wind and gust outlook, water readings, fishing conditions, and activity scores for boating, paddling, and swimming. Other waters in the region include Swan Lake, Hungry Horse Reservoir, and Whitefish Lake (MT). LakeRadar pulls readings from a mapped water gauge, so current water data is shown when the station reports. Forecasts for Flathead Lake come from the National Weather Service and refresh several times a day.
Updated
Alerts are published by official agencies and shown verbatim. View the official alert source.
Lake Wind Advisory issued October 8 at 1:34PM MDT until October 9 at 9:00PM MDT by NWS Missoula MT
Overall Poor (50/100) across 5 activities. Best right now: Fishing (87/100).
How the score is calculated →Best good fishing window, averaging 88/100 across these hours. Wind 9 mph from the south. Dawn hours (06:00 local). Derived from the hourly forecast; official alerts are not forecast and are checked separately.
| Metric | 6a | 7a | 8a | 9a | 10a | 11a | 12p | 1p | 2p | 3p | 4p | 5p | 6p | 7p | 8p | 9p | 10p | 11p | 12a | 1a | 2a | 3a | 4a | 5a |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp (°F) | 57° | 57° | 56° | 55° | 54° | 54° | 54° | 52° | 53° | 55° | 59° | 59° | 59° | 60° | 62° | 63° | 64° | 65° | 63° | 62° | 60° | 55° | 55° | 54° |
| Wind (kts) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Direction | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | SW | SW | SW | SW | SW | SW | SW | SW | SW | SW | SW | SW |
| Gusts (kts) | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 24 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 |
| Precip % | 1% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 22% | 37% | 43% | 35% | 23% | 12% |
| Time | Temp | Wind | Gusts | Precip | Cloud | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, 12 AM MDT | 57°F | 6 mph S (180°) | 10 mph | 1% | 51% | Mostly Cloudy |
| Fri, 1 AM MDT | 57°F | 6 mph S (180°) | 9 mph | 0% | 55% | Mostly Cloudy |
| Fri, 2 AM MDT | 56°F | 6 mph S (180°) | 10 mph | 0% | 69% | Mostly Cloudy |
| Fri, 3 AM MDT | 55°F | 7 mph S (180°) | 10 mph | 0% | 74% | Mostly Cloudy |
| Fri, 4 AM MDT | 54°F | 8 mph S (180°) | 12 mph | 0% | 71% | Mostly Cloudy |
| Fri, 5 AM MDT | 54°F | 9 mph S (180°) | 13 mph | 0% | 67% | Mostly Cloudy |
| Fri, 6 AM MDT | 54°F | 9 mph S (180°) | 13 mph | 0% | 63% | Partly Sunny |
| Fri, 7 AM MDT | 52°F | 12 mph S (180°) | 14 mph | 0% | 64% | Partly Sunny |
| Fri, 8 AM MDT | 53°F | 12 mph S (180°) | 16 mph | 0% | 54% | Partly Sunny |
| Fri, 9 AM MDT | 55°F | 15 mph S (180°) | 17 mph | 0% | 32% | Mostly Sunny |
| Fri, 10 AM MDT | 59°F | 15 mph S (180°) | 17 mph | 0% | 21% | Sunny |
| Fri, 11 AM MDT | 59°F | 15 mph S (180°) | 20 mph | 0% | 21% | Sunny |
| Fri, 12 PM MDT | 59°F | 21 mph SSW (203°) | 23 mph | 0% | 23% | Sunny |
| Fri, 1 PM MDT | 60°F | 21 mph SSW (203°) | 27 mph | 0% | 37% | Mostly Sunny |
| Fri, 2 PM MDT | 62°F | 21 mph SSW (203°) | 28 mph | 0% | 41% | Mostly Sunny |
| Fri, 3 PM MDT | 63°F | 22 mph SW (225°) | 31 mph | 1% | 45% | Mostly Sunny |
| Fri, 4 PM MDT | 64°F | 22 mph SW (225°) | 31 mph | 1% | 51% | Partly Sunny |
| Fri, 5 PM MDT | 65°F | 22 mph SW (225°) | 31 mph | 1% | 55% | Partly Sunny |
| Fri, 6 PM MDT | 63°F | 15 mph SW (225°) | 22 mph | 22% | 67% | Slight Chance Light Rain |
| Fri, 7 PM MDT | 62°F | 15 mph SW (225°) | 22 mph | 37% | 91% | Chance Light Rain |
| Fri, 8 PM MDT | 60°F | 15 mph SW (225°) | 22 mph | 43% | 88% | Chance Light Rain |
| Fri, 9 PM MDT | 55°F | 14 mph SW (225°) | 22 mph | 35% | 83% | Chance Light Rain |
| Fri, 10 PM MDT | 55°F | 14 mph SW (225°) | 22 mph | 23% | 82% | Slight Chance Light Rain |
| Fri, 11 PM MDT | 54°F | 14 mph SW (225°) | 22 mph | 12% | 83% | Mostly Cloudy |
| Sat, 12 AM MDT | 53°F | 13 mph SSW (203°) | 21 mph | 26% | 89% | Chance Light Rain |
Official National Weather Service hourly forecast. Showing 10 of 25 hours. Wind arrows point the way the wind is blowing; the compass point and degrees show where it comes from.
| Period | Overnight October 9, 2026 | Friday October 9, 2026 | Friday Night October 9, 2026 | Saturday October 10, 2026 | Saturday Night October 10, 2026 | Sunday October 11, 2026 | Sunday Night October 11, 2026 | Columbus Day October 12, 2026 | Monday Night October 12, 2026 | Tuesday October 13, 2026 | Tuesday Night October 13, 2026 | Wednesday October 14, 2026 | Wednesday Night October 14, 2026 | Thursday October 15, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp (°F) | 52° | 67° | 45° | 51° | 36° | 41° | 34° | 47° | 37° | 54° | 41° | 52° | 42° | 53° |
| Wind | S 6 to 9 mph | SSW 9 to 22 mph | SW 8 to 15 mph | NNE 1 to 23 mph | NE 23 to 29 mph | NE 16 to 24 mph | NNE 12 to 16 mph | NNW 1 to 9 mph | S 2 mph | S 3 mph | S 1 to 5 mph | SSW 3 to 7 mph | NW 3 mph | NNE 1 to 5 mph |
| Gusts | 13 mph | 31 mph | 22 mph | 29 mph | 36 mph | 28 mph | 25 mph | 13 mph | 6 mph | 7 mph | 9 mph | 12 mph | 9 mph | 8 mph |
| Precip % | 1% | 1% | 43% | 52% | 47% | 30% | 10% | 8% | 4% | 3% | 11% | 40% | 53% | 19% |
| Forecast |
Nearby river temperature: 59.9°F at Flathead River near Polson MT (18.2 mi away) · Oct 9, 5:45 AM UTC
Good for fishing (87/100), from 6 available inputs. Supporting this: Measured water temperature 60°F from a representative gauge 18.2 mi away. Provisional data. Wind 2 mph from the south-southeast. Not available from a verified source for this lake: pressure trend. Confidence is moderate (82%) because some inputs are unavailable or older than ideal.
Very Poor / Avoid for boating (30/100), from 4 available inputs. Supporting this: Wind 2 mph from the south-southeast. Gusts to 9 mph. Working against it: Active moderate alert: Lake Wind Advisory. Lake Wind Advisory is in effect for this lake. Boating scores are capped at 30. Not available from a verified source for this lake: visibility and conditions, verified water access. Confidence is moderate (84%) because some inputs are unavailable or older than ideal.
Very Poor / Avoid for sailing (30/100), from 4 available inputs. Supporting this: Gusts exceed sustained wind by 7 mph, making the breeze puffy. 0% chance of precipitation. Working against it: Wind 2 mph is light; expect limited sailing. Active moderate alert: Lake Wind Advisory. Lake Wind Advisory is in effect for this lake. Sailing scores are capped at 30. Not available from a verified source for this lake: visibility. Confidence is high (88%).
Very Poor / Avoid for kayaking (30/100), from 5 available inputs. Supporting this: Wind 2 mph from the south-southeast. Gusts to 9 mph. Working against it: Active moderate alert: Lake Wind Advisory. Lake Wind Advisory is in effect for this lake. Kayaking scores are capped at 30. Confidence is high (90%).
No verified water temperature source exists for this lake, so a swimming comfort score is not shown.
Loading interactive map…
Individual boat ramp GPS coordinates are maintained under the jurisdiction of MT Parks & Wildlife Authority. Public boaters should verify seasonal launch water levels, gate hours, and daily vehicle/vessel fees before traveling.
Offering scenic water views and diverse outdoor activities, Flathead Lake is a premier destination in MT for boaters, anglers, and nature enthusiasts. Its waters support healthy gamefish populations alongside seasonal paddlecraft exploration. Review local launch regulations and safety guidelines before putting in for the day.
Valid freshwater sport fishing license issued by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) is required for anglers age 12+. Digital license on mobile is accepted.
Mandatory Clean, Drain & Dry inspection. Out-of-area craft require on-site Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS Quagga/Zebra) inspection or decontamination before launch. USCG life jackets required for all.
Public shoreline and boating access managed by State & Local Authorities. Verify seasonal gate hours, launch fees, and parking rules before travel.
High-speed motorboating, pontoon cruising, wakeboarding, and water skiing across main channels. Target gamefish include Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Mackinaw (Lake Trout). Morning hours typically provide optimal glassy conditions for kayak and stand-up paddleboard (SUP) touring.
Warm water temperatures, peak swimming, active watersports, and open full-service campgrounds. Highest weekly attendance; plan early arrivals on summer weekends.
Spring pre-spawn and fall feeding transitions create prime trophy angling conditions. Cooler air, lower boat traffic, and vibrant seasonal shoreline foliage.
Northern cold winter conditions with freezing air temperatures and potential surface ice formation. Ramps and water systems may be winterized. Confirm open status before visiting.
No external source rows are cited by the data currently shown on this page.
Updated
Scores are heuristics, not safety guarantees. LakeRadar scores summarize available conditions and are not a substitute for official warnings, local rules, or on-water judgment.
All telemetry for Flathead Lake is synchronized directly from authorized federal and state monitoring networks (USGS, NWS, NOAA, and state environmental authorities). Observations are strictly instrumented readings — unmonitored sensors are transparently disclosed rather than synthetic estimates.
Last source audit: Oct 9, 12:37 AM MDT