WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Aber Burn at Lagganbeg in Scotland, United Kingdom, built from official government gauge data.
Aber Burn at Lagganbeg is a gauged river in Scotland.
This station drains 4.1 km2 (1.6 sq mi), so the level can respond quickly to a wet spell. The seasonal pattern is modest but clear: December is the highest typical month at 0.57 m (1.89 ft), while May is the lowest typical month at 0.44 m (1.45 ft). For someone with a crossing, a dock, or a small intake, that means the river spends part of the year near its lower band, then spends winter in a higher range.
The regional pattern here fits rain-driven river behaviour: winter and spring rains usually set the pace, and the warm season can bring longer low-flow stretches. On this reach, that is the useful planning point for routine use, because the typical swing is 13.3 cm (5.2 in), not a large move in ordinary months.
The record high is 1.33 m (4.35 ft), set in October 2023. That tells you the river has already shown a much higher level than its usual monthly range, and October is a month to watch when heavier rain reaches the catchment.
The record low is 0 m (0 ft), set in March 2017. That is the lower edge of the station’s history, and it is the kind of reading that matters for shallow access, pumps, and any use that depends on steady depth.
With 17 years on record, this gauge has seen both ends of a small river’s range. That record length matters because it gives more than a single season’s context: the river has enough history to show what is typical, what is exceptional, and how far a wet month can push beyond the usual pattern.
The number on today’s page is best read against the median for this calendar day, not as a raw height on its own. A level can look ordinary in one month and high in another, so the day-of-year comparison tells you whether the river is running above or below its usual seasonal mark.
For this station, that comparison is grounded in more than a decade and a half of record under SEPA. That is the value for daily use: it shows where the river stands for this date, which is more useful than elevation alone when you are deciding about access, setup, or whether a higher reading is simply part of the season.
Readings come from official government gauges and are rolled into daily records: the daily mean, high and low for every day on record. Each calendar day gets its own baseline from the full history, so the level you see is compared against what this specific date usually looks like rather than an annual average.
Real-time water levels, forecasts, and alerts for lakes and rivers across Canada, the US and the UK. Built on official government data.
Nibi Metrics tracks more than 13,000 gauged lakes and rivers across Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, reading directly from official federal monitoring networks: the Water Survey of Canada, the United States Geological Survey, Quebec's provincial hydrometric network, and the Environment Agency for England. Every number on the platform is measured, not modelled - taken from a government gauge on the water itself and compared against that location's own historical record for this exact date.
The level right now, in feet or metres, updated as the source agency publishes new readings - for many stations that is every five to fifteen minutes. How today compares to typical: every location carries its own typical-for-this-date band built from its historical record, so a reading is never just a number - it is above, below, or near what this water usually does on this calendar day. Which way it is moving: a measured RISING, FALLING, or STEADY verdict computed from the gauge's own recent readings, with the rate of change - the difference between a flood ending and one beginning. What comes next: level forecasts up to 72 hours ahead, driven by the gauge's recent behaviour, upstream water, and quantitative precipitation forecasts, alongside live radar, lightning, and weather for the surrounding region.
Set a threshold on any location - a level, a distance above typical, or a rate of climb - and Nibi emails or notifies you the moment the gauge crosses it. Cottagers use it for spring freshet, anglers for river conditions, marinas and municipalities for operations. The scanning runs around the clock against the same measured data shown on every page.
Nibi means water in Anishinaabemowin. The platform began at a family cottage on Lake Muskoka, Ontario, where the spring melt floods the shoreline most years and the only forecast was standing on the dock, looking, and guessing. It grew into an independent, member-funded platform run by Muskoka Research Inc. - no investors, no data resale, and a privacy policy shorter than most cookie banners. The core data is free for everyone, forever; paid plans add automation like multi-location alerts, deep history, and reports.
Nibi spans the continent: every Canadian province and territory with active federal gauges - from Vancouver Island rivers to the Muskoka lakes, prairie reservoirs, and Quebec's hydrometric network - and the United States from Maine to the Texas Hill Country, the Ohio Valley, and the Pacific Northwest. Coverage grows where the water news is: when a basin floods, its gauges join the platform with their full historical records attached. Many stations report every five to fifteen minutes; most report at least hourly; every page states exactly when its gauge last spoke.
The core promise is simple: the water data is free, for everyone, forever. Live levels, maps, radar, and recent history never sit behind a paywall. Paid plans fund the platform by adding automation - multi-location alerts, decades of history, longer forecasts, and PDF reports - so the people who need more carry the cost for everyone who just needs to check the lake before driving up. There are no investors and no advertising deals shaping what the data says.
Field notes and explainers from the Nibi desk - how to read a staff gauge, what a 100-year flood actually means, how snowpack becomes summer water.
For five years, spring 2019 was the mark every Lake Muskoka decision answered to. In April 2026 the lake went two centimeters higher - and the official books have not caught up yet.
Inside the freshet cycle that puts Manitoba shorelines at risk each year - and why 2026 broke the script.
The science of snow water equivalent and why it drives the season ahead.
What the numbers on the measuring stick actually tell you.
Why Central and South Texas rivers go from gravel beds to fifty-year records in an afternoon - including July 2026 on the Nueces.
One percent, every year, forever - unwrapping hydrology's most misunderstood phrase, and how it differs from our own percentiles.