Allegheny River at Olean NY Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Allegheny River at Olean NY in NY, United States, built from official government gauge data.
- Location NY, United States
- Watershed upper allegheny
- Primary gauge 03010820 (USGS)
About Allegheny River at Olean NY
The Allegheny River at Olean sits in the Upper Allegheny watershed in New York.
The watershed
This station drains 1,168 square miles (3,025 km2) upstream of Olean. That is the area feeding the gauge, not the whole watershed name on the map. For people along the river, that upstream footprint is what matters when rain or snowmelt builds water at the station.
What the numbers say
The highest level in the record is 14.89 ft (4.54 m) in December 2010. The lowest is -1.13 ft (-0.34 m) in September 2016. Those two marks show a wide range at this site.
The seasonal pattern is clear. April is the typical high month at 4.2 ft (1.28 m), while September is the typical low month at 0.25 ft (0.08 m). The typical annual swing is 4 ft (1.2 m). For docks, intakes, and low-water access, that is the span the river asks people to live with over the year.
The record does not include a fastest 24-hour rise here, so there is nothing specific to quote on warning time. This station has 16 years on record, which is enough to show the broad cycle but still short enough that any single extreme deserves attention.
Reading the hero number
The hero number on this page compares today’s reading with the median for this calendar day across the station record. That is more useful than raw elevation because it puts the river in season. A given level can mean one thing in April and another in September.
The station is published by the USGS. With more than 16 years on record, the median-by-date view gives a quick read on whether the river is running near its usual state for this day or sitting above or below it.
How this page is built
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.
How Nibi Metrics works · Water stories
Nibi Metrics - live water levels, flow, and forecasts for lakes and rivers across Canada, the US and the UK
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.
What you can see for any monitored lake or river
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.
Alerts that watch the water for you
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.
Where Nibi comes from
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.
Coverage
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.
Free forever, funded by members
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.
Water Stories
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How every number is computed - About the platform
