WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Almond (Lothian) at Whitburn in Scotland, United Kingdom, built from official government gauge data.
Almond (Lothian) at Whitburn is a gauged river in Scotland.
At this SEPA station, the upstream catchment is 30.3 km2 (11.7 sq mi), so changes at the gauge reflect a fairly compact area above Whitburn.
The seasonal pattern is modest but clear. January is the highest month on the record, with a typical level of 0.36 m (1.19 ft). June is the lowest month, with a typical level of 0.2 m (0.65 ft). For someone with a crossing, intake, or low bank access point, that is a water level that changes through the year, but not by a large amount in typical conditions.
The typical annual swing is 16.3 cm (6.4 in). That is the scale to keep in mind when planning around day-to-day use of the river.
The record high is 2.06 m (6.74 ft) in December 1994. The record low is 0 m (0 ft) in April 2007.
Those two marks show the range this reach has already shown at the gauge. If you are watching for high water near gardens, paths, or field edges, the December 1994 peak is the level to have in mind. If you are thinking about very low water for habitat, angling access, or pump intake exposure, the April 2007 low is the other end of the record.
The record span comes from 34 years on record at this station. That is enough history to show that this river can sit in a narrow seasonal band most of the time, then still move sharply when conditions turn wet.
The hero number compares today’s reading with the median for this calendar day across the station’s record. That is more useful than raw elevation because it tells you whether the river is running high or low for the season, not just where the water sits above the local datum.
At SEPA’s gauge, that daily comparison gives a cleaner read on what matters for neighbours: whether current conditions are ordinary for the date, or out of step with the usual pattern built from the 34 years on record.
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.
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