Arkansas River at Little Rock Water Level

Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Arkansas River at Little Rock in AR, United States, built from official government gauge data.

About Arkansas River at Little Rock

Arkansas River at Little Rock is a gauged river in the Lower Arkansas-Maumelle watershed, Arkansas.

The watershed

This reach sits on the Arkansas River in central Arkansas, where winter and spring rain can move water up quickly, while later-season drops tend to be slower. For people along the banks, that means the river can change pace within a season, but the lower stretches often take longer to drain back after a rise.

What the numbers say

The record high is 29.59 ft (9.02 m), set in June 2019. The record low is 6.47 ft (1.97 m), set in October 2015. That span matters for docks, launches, and any intake set close to the waterline: the river has moved through a wide range over this station’s 19 years on record.

Seasonally, the highest typical month is May at 9.4 ft (2.86 m), while the lowest typical month is November at 7.49 ft (2.28 m). The typical annual swing is 22.8 in (58 cm). That is not a huge month-to-month change on paper, but it still sets the ordinary band the river tends to work within when conditions are steady.

Reading the hero number

The hero number on this page compares today’s stage with the median for this calendar day, using the USGS record at Arkansas River at Little Rock, AR. That is more useful than raw elevation alone because a stage only becomes meaningful when you know what is normal for the same date here.

With more than 19 years on record, the daily median gives a fairer read on whether the river is sitting near its usual range or outside it for this point in the year.

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

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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.

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