Baron Fork at Eldon Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Baron Fork at Eldon in OK, United States, built from official government gauge data.
- Location OK, United States
- Watershed illinois
- Primary gauge 07197000 (USGS)
About Baron Fork at Eldon
Baron Fork at Eldon is a river in the Illinois watershed, Oklahoma.
What the record shows
Over 50 years of record, the highest stage here was 21.29 ft (6.49 m) in April 2011, and the lowest was 4.39 ft (1.34 m) in December 2017. That is a wide range for a single gauge, and it tells you the river can move from a low winter stage to a much higher flood stage in the same record.
The seasonal pattern is narrower, but it still matters. The typical high month is April at 6.92 ft (2.11 m), while the typical low month is October at 5.83 ft (1.78 m). The typical annual swing is 13.1 in (33.3 cm). For a dock, pump intake, or shallow crossing, that means the river does not stay at one level for long; the usable margin changes through the year.
No fastest 24-hour rise is listed in the facts here, so I cannot point to a warning rate for sudden change. In this part of Oklahoma, that kind of missing number matters because the river can respond quickly to storm runoff.
The watershed
The gauge drains 312 sq mi (808 km2) upstream of the station. That is the area feeding this reading, not the whole Illinois watershed.
For people living nearby, that upstream area is the part to watch when storms hit. A rise at the gauge reflects what has fallen across that drainage above Eldon, so local rain can matter fast. For anglers, the seasonal low in October is the part of the year when depth and current tend to be leaner than in spring. For cottagers and anyone with an intake, the record high in April 2011 shows this river can reach levels far above its typical April stage.
Reading the hero number
The hero number on this page is the river’s current reading compared with the median for this calendar day across the station record. That is more useful than raw elevation because a stage of 6 ft (1.83 m) can mean very different things in April and October.
This station is a USGS site with more than 50 years of record. The day-by-day comparison lets you see whether the river is running high, low, or near its usual level for this date, which is what matters for access, bank conditions, and flood watch decisions.
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.
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