WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Bayou Nezpique near Basile in LA, United States, built from official government gauge data.
Bayou Nezpique near Basile is a river in the Mermentau Headwaters watershed, Louisiana.
The long record on this site runs to more than 50 years. The highest level in that span was 28.33 ft (8.64 m) in May 2017, and the lowest was 0.61 ft (0.19 m) in October 2015.
That spread matters on the ground. A dock, crossing, or pump intake that works at ordinary levels still has to tolerate the upper end of the record, and it also has to sit above the low water you can see in late-season months.
The usual seasonal shape is clear. February is the highest month, with a typical level of 9.21 ft (2.81 m). October is the lowest month, with a typical level of 2.28 ft (0.69 m). The typical annual swing is 6.9 ft (2.11 m), which is the range a shoreline setup has to live with year to year.
The station drains 527 sq mi (1,365 km2) upstream of the gauge. That is the area feeding this reading, not the full watershed on a map.
For neighbours, that upstream area means the bayou can stay high after rain, and low spots can hold water longer than a short-lived rise would suggest. In this part of Louisiana, the seasonal pattern is only part of the story; rainfall flooding and slow drainage can keep levels elevated for days.
The number on the page is most useful when you compare today’s reading with the median for the same calendar day across the station’s record. That gives a better sense of whether the bayou is running normal for the date, or sitting above or below its usual level.
This station is operated by the USGS. With more than 50 years on record, its daily reference point is more informative than raw elevation alone, especially for people judging access, bank conditions, or how much room is left before the next rise matters.
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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