WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Bear River below Reservoir, near Woodruff in WY, United States, built from official government gauge data.
The Bear River below Reservoir, near Woodruff is in the Upper Bear watershed in Wyoming.
The station record spans more than 50 years. The highest level on record was 7.65 ft (2.33 m) in June 2010. The lowest level on record was 1.88 ft (0.57 m) in March 2013.
The seasonal pattern fits a mountain-and-basin river. The highest typical month is June at 5.35 ft (1.63 m), and the lowest typical month is March at 2.46 ft (0.75 m). That is a typical annual swing of 34.6 in (88 cm).
For people using this water, that spread matters. A dock, pump intake, or bank access set for March can be out of place by June. A June level near the monthly high is normal here, while a March reading near the monthly low is also part of the station record.
This gauge drains 784 sq mi (2031 km2) upstream of the station. That is the area feeding this measurement, not the whole Upper Bear watershed.
The Bear River here reflects the larger rhythm of the basin: snowmelt is the main driver of the May-June peak, summer thunderstorms can bring sharp local rises, and winter brings long low flows. For anglers, that means access and current can change by season, not just by storm. For farmers and neighbours with pumps or crossings near the channel, the spring rise is the time to watch closely.
The number shown on the page is most useful when compared with the median for this calendar day across the station record. That tells you whether today is running high or low for the date, instead of just showing an elevation by itself.
That comparison is especially helpful at a station with more than 50 years of record, because it puts today’s reading against the range this gauge has actually seen. The data come from the USGS.
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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