WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Big Creek near Elizabeth in AR, United States, built from official government gauge data.
Big Creek near Elizabeth is a gauged river in the North Fork White watershed in Arkansas.
This station drains 51.9 sq mi (134 km2) upstream of the gauge, so the numbers here describe this reach, not the whole North Fork White. With 32 years on record, the site has enough history to show a steady seasonal pattern and a few sharp extremes.
The regional pattern here is rainfall-driven winter-spring flooding, with quicker rises on upland streams and slower recessions in lower country. For people living along the creek, that means the water can move from ordinary to high water on the back of a storm, but it can also spend time easing down after the peak has passed.
The record high is 15.94 ft (4.86 m), set in April 2025. The record low is 6.14 ft (1.87 m), set in September 2025. That spread matters for banks, crossings, and any intake or dock that sits close to the waterline.
The typical high point of the year comes in March at 7.72 ft (2.35 m). The typical low point comes in September at 7.03 ft (2.14 m). The typical annual swing is 8.2 in (20.9 cm), which is modest on paper but still worth watching if you leave gear near the edge or fish a fixed stretch through the season.
The number on the page is most useful when it is compared with the median for this calendar day across the station record. That tells you whether today is ordinary for this date or running high or low against the local history, which is more useful than raw elevation alone.
Here that context comes from the USGS station record, with more than 32 years on file. For a creek like this, the comparison to the day’s median is the better guide for daily decisions: whether to launch, check a crossing, or keep an eye on a rising bank.
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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