WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Black River near Peach Orchard in AR, United States, built from official government gauge data.
The Black River near Peach Orchard is in the Upper Black watershed in Arkansas.
April is the usual high-water month here, with a typical level of 268.87 ft (81.95 m). October is the usual low-water month, with a typical level of 262.84 ft (80.11 m). That puts the typical annual swing at 6 ft (1.84 m), which is the range docks, pumps, and bank-side access have to handle from one part of the year to another.
For people watching the river, that seasonal shape matters more than a single reading. Spring tends to carry the higher water, while autumn is the lower end of the year.
The record high is 273.36 ft (83.32 m), set in May 2017. The record low is 261.93 ft (79.83 m), set in October 2022.
Those two marks show the spread this gauge has seen over its 10 years on record. If you use the river for access, a dock set for autumn levels may sit several feet lower in spring, and a shoreline setup that works in spring may be strained when the river falls toward its low end.
The fastest 24-hour rise is not available in the record provided, so there is nothing specific to flag on short-notice rise speed.
The hero number on this page is today’s reading compared with the median for this calendar day at this station. That is the better number to watch because it tells you whether the river is sitting above or below its usual level for this date, instead of just showing an elevation on its own.
This station is operated by the U.S. Geological Survey. With more than 10 years on record, the comparison gives a cleaner read on where the Black River stands for cottagers, anglers, and anyone checking access or bank conditions.
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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