WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Blue R near Stanley in KS, United States, built from official government gauge data.
Blue River near Stanley sits in the Lower Missouri-Crooked watershed in Kansas.
The record on this river runs back more than 50 years.
The highest stage in that record was 70.25 ft (21.41 m) in August 1991. The lowest was 0.01 ft (0 m) in October 1991. Those two marks show how wide the range can be here: water that low leaves little margin at the gauge, while water that high is a very different river for crossings, banks, and low-lying access.
Seasonally, the typical high point comes in May at 4.12 ft (1.26 m), and the typical low point comes in August at 3.55 ft (1.08 m). The usual swing over the year is 6.8 in (17.3 cm). For anyone with a dock, pump, or bank access, that tells you the river’s everyday level changes are modest compared with its flood record, but the seasonal low still matters for shallow access.
The fastest 24-hour rise is not listed here, so I won’t guess at warning time from this station.
This station drains 46 square miles (119 km2) above the gauge. That is the area feeding this specific site, not the whole named watershed.
In plains country, spring and summer storms can push water up fast, then the river can spend long stretches easing back down. Flat ground also tends to hold high water longer once it is up. For people living nearby, that means short-lived storms can still make a noticeable change at the gauge, and a drop can take time to work through.
The hero number on this page is the current stage from the USGS, set beside the median for this calendar day across the station record. That comparison is better than raw elevation because it shows whether the river is running low, near normal, or high for the date.
With more than 50 years on record, the daily median gives a practical frame for cottagers, anglers, and anyone watching 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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