WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Caernarvon Outfall Channel at Caernarvon in LA, United States, built from official government gauge data.
Caernarvon Outfall Channel at Caernarvon is in the Eastern Louisiana Coastal watershed in Louisiana.
This station sits in a low-lying coastal setting where water levels can stay elevated for days after heavy rain or storm surge, so short-term changes matter as much as the absolute level.
For people living, fishing, or moving equipment here, the seasonal pattern is the main guide. The highest typical month is September at 1.6 ft (0.49 m), while the lowest typical month is July at 1.01 ft (0.31 m). The typical annual swing is 7.1 in (18 cm), so docks, pumps, and access points need to tolerate only a modest seasonal range at this site.
The record high is 5.26 ft (1.6 m), reached in September 2020. The record low is -1.46 ft (-0.44 m), reached in February 2026. Those two points show that this channel can move far outside its seasonal average when conditions change.
With 26 years on record, this station has enough history to show the shape of the water through the year. September usually sits highest, July usually sits lowest, and the difference between them is small compared with the record extremes.
The numbers also show why this gauge is useful for local decisions. A level near the seasonal typical range is one thing; a move toward the record high is another. For a boater, that can change clearance and current. For a landowner, it can change whether the water reaches a low crossing or stays within the channel. For anyone with an intake, small changes can still matter when water stays high for days.
The number at the top of the page should be read against the median for this calendar day across the station’s record, not just as a raw elevation. That comparison is better because it tells you whether today is running above or below what this date usually brings at Caernarvon.
This station is operated by the USGS, and its record spans more than 26 years. That long record is what makes the daily median meaningful: it filters out the day-to-day noise and shows whether the water is behaving normally for this date or sitting unusually high or low.
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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