WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Carron (Wester Ross) at New Kelso in Scotland, United Kingdom, built from official government gauge data.
Carron (Wester Ross) at New Kelso is a gauged river in Scotland.
This river usually sits highest in January at 0.76 m (2.51 ft) and lowest in May at 0.46 m (1.49 ft). That is the seasonal pattern a bank path, low crossing, or small intake has to live with here: wetter winter conditions, then a quieter spring minimum.
The station’s typical annual swing is 30.9 cm (12.2 in). For anyone checking access, moorings, or a riverside garden, that is the scale of the regular rise and fall rather than an exception.
The rain-driven rhythm in this part of the country fits the record: winter and spring are the seasons to watch, while a long warm spell can leave the river lower for longer.
The highest level in the station record is 2.39 m (7.85 ft), reached in November 2011. The lowest is -0.1 m (-0.33 ft), reached in June 2008. Those two marks show the range the reach has already handled on this gauge.
The station has 48 years on record, so these are not one-off numbers from a short run. For cottagers and anglers, that record length matters because it shows how far the river can move when the weather pattern shifts. In a rain-fed catchment, big autumn and winter rises are the levels worth planning around.
The catchment above the station is 138 km2 (53.2 sq mi), so the gauge is watching water from a modest upstream area rather than a vast basin. That helps explain why the level can respond quickly when rain falls over the catchment.
Today’s reading is best judged against the median for this calendar day, not against the river’s absolute height. A raw level on its own does not tell you whether the river is running high for this time of year or sitting close to its usual mark.
The comparison is more useful because it is anchored to this station’s own record at SEPA, which means the number reflects how this reach behaves through the seasons. That is the better guide for a pier, a track crossing, or a fishing plan than the height alone.
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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