Churchill River near Patuanak Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Churchill River near Patuanak in SK, Canada, built from official government gauge data.
- Location SK, Canada
- Watershed upper churchill man lac ile a la crosse
- Primary gauge 06BB003 (Water Survey of Canada)
About Churchill River near Patuanak
Churchill River near Patuanak sits in the Upper Churchill (Man.) - Lac Île-à-La-Crosse watershed in Saskatchewan.
What the record shows
This station has more than 96 years of record, so the long view matters here. The highest level in the file is 421 m (1381.22 ft), reached in August 2020. The lowest is 418.3 m (1372.38 ft), reached in April 2011. Between those two extremes, the river has covered 2.7 m (8.84 ft), which is a wide span for docks, shore access, and any intake set close to the water.
The seasonal pattern is flatter than the record range, but it still matters day to day. The typical high month is September at 420.05 m (1378.12 ft), and the typical low month is March at 419.49 m (1376.27 ft). That is a typical annual swing of 56.2 cm (22.1 in). For people on this river, that is the amount of change to expect in a normal year, not the full spread the station has actually seen.
The regional rhythm here is the one Prairie users know well: a snowmelt-dominated spring peak, long summer recession, and readings that can shift with wind-driven setup on larger water. On this river, the record keeps that picture honest, with the annual high not landing in spring in the station file.
The watershed
The gauge drains 78670 km2 (30375 sq mi) above the station. That is the catchment feeding this point on the river, not the whole named watershed. For upstream rain, snow, and meltwater, this is the area that matters when the level starts to move.
For cottagers, anglers, and farmers watching banks and access points, the main takeaway is simple: the river’s usual seasonal range is modest, but the record shows it can leave that range by a lot. Low water in late winter and early spring can expose edges and limit access; higher water later in the season can change shoreline conditions quickly.
Reading the hero number
The number shown at the top is best read against the median for this calendar day across the station’s record, not as a raw elevation. Raw elevation tells you where the water sits today; the calendar-day median tells you whether that level is normal for this date at this station.
That is why the Water Survey of Canada format is useful here. With more than 96 years on record, it gives a local benchmark for today’s reading instead of a single absolute height that does not say much by itself.
How this page is built
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.
How Nibi Metrics works · Water stories
Nibi Metrics - live water levels, flow, and forecasts for lakes and rivers across Canada, the US and the UK
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.
What you can see for any monitored lake or river
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.
Alerts that watch the water for you
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.
Where Nibi comes from
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.
Coverage
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.
Free forever, funded by members
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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How every number is computed - About the platform
