WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Coosa River at Gaston Steam Plant near Wilsonville in AL, United States, built from official government gauge data.
The Coosa River in the Lower Coosa watershed, Alabama, is gauged at Gaston Steam Plant near Wilsonville.
This station watches 8588 sq mi (22243 km2) upstream of the gauge, so the stage here reflects a large upstream area rather than a short local reach. For people along the river, that means changes can carry a lot of water behind them, and the line between a normal day and a problem day can move quickly when the basin is wet.
The long record gives a clear range. The highest stage in the file is 18.02 ft (5.49 m) in May 2003. The lowest is 10.04 ft (3.06 m) in October 2018. That spread is what sets the envelope for docks, ramps, and any intake sitting close to the bank.
The seasonal pattern is modest but real. The highest typical month is March at 13.72 ft (4.18 m), while the lowest typical month is September at 13.49 ft (4.11 m). The typical annual swing is 2.8 in (7.1 cm).
That small swing tells you the river is not usually making huge seasonal moves at this gauge. For a boater, angler, or riparian landowner, that means day-to-day management is less about a broad seasonal drop and more about watching rain-driven jumps when they come. In the Gulf South, winter and spring rain usually set the annual high water, while late summer and fall can stay lower between storm events.
The hero number on this page should be read as today’s stage compared with the median for this calendar day across the station record, not as a raw elevation by itself. That matters because a stage of 13.72 ft (4.18 m) can mean one thing in March and a different thing in September.
With more than 33 years of record from the U.S. Geological Survey, the day-of-year comparison shows whether the river is running above or below its usual level for this date. For anyone checking access, bank exposure, or how much room is left before water reaches a dock or threshold, that context is more useful than a single number 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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