Dan River at South Boston Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Dan River at South Boston in VA, United States, built from official government gauge data.
- Location VA, United States
- Watershed lower dan
- Primary gauge 02076000 (USGS)
About Dan River at South Boston
The watershed
The Dan River at South Boston sits in the Lower Dan watershed in Virginia.
This gauge drains 2,762 sq mi (7,154 km2) upstream of the station. For a river this size, what matters day to day is how quickly the level can move and how wide the seasonal range runs. The record at this site spans 27 years, so the range below is based on a fair stretch of local history.
What the numbers say
The highest level in the record is 31.18 ft (9.51 m), set in October 2018. The lowest is 4.44 ft (1.35 m), set in August 2002. That gap is the difference between a river that has room to spread and one that can leave shallow margins, tighter boat access, and less water over bars and edges.
Seasonally, the river is typically highest in March at 9.34 ft (2.85 m) and lowest in September at 6.68 ft (2.04 m). The typical annual swing is 31.9 in (81.1 cm). For people using docks, crossings, or intakes, that is the range the river asks you to tolerate most years.
The regional pattern here is rain-driven: winter and spring rain floods are common, and brief summer low flows are part of the normal cycle. Late-summer spikes can also happen, so a low river in one week does not mean it will stay there.
Reading the hero number
The number at the top of the page is today’s reading, set against the median for this calendar day across the station record. That comparison is more useful than raw elevation because it tells you whether the river is running typical for the date, higher than usual, or lower than usual for this spot.
This station is a USGS gauge, and the daily context comes from more than 27 years of record.
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
