WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Delaware River at Washington Crossing NJ in NJ, United States, built from official government gauge data.
The Delaware River at Washington Crossing NJ is a gauged river in the Middle Delaware-Musconetcong watershed, New Jersey.
In this reach, the usual high water comes in April at 1.55 ft (0.47 m). The usual low comes in September at -1.69 ft (-0.52 m). That spread is 3.2 ft (98.9 cm), so a dock, boat ramp, or intake here has to live with a clear seasonal range.
For cottagers and anglers, that means spring is the time to expect higher water on the bank, while late summer is when the river is most likely to run thin. Mid-Atlantic rivers often see winter-spring rain floods, and the larger surges here tend to arrive with tropical systems or their remnants. The monthly pattern on this station fits that broader rhythm.
The record high is 18.28 ft (5.57 m) in September 2011. The record low is -2.78 ft (-0.85 m) in August 2022.
Those two marks show how far this gauge can move outside its usual band. The high-water record is far above the typical April level, which is the kind of spread that can change access, edge safety, and current speed quickly. The low-water record is below the usual September level, which matters for shallow launches and for anyone drawing water from the river.
This station has 16 years on record.
The number shown on this page is most useful when set against the median for the same calendar day, not just the raw stage. That comparison shows whether the river is running above or below its normal level for this date at Washington Crossing, which is what matters for today’s access, bank conditions, and flow feel.
For this station, the reading is from the USGS, and the catchment above the gauge is 6735 sq mi (17444 km2).
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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