WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Dry Bed near Ririe ID in ID, United States, built from official government gauge data.
Dry Bed near Ririe ID sits in the Idaho Falls watershed in Idaho.
The station record runs back more than 50 years. The highest level in that record was 15.4 ft (4.69 m) in January 2008. The lowest was 4.45 ft (1.36 m) in April 2008.
The seasonal pattern is clear enough for planning. June is the typical high month at 9.77 ft (2.98 m), while November is the typical low month at 5.87 ft (1.79 m). That leaves a typical annual swing of 3.9 ft (1.19 m).
For someone watching a dock, pump, or crossing, that swing matters more than a single reading. June is the month to watch for higher water. By November, the same site is usually much lower. The record high in January 2008 is also a reminder that winter can produce the largest water levels here.
This station belongs to the Idaho Falls watershed, but the gauge is what these numbers describe. It is the water level at this site, not the whole watershed at once.
The regional pattern here is mountain snowmelt hydrology. In this part of the West, the main rise is usually in spring and early summer, with long low-flow late summers. That seasonal shape matches the record at this station: June is the highest typical month, and November is the lowest typical month.
If you use this water for a private intake or a crossing, the month-to-month change is the part to plan around. The record shows a range that is large enough to change clearance, access, and the amount of water standing at the site.
The hero number on the page is best read against the median for this calendar day across the station record, not as a raw elevation. A level on its own does not say whether this site is running high or low for the date.
This station is published by the USGS, and the record here covers more than 50 years. That long record makes the day-of-year comparison useful: it puts today beside what is normal for this station at this time of year.
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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