Fraser River at Shelley Water Level

Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Fraser River at Shelley in Canada, BC, Canada, built from official government gauge data.

About Fraser River at Shelley

Fraser River at Shelley sits in the Upper Fraser - Baker watershed in British Columbia.

What the record shows

The station’s record runs for more than 14 years. The highest level in that record was 7.94 m (26.06 ft) in May 2013, and the lowest was 0.73 m (2.38 ft) in November 2022.

The seasonal pattern is clear. June is the highest month at 4.99 m (16.37 ft), while November is the lowest month at 2.23 m (7.32 ft). That is a typical annual swing of 2.76 m (9.1 ft), which is enough to change how far a dock sits from the water and how reliably an intake stays covered.

The fastest 24-hour rise on record was 1.61 m (5.3 ft) in October 2017. For anyone watching the river, that is the kind of change that leaves little time between a normal stage and a much higher one.

The fastest 24-hour drop on record was 1.24 m (4.1 ft) in April 2019.

The watershed

This station drains 32400 km2 (12510 sq mi) upstream of the gauge. In a mountain watershed, the yearly rise usually builds through snowmelt, with freshet often landing in late spring to early summer. The record here fits that seasonal shape: June is the high point, and November is the low point.

For people living along the river, that means the stage to watch is not a single number but the spread through the year. Higher summer water can leave less room at the bank, while lower late-fall water can expose more of the near-shore edge and make shallow access points less reliable.

Reading the hero number

The hero number on the page is today’s reading compared with the median for this calendar day across the station record. That is more useful than raw elevation because it tells you whether the river is running near its usual level for this date, not just how high it sits above sea level.

At this station, the reading comes from Water Survey of Canada, and the record spans more than 14 years.

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.

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Nibi Metrics - live water levels, flow, and forecasts for 17,900+ lakes and rivers

Real-time water levels, forecasts, and alerts for lakes and rivers in a growing number of countries. Built on official government data.

Nibi Metrics tracks more than 17,900 gauged lakes and rivers in a growing number of countries, reading directly from official federal monitoring networks: the Water Survey of Canada, the United States Geological Survey, Quebec's provincial hydrometric network, the Environment Agency for England, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Natural Resources Wales, the Office of Public Works in Ireland (waterlevel.ie), the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE), the State of Queensland's water monitoring network, and on the Great Lakes the Canadian Hydrographic Service and NOAA. 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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