Helmsdale at Kilphedir Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Helmsdale at Kilphedir in Scotland, United Kingdom, built from official government gauge data.
- Location Scotland, United Kingdom
- Primary gauge sepa-234253 (Water Survey of Canada)
About Helmsdale at Kilphedir
Helmsdale at Kilphedir is a gauged river in Scotland.
The watershed
This station drains 551 km2 (213 sq mi) above the gauge, so the readings here reflect the water moving through the reach at Kilphedir, not the whole river system beyond it. For people with intakes, bridges, or banks to watch, that catchment size means upstream rain can show up in the local level here without much delay.
The seasonal pattern is straightforward. The highest typical month is November at 1.01 m (3.3 ft), while the lowest typical month is July at 0.75 m (2.44 ft). That is the kind of swing that matters for docking, shallow access, and fish-holding water in late summer. The station’s typical annual swing is 26.1 cm (10.3 in), which is modest on paper but still enough to change how the river sits against a bank or crossing.
Records show this reach can move well beyond the usual seasonal range. The high-water mark is 2.51 m (8.23 ft) in October 2023, and the low-water mark is 0.64 m (2.09 ft) in October 1989. For a river in a rain-driven climate, that is the kind of record spread that tells you to expect fast changes when heavy weather arrives.
What the numbers say
The pattern here fits a coastal-plain and piedmont river: winter and spring rain usually keep levels up, while the warm season can hold lower water for longer stretches. The fact that the seasonal low is in July is useful for anyone planning launches, crossings, or field work, because that is when margins tend to be tightest.
The October 2023 high is also a reminder that late-season storms can reset what this river has shown before. The October 1989 low sets the other end of the local record. Together, those two points frame the range that cottagers, anglers, and anyone managing a bank-side access point should keep in mind.
Reading the hero number
The hero number on this page compares today’s reading with the median for this calendar day across 50 years on record. That is more useful than raw elevation because the river’s usual level changes through the year; a number that looks ordinary in November may be high for July, and the reverse can also be true.
On a page sourced from SEPA, this comparison gives the quickest read on whether the river is sitting above or below its usual place for the date. It is the best single number for daily decisions because it puts the current stage against the station’s own history, not against a fixed mark that ignores season.
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.
Water Stories
Field notes and explainers from the Nibi desk - how to read a staff gauge, what a 100-year flood actually means, how snowpack becomes summer water.
For five years, spring 2019 was the mark every Lake Muskoka decision answered to. In April 2026 the lake went two centimeters higher - and the official books have not caught up yet.
Inside the freshet cycle that puts Manitoba shorelines at risk each year - and why 2026 broke the script.
The science of snow water equivalent and why it drives the season ahead.
What the numbers on the measuring stick actually tell you.
Why Central and South Texas rivers go from gravel beds to fifty-year records in an afternoon - including July 2026 on the Nueces.
One percent, every year, forever - unwrapping hydrology's most misunderstood phrase, and how it differs from our own percentiles.
How every number is computed - About the platform
