Kalamalka Lake Water Level
Live lake level, flow, historical records and forecast for Kalamalka Lake in Osoyoos Division Yale Land District, BC, Canada, built from official government gauge data.
- Location Osoyoos Division Yale Land District, BC, Canada
- Watershed okanagan
- Primary gauge 08NM143 (Water Survey of Canada)
About Kalamalka Lake
Kalamalka Lake sits in the Okanagan watershed in British Columbia.
What the record shows
The record high is 6.32 m (20.74 ft), set in June 2017, and the record low is 0.09 m (0.29 ft), set in November 1970. Over more than 58 years on record, the seasonal range has been modest: the typical high month is June at 5.56 m (18.25 ft), and the typical low month is December at 5.23 m (17.15 ft). The typical annual swing is 33.8 cm (13.3 in).
For people using the lake, that means the level usually changes by a little more than a third of a metre across the year, but the extremes show it can sit well outside that usual band. Docks, lifts, and shoreline access need to be set with that spread in mind.
The watershed
The gauge drains 573 km2 (221 sq mi) upstream of the station at Vernon Pumphouse. In mountain hydrology, freshet is often driven by snowpack and commonly peaks May-July; glacier-fed systems can stay high through summer. That seasonal pattern is the main rhythm to watch here, especially when planning spring access or late-season use.
Because this page is for a lake gauge, the number describes conditions at the station, not the whole Okanagan. The upstream area is what feeds the reading you see here.
Reading the hero number
The hero number 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 lake is sitting near its usual level for this date, not just how high it is above sea level.
This station is part of the Water Survey of Canada network, and the record spans more than 58 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.
How Nibi Metrics works · Water stories
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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