WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Kirtle Water at Mossknowe in Scotland, United Kingdom, built from official government gauge data.
Kirtle Water at Mossknowe is a gauged river in Scotland.
The station drains 72 km2 (27.8 sq mi) above Mossknowe. That is the area feeding this gauge, so a wet spell over that ground is what shows up here first. For anyone drawing water, watching fields, or fishing this reach, that catchment size is the scale that matters.
The record runs for 39 years, which is enough to show the river’s usual swing and its rarer extremes. In this part of the country, winter and spring rains are the season to watch, and long warm-season low water can set in as well.
The seasonal high is in January at 0.87 m (2.86 ft). The seasonal low is in June at 0.61 m (2 ft). That is a fairly steady pattern, but it still leaves enough change to matter for shallow banks, intakes, and any crossing that depends on a narrow range of water levels.
The typical annual swing is 26.2 cm (10.3 in). That is not a dramatic seasonal range, but it is enough to move the edge of usable water for small craft and to change how much margin is left at a low dock or bank.
The record high is 2.32 m (7.6 ft) in August 2019. The record low is 0 m (0 ft) in September 1988. Those two marks show the reach has seen both very high water and complete recession to the gauge’s floor.
The hero number on this page compares today’s reading with the median for this calendar day across the station’s record. That is more useful than a raw height because it puts the river beside its own usual pattern at this time of year.
With 39 years on record, the comparison gives a quick read on whether the river is running near its normal seasonal level or sitting above or below that benchmark. On this station, that is the clearest way to judge what the water is doing for the Water Survey of Canada-style gauge record held here by SEPA.
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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