WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
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Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Kuparuk R near Deadhorse AK in AK, United States, built from official government gauge data.
The Kuparuk River near Deadhorse, AK, is in the Kuparuk River watershed in Alaska.
The station drains 3,340 sq mi (8,651 km2) upstream of this point. That is the area a reader should keep in mind when looking at any stage here, because the gauge responds to everything arriving from above it.
This station has more than 50 years on record.
The highest recorded level is 38.33 ft (11.68 m), in June 2013. The lowest recorded level is 25.28 ft (7.71 m), in November 2013. That span matters on the ground: docks, pumps, and access points here have to work across a range of 13.05 ft (3.97 m).
The seasonal pattern is clear. The typical high comes in May at 32.3 ft (9.85 m), and the typical low comes in December at 26.32 ft (8.02 m). The typical annual swing is 6 ft (1.82 m). For anyone keeping gear in the water, that is the space between a setup that sits fine in spring and one that is left higher and drier later on.
No fastest 24-hour rise is listed in the facts, so there is nothing to add on warning time from that metric.
The hero number on this page is most useful when read against the median for this calendar day across the station record, not as a raw elevation. A stage on one date can be ordinary for that season or unusual for that season; the daily median shows which.
This station is operated in the USGS network, and the comparison becomes steadier with more than 50 years of record behind it. That is the context that helps a cottager, angler, or flood watcher judge whether today is sitting near the middle of the usual range, or pushing toward the edges already seen here.
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 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.
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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