Lackawaxen River near Honesdale Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Lackawaxen River near Honesdale in PA, United States, built from official government gauge data.
- Location PA, United States
- Watershed lackawaxen
- Primary gauge 01430000 (USGS)
About Lackawaxen River near Honesdale
The Lackawaxen River in the Lackawaxen watershed sits in Pennsylvania.
What the record shows
The record on this station runs back more than 41 years. The high-water mark is 7.94 ft (2.42 m) in October 2010, and the low-water mark is 0.61 ft (0.19 m) in September 2008.
The seasonal shape is fairly steady. March is the highest typical month at 2.17 ft (0.66 m), while September is the lowest typical month at 1.09 ft (0.33 m). That leaves a typical annual swing of 13 in (33 cm), which is the range a dock, intake, or shallow crossing has to live with through the year.
For anyone watching this river, that spread matters more than a single reading. A level near the spring typical high means more bankfull water is moving past the gauge; a level near the September typical low means the channel is carrying less water and shallow spots matter more.
The watershed
This station drains 164 sq mi (425 km2) upstream of the gauge. That is the area feeding the river at this point, not the whole Lackawaxen watershed.
In this part of the Northeast, winter and spring rain and melt often set the annual highs, while summer low flows are common. Late-summer tropical remnants can also bring sharp floods. The record here fits that pattern in part, with the highest mark coming in October 2010 and the lowest in September 2008.
Reading the hero number
The hero number on this page is the station’s current reading compared with the median for the same calendar day across the record, which is why it is more useful than raw elevation alone. Raw elevation by itself does not say whether this is normal for today or unusual for the season.
At this USGS station, a calendar-day comparison is the right lens because the river has a seasonal cycle and more than 41 years of record behind it. That lets cottagers, anglers, and flood-watchers judge whether today sits near the usual range or well outside it.
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
