WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Little Applegate River near Buncom in OR, United States, built from official government gauge data.
Little Applegate River near Buncom is a gauged river in the Applegate watershed in Oregon.
The station’s record shows the river highest in May at 0.27 ft (0.08 m) and lowest in September at -0.31 ft (-0.1 m). For someone drawing water or backing a boat down a bank, that is the range to keep in mind: spring brings the highest typical stage, while late summer sits lower.
The typical annual swing is 7 in (17.8 cm). That is a modest spread, but it still matters when a pump intake, a shallow crossing, or a fish-holding pocket depends on a few inches of water. West of the Cascades, winter rain often sets the broad flood season, while the late-summer low usually comes with dry weather.
Over about 10 years of record, the highest level was 3.23 ft (0.99 m) in February 2017. The lowest was -0.5 ft (-0.15 m) in September 2022. Those are the reach’s bookends so far: February 2017 shows how high this gauge has already gone, and September 2022 shows how low it can sit.
For anglers, that gap is a reminder that habitat and access can change a lot between seasons. For people watching a private crossing or intake, the record high is the level to respect, not the average day.
The hero number on this page is most useful when read against the median for the same calendar day, not as a raw elevation. A single stage reading can look high or low by itself; compared with the day’s median, it shows whether the river is running above its usual level for this date.
This station is operated by the USGS. With about 10 years of record, that daily comparison is a practical way to judge whether the river is simply following its seasonal pattern or sitting away from it.
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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