Merrimack River at Lawrence Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Merrimack River at Lawrence in MA, United States, built from official government gauge data.
- Location MA, United States
- Watershed merrimack river
- Primary gauge 01100500 (USGS)
About Merrimack River at Lawrence
Merrimack River at Lawrence is a gauged river in the Merrimack River watershed, Massachusetts.
Season by season
April is the usual high-water month here, with a typical level of 15.44 ft (4.71 m). September is the usual low-water month, at 8.92 ft (2.72 m). That spread, and the typical annual swing of 6.5 ft (1.99 m), is the part of the hydrograph that matters for docks, bank access, and any intake set close to the waterline.
For New England, that spring rise fits the broad seasonal pattern of snowmelt and rain freshet. Late summer is usually the lean stretch, and September is the month to watch if you need dependable depth for small craft or shallow access.
Records and rises
The station record is 14 years long. Within that span, the river reached a record high of 24.44 ft (7.45 m) in December 2023 and a record low of 7.61 ft (2.32 m) in September 2016.
Those two marks show the range this reach can cover in a short time. A December high points to the kind of flood season that can come with coastal storms or tropical remnants in this part of the region, while the September low is the lower edge of what the river has shown on record.
The upstream drainage area at this gauge is 4,672 sq mi (12,100 km2). For people living or fishing along the river, that means the water here reflects a large contributing area upstream, not just what falls near Lawrence.
Reading the hero number
This page’s hero number is the current river level at the USGS station, set against the median level for the same calendar day across the station record. That comparison is more useful than raw elevation alone because it shows whether the river is running high or low for the season, not just where it sits above a datum.
USGS is the operating agency for this station, and the record behind that comparison covers 14 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 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
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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
