WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for North Branch Rancocas Creek at Pemberton NJ in NJ, United States, built from official government gauge data.
North Branch Rancocas Creek at Pemberton sits in the Lower Delaware watershed, New Jersey.
The record at this station runs back more than 50 years.
The highest level in the file is 4.74 ft (1.45 m), in August 2011. The lowest is 1.44 ft (0.44 m), in September 2010. That span matters for docks, pumps, and crossings: this creek has a range that can shift from a late-summer low to a much higher flood mark.
The seasonal pattern is modest but clear. The typical high point comes in March at 1.88 ft (0.57 m), and the typical low point comes in September at 1.59 ft (0.49 m). The usual annual swing is 3.5 in (8.8 cm). For a landowner or angler, that means the creek generally sits a little higher in late winter and early spring, then eases down toward late summer.
No fastest 24-hour rise is listed here, so there is no station-specific rate to lean on for warning time.
This gauge drains 118 sq mi (306 km2) upstream of the station.
That is the area feeding this reading, not the whole Lower Delaware. What falls in that upstream basin is what shows up here first, whether it arrives as steady rain or a shorter burst that pushes the creek up quickly.
In this part of New Jersey, winter-spring rain floods are part of the seasonal rhythm, and tropical systems and their remnants are the events that tend to bring the biggest water. Summer low flows are also part of the pattern, and the September low in the record fits that broad shape.
The number shown on the page is most useful when it is compared with the median for this calendar day, not with the raw gage height alone. A single elevation by itself does not tell you whether the creek is running high, low, or near its usual level for today.
At North Branch Rancocas Creek at Pemberton, that comparison is based on USGS records with more than 50 years on file. It gives a clearer read on how today fits the station’s own history, which is the better guide for anyone checking access, bankfull conditions, or whether the creek is running above its usual level for the date.
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.
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.