WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for North Esk (Tayside) at Inveriscandye in Scotland, United Kingdom, built from official government gauge data.
North Esk (Tayside) at Inveriscandye is a gauged river in Scotland.
This station sits on a short record for a river that responds quickly to rain. The pattern in the file fits that kind of water: the highest typical month is November, and the lowest typical month is June. For people checking a ford, a bank, or a small intake, that means the river usually carries more water heading into late autumn, then tends to run lower in early summer.
The station has 17 years on record, so the numbers describe a useful local range rather than a long climate archive. The record high is 3.02 m (9.9 ft) in November 2022, and the record low is 0.01 m (0.04 ft) in July 2025. Those two points show how far this reach can move when rain loads the catchment, and how low it can fall in a dry stretch.
The typical annual swing is 29.5 cm (11.6 in). That is a modest seasonal range, but it still matters for small craft, wet margins, and any fixed setup that sits close to ordinary water level. The monthly pattern is the part to watch: November’s typical level is 0.45 m (1.47 ft), while June’s typical level is 0.15 m (0.5 ft). If you use this river through the year, the practical lesson is simple: autumn usually asks for more clearance than early summer.
The regional pattern in the note matches that rhythm. Winter and spring rain tend to keep levels active, and late-season tropical storms can reset records fast. Warm-season low water can linger, so summer readings deserve attention even when the river looks settled.
The hero number on this page is most useful when you compare today’s reading with the median for this calendar day across the station’s record. That comparison shows whether the river is running high or low for the date, instead of just giving a raw elevation. A height on its own can be hard to judge; the date-median comparison tells you where the river sits in its usual seasonal pattern.
This station is operated by SEPA, and the 17 years on record give that comparison some weight. For a neighbour, angler, or flood watcher, the point is not the number alone but how it sits against what this river usually does on the same day.
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.