WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for North Saskatchewan River at Highway No. 759 in AB, Canada, built from official government gauge data.
North Saskatchewan River at Highway No. 759 sits in the Upper North Saskatchewan - Wabamun watershed in Alberta.
The station’s high water mark is 91.64 m (300.66 ft), reached in June 2013. The low mark is 87.29 m (286.38 ft), reached in October 2022. That span tells you this reach can sit well apart from one season to the next, and the typical annual swing is 1.54 m (5.1 ft).
The fastest one-day rise in the record is 1.67 m (5.5 ft), also in June 2013. For anyone with a dock, pump, or access point nearby, that is the sort of move that can change conditions quickly. The fastest one-day drop is 1.34 m (4.4 ft), in April 2013.
The seasonal pattern is straightforward: the highest typical month is March at 89.24 m (292.78 ft), and the lowest typical month is October at 87.7 m (287.72 ft). That means the river commonly loses about 1.54 m (5.1 ft) between its seasonal high and low, so fixed structures need room for that change.
This station drains 22,150 km2 (8,552 sq mi) upstream of the gauge. In a foothills and prairie setting, spring is the time to watch for the main seasonal rise, while summer convective storms can still send sharp jumps through the channel. The record here fits that kind of watchfulness: one-day movement can be fast, and late-season levels can sit near the low end of the range.
The number on the page is best read against the median for this calendar day, not as a stand-alone height. A raw elevation by itself says less than where today sits relative to the station’s own history, especially at a site with 18 years on record.
That comparison is maintained by Water Survey of Canada. It gives you a quick sense of whether today is ordinary for this date, running high, or sitting low for the season.
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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