Pea River at Elba, AL. Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Pea River at Elba, AL. in AL, United States, built from official government gauge data.
- Location AL, United States
- Watershed pea
- Primary gauge 02364000 (USGS)
About Pea River at Elba, AL.
Pea River at Elba, AL. is a gauged river in the Pea watershed in Alabama.
Season by season
The river’s usual high water comes in February, when the typical level is 7.82 ft (2.38 m). By August, the typical level falls to 4.94 ft (1.51 m). That 34.6 in (87.8 cm) annual swing is the part a dock, bank step, or intake has to absorb from one season to the next.
In this part of the Gulf South, winter and spring rains usually set the higher stage, while long warm-season low water can hold between storms. That pattern matters for shallow crossings and bank access: February tends to be the time to expect more water, and August the time to expect less.
The gauge sits on a drainage area of 959 sq mi (2484 km2) above the station. For anyone using the river nearby, that is the upstream area feeding this point, not the whole watershed name on a map.
Records and rises
This station has 31 years on record. Within that span, the high mark reached 40.91 ft (12.47 m) in December 2015, while the low mark fell to -1.11 ft (-0.34 m) in April 2026.
Those two records show the range this reach has already handled. The high is the number to keep in mind for floods and overbank water, while the low is the kind of stage that can leave shallow spots tighter than usual. Tropical systems can also drive sharp summer and fall rises in this region, so a calm warm-season pattern can change fast.
Reading the hero number
The hero number on this page compares today’s stage with the median for this calendar day across the station’s record. That is more useful than raw elevation because it puts today beside the river’s own normal for this date, not just beside a single fixed level.
This station is operated by the USGS. With more than 31 years of records, the daily median gives a grounded check on whether the river is sitting above, near, or below its usual level for this time of year.
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.
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Why Central and South Texas rivers go from gravel beds to fifty-year records in an afternoon - including July 2026 on the Nueces.
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How every number is computed - About the platform
