WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Peace River above Smoky River Confluence in AB, Canada, built from official government gauge data.
Peace River above Smoky River Confluence is a gauged river in the Upper Peace - Kiskatinaw watershed in Alberta.
The gauge drains 139,600 km2 (53,900 sq mi) upstream of this station, so the reading here reflects a very large part of the upper Peace system, not just the reach at the confluence. For anyone watching an intake, a bank access, or a crossing, that is the scale that matters: changes upstream can show up here after moving through a broad drainage area.
The seasonal pattern is clear in the record. The typical high month is February at 320.02 m (1,049.95 ft), while the typical low month is September at 316.11 m (1,037.12 ft). The usual annual swing is 3.91 m (12.8 ft). For cottagers and operators, that is the range the river tends to work through over a year; for anglers, it marks when margins, bars, and near-bank water are likely to shift.
The highest level in the record is 321.98 m (1,056.36 ft), in January 2004. The lowest is 315.43 m (1,034.86 ft), in September 2024. Those two points define the edges of what this gauge has seen across 25 years on record.
The monthly pattern does not follow a simple spring-only peak. February is the typical high month, and September is the typical low month. In foothills and prairie country, that matters because the river does not wait for one clean season to change; the annual range shows up in the water level a user has to plan around.
The hero number on this page is today’s reading, set against the median for this calendar day across the station record. That comparison is more useful than raw elevation because it shows whether the river is running normal for the date, high for the date, or low for the date.
With 25 years on record, that daily context is the better guide for day-to-day use. A level near the median tells you the river is behaving close to its usual pattern for now; a level well above or below it is the signal to pay closer attention.
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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