WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
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Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Pecos River above Santa Rosa Lake in NM, United States, built from official government gauge data.
Pecos River above Santa Rosa Lake sits in the Pecos Headwaters watershed in New Mexico.
Spring is the part of the year to watch first. In this region, high-country snowmelt drives the main spring rise on the larger rivers, so a shift in snowpack can show up at the gauge before the hotter months settle in.
From July through September, monsoon storms can push short, sharp floods through dry channels and tributaries. Between those events, long dry stretches are normal for the Southwest, so the river can change fast when a storm does arrive and then settle back again.
For day-to-day use, the upstream area above this station is 2,340 sq mi (6,061 km2). That is the drainage the gauge is tracking, so conditions across that basin matter for boating, bank access, and any intake or crossing nearby.
The highest level in the record is 15.41 ft (4.7 m), set in September 2013. The lowest is 3.16 ft (0.96 m), set in June 2014.
The usual seasonal range is smaller than those extremes. The typical high month is May at 5.51 ft (1.68 m), and the typical low month is February at 4.6 ft (1.4 m). The typical annual swing is 10.8 in (27.5 cm). For someone keeping a dock, pump, or low crossing in mind, that tells you the river’s ordinary seasonal movement is modest compared with the record spread, but storms and snowmelt can still change conditions quickly.
No fastest 24-hour rise is listed here, so I am not guessing at warning time beyond what the seasonal pattern shows.
The number on the page is the current reading, set against the median for this calendar day from the station record. That is more useful than raw elevation alone because it puts today’s water level in context for this date, not just above a fixed datum.
This station is run by the U.S. Geological Survey, and it has about 50 years on record.
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 in a growing number of countries. Built on official government data.
Nibi Metrics tracks more than 17,900 gauged lakes and rivers in a growing number of countries, reading directly from official federal monitoring networks: the Water Survey of Canada, the United States Geological Survey, Quebec's provincial hydrometric network, the Environment Agency for England, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Natural Resources Wales, the Office of Public Works in Ireland (waterlevel.ie), the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE), the State of Queensland's water monitoring network, and on the Great Lakes the Canadian Hydrographic Service and NOAA. 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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