WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Quesnel River at Likely in BC, Canada, built from official government gauge data.
The Quesnel River in the Quesnel watershed in BC is monitored at Likely.
This gauge sits on the Quesnel River at Likely in the Quesnel watershed in BC. The station drains 5964 km2 (2303 sq mi) upstream of the gauge, so the reading reflects water coming from that contributing area, not the full river system beyond it.
For people living and working near the river, that catchment size matters because it sets the scale of the water moving past the site. Conditions upstream can change what arrives here, and the gauge is the place to watch.
The station has 102 years of record, which is enough to show a clear seasonal pattern.
The highest typical month is June, at 2.42 m (7.96 ft). The lowest typical month is March, at 0.15 m (0.51 ft). That makes the typical annual swing 2.27 m (7.5 ft). For docks, pumps, and bank access, that is a wide range to plan around.
The record high is 2.99 m (9.82 ft) in June 2012. The record low is 0.02 m (0.07 ft) in April 2012. Those two readings show how far this station can move within the same year.
The fastest 24-hour rise is not provided in the facts here, so there is nothing to add on warning time from that measure.
The hero number on this page should be read against the median for this calendar day across the station record, not as a raw elevation. A single level by itself can be hard to judge, but a day-matched median shows whether the river is running above or below its usual spot for this time of year.
At a station with more than 102 years on record, that comparison is the most practical one for cottagers, anglers, and anyone watching access or bank conditions. Water Survey of Canada is the operating agency for this source.
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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