Red River above Red River Floodway Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Red River above Red River Floodway in MB, Canada, built from official government gauge data.
- Location MB, Canada
- Watershed upper red
- Primary gauge 05OC026 (Water Survey of Canada)
About Red River above Red River Floodway
Red River above Red River Floodway is a gauged river in Manitoba's Upper Red watershed.
What the record shows
The station has 44 years on record. The highest level in that span was 235.15 m (771.48 ft) in May 1997. The lowest was 222.24 m (729.15 ft) in October 2003.
The seasonal pattern is clear. The usual high point comes in April, at 227.55 m (746.54 ft), and the usual low point comes in February, at 223.05 m (731.79 ft). That is a typical annual swing of 4.5 m (14.8 ft).
For people living near the channel or watching water against banks, that range matters. A dock, intake, or low crossing has to handle a river that can sit several metres apart from winter low to spring high. The fastest 24-hour rise on record was 1.99 m (6.5 ft) in June 2002, which is the kind of move that can change conditions overnight.
The fastest 24-hour drop was 99 cm (3.2 ft) in April 1992.
The watershed
This gauge drains 120000 km2 (46332 sq mi) upstream of the station. In Prairie rivers, spring snowmelt is the main flood season, and the Red basin is no exception. The river usually builds toward April, then eases into summer recession.
That means the first part of the open-water season is often the time to watch levels most closely. High water can linger after the melt, while later summer levels tend to settle lower.
Reading the hero number
The hero number on this page is today’s reading set against the median for this calendar day across the station record. That is more useful than raw elevation because it shows whether the river is running above or below its usual level for this date, not just how high it sits above sea level.
At a station with 44 years on record, that day-by-day comparison gives a better read on whether conditions are typical, high, or low for the season.
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.
One percent, every year, forever - unwrapping hydrology's most misunderstood phrase, and how it differs from our own percentiles.
How every number is computed - About the platform
