WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for River Calder at Todmorden Millwood in England, United Kingdom, built from official government gauge data.
River Calder at Todmorden Millwood is a gauged river in England.
This reach has 20 years of record behind it, which is enough to show a seasonal pattern without pretending every year behaves the same. The usual high point comes in January at 0.3 m (0.98 ft), while the usual low point comes in June at 0.12 m (0.4 ft). For anyone drawing water, mooring a boat, or fishing from the bank, that difference is the part to watch: the river is usually higher in winter and lower by early summer.
The recorded range is wider than the typical year. The high-water mark is 2.38 m (7.81 ft) in June 2012, and the low-water mark is -0.25 m (-0.83 ft) in April 2025. Those two points show the reach can sit far outside its usual seasonal band. A dock, intake, or shallow crossing has to tolerate that spread.
The typical annual swing is 17.7 cm (7 in). That is a modest seasonal change on paper, but the record shows the gauge can move well beyond that when conditions push it.
The highest month is January and the lowest month is June, which fits temperate river behaviour: winter and spring tend to carry more water, then levels ease off into summer. For local use, that means winter banks and access points need room for a higher river, while June is the month when shallow margins are most likely to matter.
The June 2012 high and the April 2025 low are both part of the station’s history. They are useful markers because they show the reach’s range in real terms, not just its average mood.
The hero number on this page is the live level set against the median for the same calendar day across the station’s record. That is better than raw elevation alone because a river can sit at the same height on two different days and mean very different things for the season.
With more than 20 years of record, the median gives a steadier comparison than a single reading by itself. It tells you whether today is running above or below what this river usually does on this date. At this station, the operator is the Environment Agency, so the reading is being judged against the River Calder’s own local history rather than a broad regional average.
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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