River Idle at Ordsall Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for River Idle at Ordsall in England, United Kingdom, built from official government gauge data.
- Location England, United Kingdom
- Primary gauge ea-4164 (Environment Agency)
About River Idle at Ordsall
River Idle at Ordsall is a gauged river in England.
Season by season
The seasonal pattern here is modest. The highest typical month is January at 0.39 m (1.28 ft), while the lowest typical month is August at 0.25 m (0.83 ft). For anyone drawing water, launching a small boat, or fishing from the bank, that gap is a reminder that the channel stays within a fairly narrow band through the year, but late-summer levels are still the ones most likely to leave shallow margins and slower edges.
The typical annual swing is 13.7 cm (5.4 in). That is small enough that day-to-day changes matter more than the broad seasonal shape, especially on a river where a few centimetres can change how a bank is wetted or how far a fishable seam sits from shore.
Records and rises
Over 25 years on record, the highest level listed is 1.4 m (4.6 ft), reached in October 2023. The lowest listed level is 0 m (0 ft), reached in February 2019. Those two marks show the range this reach has already shown the station.
For local users, the point is not just that the river can move; it is that it can move from a dry reading at the gauge to a level well above the usual seasonal band. That is the kind of spread that affects intakes, low crossings, and fish access to shallow water.
Reading the hero number
The number on the page is most useful when set against the median for the same calendar day, not against the gauge’s absolute height. A raw level only says where the water sits right now. The calendar-day median shows whether today is ordinary for this date or sitting above or below the station’s usual pattern.
This station is operated by the Environment Agency, and its 25-year record gives that comparison some weight. For cottagers, anglers, and anyone watching a bank or intake, the calendar-day view is the better check because it tells you how today fits the river’s own history.
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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Inside the freshet cycle that puts Manitoba shorelines at risk each year - and why 2026 broke the script.
The science of snow water equivalent and why it drives the season ahead.
What the numbers on the measuring stick actually tell you.
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
