River Ouse at York Foss Barrier Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for River Ouse at York Foss Barrier in England, United Kingdom, built from official government gauge data.
- Location England, United Kingdom
- Primary gauge ea-L2404 (Environment Agency)
About River Ouse at York Foss Barrier
River Ouse at York Foss Barrier is a gauged river in England.
The watershed
This station sits on the River Ouse in England, with 30 years of record behind it. For people watching the river at York, that record matters more than any single reading: it shows how quickly levels can change from one season to the next, and what range a bank, dock, or intake has to live with.
The highest month in the record is January, with a typical level of 5.97 m (19.59 ft). The lowest month is July, with a typical level of 5.14 m (16.88 ft). That annual swing is 82.6 cm (32.5 in), which is the size of the normal seasonal change a fixed structure has to accommodate here.
What the numbers say
The record high is 9.96 m (32.68 ft), set in December 2015. The record low is 4.53 m (14.85 ft), set in October 2003. Those two points define the outer edges of the gauge history: one high-water event, one low-water period, and a spread that is much larger than the usual month-to-month movement.
The seasonal pattern is clear enough for planning. January tends to be the higher month, July the lower one. In a temperate river like this, that usually means more water to watch in the colder part of the year and shallower margins in mid-summer. For anglers, that affects access and current. For anyone using the river margin or a riverside intake, it is the difference between a comfortable buffer and a narrow one.
Reading the hero number
The hero number on this page is most useful when it is compared with the median for the same calendar day across the station’s record. That tells you whether today’s level is ordinary for this date, or running above or below the river’s usual position for this time of year.
Raw elevation alone does not do that. A level can look high in summer and fairly normal in winter, or the other way around. The calendar-day median gives the context that matters for action on the ground.
This station is run by the Environment Agency, and the page uses its own record at York.
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.
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How every number is computed - About the platform
