WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for River Swale at Richmond Lownthwaite Bridge in England, United Kingdom, built from official government gauge data.
River Swale at Richmond Lownthwaite Bridge is a gauged river in England.
This reach follows a temperate seasonal pattern: higher water is most likely in winter and spring, with lower water in summer. On this gauge, December is the highest month, with a typical level of 0.4 m (1.3 ft), while July is the lowest month, with a typical level of 0.04 m (0.12 ft). That annual swing is 36.1 cm (14.2 in), so a riverside intake, mooring, or ford will not sit at the same height for long.
The record high at this station is 2.66 m (8.72 ft) in December 2015. The record low is -0.13 m (-0.44 ft) in October 2025. Those two marks show how far this river can move beyond its seasonal average, even before you get into day-to-day change.
For someone checking the river for access, angling, or field work, the seasonal pattern matters most. December tends to sit well above July, and the typical annual swing of 36.1 cm (14.2 in) is enough to shift the edge of the water, change slack-water margins, and alter how far a dock or low bank stays usable.
The extremes matter too. A level of 2.66 m (8.72 ft) in December 2015 tells you this gauge can reach well beyond its usual winter height. At the other end, -0.13 m (-0.44 ft) in October 2025 shows the water can sit below the station’s reference point. That is the kind of range that changes what is exposed along the margins.
This page’s hero number should be read against the median for the same calendar day, not against raw elevation. That comparison tells you whether the river is running typical for this date, above it, or below it at this station.
That is more useful than a single level on its own because this gauge has more than 33 years of record. The day-median benchmark uses the station’s own history, which is what matters for the River Swale at Richmond Lownthwaite Bridge. Data source: Environment Agency.
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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