WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for River Swift at Churchover in England, United Kingdom, built from official government gauge data.
River Swift at Churchover is a gauged river in England.
This station has 28 years on record with the Environment Agency, so the pattern here is long enough to show a repeatable seasonal rhythm. On this river, the highest month is January at 0.35 m (1.13 ft), while the lowest month is July at 0.11 m (0.36 ft). For anyone drawing water, launching a small boat, or watching a bank that moves between seasons, that spread is the practical range to keep in mind.
The record high is 1.69 m (5.53 ft) in January 2024, and the record low is 0.02 m (0.08 ft) in June 2003. Those two marks show the reach can sit very low in dry periods and still rise sharply in a wet winter. The typical annual swing is 23.5 cm (9.3 in), which is the normal up-and-down room this station usually makes over the year.
The seasonal pattern here fits a temperate river: higher water in winter, lower water in summer. January stands above the rest of the year, and July sits at the bottom of the typical cycle. That matters for field access and for anything sitting close to the waterline, because the level you see in midsummer is usually not the level you need to plan for in midwinter.
The record high in January 2024 is well above the typical January level, so winter rises here can move beyond the ordinary seasonal range. The record low in June 2003 sits far below the usual July level, which is a reminder that summer low water can tighten margins quickly for shallow crossings and intakes.
The hero number on this page is most useful when set against the median level for the same calendar day across this station’s record. That is better than raw elevation alone, because a plain height tells you little unless you know what is normal for this date at River Swift at Churchover.
With more than 28 years of record at an Environment Agency station, the daily median gives you the local benchmark: whether today is close to routine, above the usual band, or below it. For the people using this river, that context is what turns a single reading into a usable signal.
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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