WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for River Thames at Boulters Lock in England, United Kingdom, built from official government gauge data.
River Thames at Boulters Lock is a gauged river in England.
This station sits on the River Thames, and its level follows the seasonal pattern you would expect in temperate hydrology: higher water in the cool season, lower water in late winter. At this site, the typical high month is November at 0.19 m (0.62 ft), and the typical low month is February at 0.15 m (0.49 ft). That spread is small in absolute terms, with a typical annual swing of 3.8 cm (1.5 in), so day-to-day changes here can matter more to access and mooring than the broad seasonal range.
The extremes show a wider envelope than the usual monthly pattern. The record high is 1.1 m (3.6 ft), set in December 2000, and the record low is -0.11 m (-0.35 ft), set in September 1999. For anyone using the bank, a dock, or an intake, those numbers mark the range this reach has already shown.
The river’s usual pattern is modest: November is the highest typical month, February the lowest. That is the reverse of the spring-freshet story seen on some rivers, so the important point here is not explanation but timing. If you are watching for low water, late winter is the quieter part of the year; if you are planning around higher stages, the cool season deserves attention.
The record dates also matter. December 2000 and September 1999 show that the river can leave its usual band by a wide margin. That is the kind of spread that can change how much clearance a landing has, or how much margin a bank-side setup keeps.
The hero number on this page is best read against the median level for the same calendar day, not as a raw elevation. A level can look ordinary on its own and still be high or low for that date in the station’s own history.
This station has more than 31 years of record, which gives the daily median real weight. The comparison tells you whether today sits above or below what the river usually does at this point in the year, using the long EA record at River Thames at Boulters Lock.
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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